﻿16 
  REPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  COMMISSIONS 
  

  

  nothing 
  further 
  would 
  be 
  necessary 
  ; 
  but 
  when 
  we 
  take 
  into 
  considera- 
  

   tion 
  the 
  vast 
  extent 
  of 
  this 
  area, 
  and 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  a 
  very 
  large 
  portion 
  of 
  

   it 
  cannot 
  be 
  brought 
  under 
  cultivation 
  without 
  a 
  material 
  change 
  in 
  the 
  

   climatic 
  conditions, 
  there 
  appears 
  but 
  little 
  hope 
  that 
  such 
  a 
  means 
  of 
  

   actual 
  extermination 
  will 
  ever 
  be 
  devised, 
  however 
  much 
  we 
  may 
  hope 
  

   to 
  check 
  the 
  injurious 
  increase 
  of 
  the 
  pest 
  by 
  the 
  means 
  recommended 
  

   in 
  the 
  concluding 
  chapter 
  of 
  this 
  report. 
  Our 
  discussion 
  of 
  the 
  future 
  

   prospects 
  of 
  this 
  region 
  in 
  reference 
  to 
  agriculture 
  may 
  as 
  well 
  therefore 
  

   proceed 
  on 
  this 
  basis. 
  This 
  may 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  an 
  abandonment 
  of 
  the 
  

   hopes 
  held 
  out 
  in 
  our 
  first 
  report, 
  but 
  if 
  the 
  reader 
  will 
  examine 
  that 
  

   report 
  carefully 
  he 
  will 
  see 
  that 
  we 
  there 
  based 
  these 
  hopes 
  upon 
  the 
  

   possibility 
  of 
  man 
  being 
  able, 
  by 
  the 
  advancement 
  in 
  science 
  and 
  the 
  

   knowledge 
  of 
  natural 
  laws, 
  to 
  modify 
  the 
  climatic 
  conditions 
  of 
  that 
  

   region. 
  At 
  present 
  we 
  are 
  proceeding 
  upon 
  the 
  basis 
  of 
  the 
  want 
  of 
  

   the 
  knowledge 
  as 
  to 
  how 
  this 
  desired 
  end 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  accomplished. 
  

  

  It 
  was 
  thought 
  that 
  a 
  plan 
  for 
  a 
  general 
  burning 
  over 
  the 
  areas 
  in 
  

   which 
  the 
  locusts 
  hatch, 
  if 
  done 
  while 
  they 
  are 
  in 
  the 
  larva 
  state 
  and 
  

   properly 
  carried 
  out, 
  would 
  be 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  effectual 
  means 
  of 
  de- 
  

   stroying 
  them. 
  

  

  Theoretically 
  the 
  plan 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  good 
  one, 
  and 
  although 
  entail- 
  

   ing 
  considerable 
  labor 
  and 
  expense, 
  if 
  it 
  would 
  prove 
  as 
  effectual 
  prac- 
  

   tically 
  as 
  it 
  appears 
  theoretically, 
  might 
  be 
  carried 
  out 
  under 
  govern- 
  

   ment 
  authority 
  and 
  the 
  expense 
  justified. 
  

  

  But 
  there 
  are 
  practical 
  difficulties 
  which 
  decrease 
  our 
  hope 
  of 
  obtain- 
  

   ing 
  relief 
  in 
  this 
  way, 
  and 
  we 
  will 
  present 
  these 
  in 
  the 
  strongest 
  light 
  

   here, 
  as 
  we 
  shall 
  recur 
  to 
  the 
  subject 
  in 
  another 
  chapter, 
  and 
  the 
  expe- 
  

   rience 
  of 
  individual 
  commissioners 
  differs 
  somewhat 
  upon 
  it. 
  

  

  First, 
  the 
  region 
  over 
  which 
  the 
  patches 
  of 
  egg 
  deposits 
  are 
  scattered 
  

   is 
  so 
  great, 
  including 
  an 
  area 
  of 
  at 
  least 
  500,000 
  square 
  miles, 
  that 
  noth- 
  

   ing 
  short 
  of 
  an 
  absolute 
  certainty 
  of 
  forever 
  exterminating 
  this 
  pest 
  

   would 
  justify 
  the 
  government 
  in 
  entering 
  upon 
  so 
  formidable 
  an 
  under- 
  

   taking. 
  The 
  actual 
  area 
  occupied 
  in 
  this 
  region 
  in 
  any 
  one 
  year 
  by 
  egg 
  

   deposits 
  is, 
  as 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  course, 
  but 
  a 
  small 
  portion 
  of 
  this 
  immense 
  

   district, 
  probably 
  never 
  amounting 
  to 
  more 
  than 
  25,000 
  or 
  30,000 
  square 
  

   miles, 
  except 
  in 
  the 
  years 
  of 
  greatest 
  development. 
  But 
  supposing 
  

   there 
  was 
  no 
  other 
  difficulty 
  in 
  the 
  way 
  than 
  the 
  labor 
  and 
  expense, 
  it 
  

   would 
  still 
  be 
  a 
  formidable 
  undertaking, 
  considering 
  the 
  widely 
  scat- 
  

   tered 
  position 
  of 
  these 
  areas 
  of 
  egg 
  deposits 
  ; 
  yet 
  a 
  certainty 
  of 
  accom- 
  

   plishing 
  the 
  desired 
  end 
  would 
  justify 
  the 
  attempt 
  by 
  the 
  general 
  gov- 
  

   ernment. 
  

  

  As 
  a 
  very 
  general 
  rule, 
  egg 
  deposits, 
  except 
  in 
  cultivated 
  districts, 
  

   are 
  made 
  where 
  there 
  is 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  grass, 
  never 
  being 
  made 
  in 
  per- 
  

   fectly 
  barren 
  areas, 
  and 
  very 
  seldom 
  made 
  in 
  wood 
  lands 
  ; 
  this 
  would 
  

   appear 
  to 
  favor 
  the 
  theory. 
  

  

  But 
  in 
  order 
  that 
  burning 
  may 
  be 
  effectual, 
  it 
  must 
  be 
  done 
  after 
  the 
  

   locusts 
  are 
  hatched 
  and 
  before 
  they 
  have 
  acquired 
  wings, 
  as 
  burning 
  

  

  