﻿CHRONOLOGY, 
  1878: 
  SUMMARY. 
  9 
  

  

  is 
  quite 
  elated 
  over 
  his 
  success, 
  and 
  feels 
  confident 
  of 
  being 
  able 
  to 
  Bave 
  hi->crop, 
  

   which, 
  only 
  the 
  day 
  previous, 
  he 
  had 
  been 
  tempted 
  to 
  give 
  up 
  in 
  despair. 
  

  

  The 
  farmers 
  of 
  the 
  Missouri 
  Valley 
  have 
  been 
  doing 
  good 
  execution 
  during 
  the 
  past 
  

   few 
  weeks 
  fighting 
  grasshoppers. 
  Thousands 
  upon 
  thousands 
  have 
  bees 
  destroyed. 
  

  

  Of 
  the 
  many 
  modes 
  employed, 
  that 
  of 
  burning 
  dry 
  manure 
  and 
  straw 
  mixed 
  is 
  proving 
  

   the 
  most 
  effective. 
  The 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  fields 
  are 
  protected 
  by 
  water 
  ditches, 
  and 
  the 
  

   manure 
  and 
  straw 
  is 
  scattered 
  across 
  one 
  end 
  in 
  a 
  narrow 
  strip 
  when 
  the 
  'hoppers 
  are 
  

   on 
  the 
  move, 
  and 
  set 
  on 
  lire 
  and 
  is 
  burned. 
  The 
  manure 
  with 
  a 
  little 
  straw 
  mixed 
  

   with 
  it 
  will 
  burn 
  for 
  several 
  hours. 
  We 
  are 
  informed 
  by 
  those 
  who 
  have 
  made 
  the 
  

   experiment 
  that 
  they 
  have 
  seen 
  the 
  "hoppers 
  march 
  on 
  until 
  the 
  burning 
  heaps 
  were 
  

   a 
  mass 
  of 
  grasshopper 
  cinder. 
  

  

  As 
  the 
  season 
  grows 
  older 
  the 
  war 
  upon 
  the 
  grasshoppers 
  becomes 
  more 
  general 
  all 
  

   over 
  the 
  Territory. 
  On 
  the 
  Missouri 
  Valley 
  the 
  conflict 
  has 
  been 
  long 
  and 
  fierce. 
  The 
  

   'hoppers 
  came 
  out 
  early, 
  aud 
  are 
  now 
  almost 
  ready 
  to 
  fly, 
  and 
  should 
  none 
  of 
  the 
  

   winged 
  armies 
  from 
  other 
  sections 
  come 
  in 
  the 
  crops 
  will 
  be 
  good, 
  notwithstanding 
  

   great 
  damage 
  has 
  been 
  done. 
  On 
  the 
  Gallatin 
  it 
  was 
  thought 
  there 
  would 
  but 
  

   few 
  hatch 
  out. 
  The 
  spring 
  there 
  being 
  cold 
  and 
  stormy, 
  the 
  eggs 
  did 
  not 
  hatch 
  ; 
  but 
  

   late 
  advices 
  inform 
  us 
  that 
  during 
  the 
  hot, 
  sunny 
  days 
  of 
  the 
  past 
  two 
  weeks 
  they 
  

   have 
  come 
  forth 
  in 
  great 
  numbers, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  feared 
  will 
  yet 
  destroy 
  many 
  crops. 
  On 
  

   other 
  valleys 
  they 
  have 
  not 
  been 
  so 
  late 
  in 
  coming 
  out, 
  but 
  have 
  hatched 
  at 
  intervals 
  ; 
  

   as 
  fast 
  as 
  one 
  army 
  was 
  vanquished 
  by 
  the 
  industrious 
  farmer, 
  another 
  was 
  ready 
  for 
  

   action. 
  

  

  The 
  modes 
  of 
  defense 
  employed 
  have. 
  been 
  greatly 
  diversified 
  and 
  numerous. 
  Where 
  

   the 
  land 
  has 
  considerable 
  grade 
  and 
  water 
  is 
  plenty, 
  water 
  is 
  the 
  only 
  weapon 
  needed; 
  

   but 
  if 
  the 
  laud 
  is 
  level, 
  then 
  it 
  is 
  necessary 
  to 
  employ 
  coal 
  oil. 
  The 
  Gallatin 
  and 
  

   Prickly 
  Pear 
  farmers 
  have 
  tried 
  The 
  latter 
  plan 
  with 
  great 
  success. 
  The 
  'hoppers, 
  

   which 
  are 
  well 
  grown, 
  and 
  would 
  ferry 
  a 
  slow 
  stream 
  with 
  ease, 
  are 
  instantly 
  killed 
  

   by 
  coming 
  in 
  contact 
  with 
  the 
  coal 
  oil. 
  The 
  quantity 
  of 
  oil 
  required 
  is 
  small. 
  On 
  

   the 
  Missouri 
  Valley, 
  where 
  water 
  has 
  been 
  comparatively 
  scarce, 
  the 
  burning 
  of 
  straw 
  

   and 
  manure, 
  has 
  been 
  the 
  most 
  successful. 
  

  

  The 
  damage 
  already 
  done, 
  taking 
  the 
  Territory 
  throughout, 
  will 
  not 
  reach 
  a 
  fourth 
  

   of 
  the 
  acreage 
  sown, 
  and 
  if 
  the 
  defense 
  continues 
  as 
  successful, 
  the 
  remainder 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  1 
  season, 
  the 
  harvest 
  will 
  be 
  good. 
  There 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  no 
  probability, 
  however, 
  that 
  it 
  

   will 
  be 
  so 
  large 
  as 
  to 
  produce 
  a 
  decline 
  in 
  prices. 
  There 
  was 
  more 
  than 
  double 
  the 
  

  

  I 
  amount 
  of 
  grain 
  raised 
  on 
  the 
  Missouri 
  Valley 
  last 
  year 
  than 
  there 
  was 
  the 
  year 
  pre- 
  

   vious, 
  and 
  we 
  believe 
  the 
  same 
  may 
  be 
  said 
  of 
  many 
  other 
  sections 
  ; 
  yet 
  grain 
  bears 
  a 
  

   better 
  price 
  now 
  than 
  one 
  year 
  ago. 
  This 
  indicates 
  that 
  the 
  demand 
  is 
  growing 
  more 
  

   rapidly 
  than 
  the 
  production, 
  and 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  question 
  but 
  the 
  remuneration 
  would 
  be 
  

  

  \ 
  fair 
  should 
  the 
  crop 
  of 
  the 
  Territory 
  exceed 
  last 
  year's 
  production 
  by 
  half. 
  

  

  To 
  sum 
  up 
  the 
  situation 
  of 
  things 
  in 
  1878, 
  we 
  may 
  safely 
  say 
  that 
  the 
  

   j 
  Locust 
  iu 
  its 
  native 
  home, 
  as 
  mapped 
  out 
  by 
  the 
  Commission 
  in 
  its 
  First 
  

   I 
  Report, 
  comprising 
  the 
  Rocky 
  Mountain 
  plateau, 
  and 
  especially 
  the 
  

   Territories 
  of 
  Montana, 
  Idaho, 
  Utah, 
  and 
  Wyoming, 
  with 
  the 
  State 
  of 
  

   Colorado, 
  was 
  much 
  less 
  abundant 
  and 
  destructive 
  than 
  iu 
  1877. 
  Every- 
  

   where 
  the 
  insect 
  existed 
  in 
  nearly 
  its 
  usual 
  normal 
  numerical 
  propor- 
  

   tions, 
  the 
  swarms 
  being 
  local, 
  and 
  only 
  occasionally 
  doing 
  local 
  damage; 
  

   the 
  crops 
  of 
  grain 
  being 
  everywhere 
  large 
  and 
  abundant. 
  It 
  will, 
  how- 
  

   ever, 
  be 
  seen 
  that 
  even 
  in 
  " 
  off" 
  years 
  the 
  Locust 
  is 
  annually 
  migratory, 
  

   and 
  even 
  if 
  the 
  numbers 
  are 
  slight, 
  they 
  gather 
  into 
  swarms 
  and 
  travel 
  

   hundreds 
  of 
  miles 
  from 
  their 
  hatching-grounds. 
  

  

  