﻿PRACTICAL 
  DIFFICULTIES 
  OF 
  BURNING 
  OVEB. 
  17 
  

  

  the 
  grass 
  does 
  not 
  destroy 
  the 
  vitality 
  of 
  the 
  eggs, 
  and 
  If 
  delayed 
  too 
  

   long, 
  the 
  locusts 
  would 
  largely 
  escape 
  the 
  danger 
  by 
  flight. 
  It 
  is 
  neces- 
  

   sary, 
  therefore, 
  to 
  prevent 
  the 
  old 
  grass 
  from 
  being 
  burnt 
  during 
  the 
  

   winter, 
  as 
  was 
  attempted 
  in 
  parts 
  of 
  Iowa 
  and 
  Minnesota 
  in 
  187G-'77. 
  

   But 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  impossible 
  to 
  carry 
  out 
  a 
  plan 
  of 
  this 
  kind 
  over 
  the 
  

   extensive 
  area 
  included 
  in 
  the 
  bounds 
  of 
  the 
  permanent 
  regions. 
  For 
  

   in 
  order 
  to 
  do 
  this, 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  necessary, 
  first, 
  to 
  know 
  exactly 
  where 
  

   the 
  egg 
  deposits 
  were 
  made 
  the 
  autumn 
  preceding 
  the 
  spring 
  in 
  which 
  

   it 
  was 
  intended 
  to 
  put 
  the 
  plan 
  into 
  practice; 
  next, 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  neces- 
  

   sary 
  to 
  guard 
  these 
  areas 
  carefully 
  until 
  the 
  time 
  for 
  burning 
  arrived 
  to 
  

   prevent 
  them 
  from 
  being 
  prematurely 
  fired. 
  

  

  But 
  there 
  are 
  other 
  reasons 
  why 
  this 
  plan, 
  which 
  appears 
  so 
  com- 
  

   mendable 
  in 
  theory, 
  fails 
  to 
  accomplish 
  the 
  expected 
  result 
  when 
  put 
  

   into 
  practice. 
  

  

  First, 
  the 
  hatching 
  is 
  so 
  uneven 
  that 
  it 
  generally 
  happens 
  that 
  some 
  are 
  

   acquiring 
  wings 
  by 
  the 
  time 
  others 
  are 
  leaving 
  the 
  eggs. 
  In 
  the 
  second 
  

   place, 
  there 
  are 
  few 
  areas 
  occupied 
  by 
  young 
  locusts 
  that 
  the 
  flames 
  will 
  

   sweep 
  over 
  without 
  leaving 
  gaps 
  and 
  unburned 
  patches. 
  

  

  In 
  all 
  the 
  prairies 
  and 
  plains 
  except 
  a 
  few 
  such 
  " 
  dead 
  flats 
  " 
  as 
  the 
  val- 
  

   ley 
  of 
  the 
  Red 
  River 
  of 
  the 
  North, 
  there 
  are 
  innumerable 
  little 
  " 
  breaks" 
  

   or 
  barren 
  spots 
  where 
  the 
  surface 
  declines 
  ; 
  and 
  these 
  are 
  the 
  very 
  spots 
  

   the 
  locusts 
  select 
  in 
  which 
  to 
  deposit 
  their 
  eggs 
  ; 
  on 
  such 
  spots 
  the 
  young 
  

   locusts 
  chiefly 
  congregate, 
  and 
  these 
  are 
  points 
  the 
  fire 
  fails 
  to 
  reach. 
  . 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  also 
  numerous 
  little 
  depressions 
  which 
  the 
  fire 
  fails 
  to 
  reach, 
  

   many 
  little 
  spots 
  where 
  the 
  grass 
  is 
  too 
  short 
  or 
  sparse 
  to 
  carry 
  the 
  flame, 
  

   onward 
  and 
  thus 
  breaks, 
  and 
  many 
  points 
  where 
  the 
  fire 
  passes 
  on 
  so 
  

   rapidly, 
  simply 
  burning 
  the 
  larger 
  blades, 
  that 
  locusts 
  are 
  not 
  killed. 
  

   Thus, 
  in 
  various 
  ways, 
  a 
  very 
  large 
  portion 
  escapes, 
  and 
  the 
  result, 
  under 
  

   what 
  would 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  most 
  favorable 
  conditions, 
  falls 
  far 
  short 
  of 
  

   what 
  is 
  anticipated. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Whitman, 
  in 
  his 
  paper 
  published 
  in 
  the 
  appendix 
  to 
  our 
  first 
  

   report, 
  remarks, 
  speaking 
  of 
  the 
  large 
  deposit 
  of 
  eggs 
  in 
  1876, 
  that 
  — 
  

  

  This 
  impending 
  danger 
  aroused 
  the 
  farmers 
  to 
  unusual 
  exertions 
  during 
  the 
  fall 
  of 
  

   1876. 
  In 
  counties 
  where 
  the 
  trouble 
  "was 
  an 
  old 
  one, 
  conventions 
  were 
  held 
  and 
  meas- 
  

   ures 
  taken 
  to 
  prevent 
  the 
  prairie 
  grass 
  ieom 
  being 
  burned 
  before 
  the 
  hatching 
  season 
  

   of 
  1877. 
  To 
  preserve 
  this 
  grass 
  and 
  fire 
  it 
  just 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  when 
  the 
  locusts 
  were 
  

   hatching 
  seemed 
  to 
  be 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  feasible 
  methods 
  of 
  general 
  destruction, 
  and 
  

   one 
  which 
  in 
  past 
  years 
  had 
  commended 
  itself 
  to 
  the 
  citizens 
  of 
  the 
  infested 
  counties. 
  

   It 
  was 
  carried 
  into 
  effect 
  in 
  the 
  spring 
  in 
  such 
  a 
  way 
  as 
  not 
  to 
  do 
  all 
  the 
  good 
  of 
  which 
  

   it 
  was 
  capable, 
  or 
  to 
  show 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  impossible 
  to 
  produce 
  anything 
  like 
  wholesale 
  

   destruction, 
  on 
  a 
  date 
  specified 
  beforehand, 
  by 
  this 
  means. 
  

  

  The 
  writer 
  of 
  this 
  chapter 
  happened 
  to 
  pass 
  through 
  the 
  southwestern 
  

   part 
  of 
  Minnesota 
  while 
  the 
  burning 
  was 
  going 
  on. 
  It 
  was 
  evident 
  that 
  

   the 
  date 
  chosen 
  was 
  too 
  early, 
  and 
  hence 
  the 
  result 
  in 
  this 
  case 
  cannot 
  

   fairly 
  be 
  cited 
  as 
  a 
  test. 
  In 
  Northwestern 
  Iowa 
  the 
  utmost 
  precautions 
  

   were 
  taken 
  by 
  the 
  authorities 
  to 
  give 
  it 
  a 
  fair 
  trial, 
  but 
  the 
  undiminished 
  

   2l 
  

  

  