﻿18 
  REPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  COMMISSION. 
  

  

  hordes 
  of 
  young 
  grasshoppers 
  which 
  ravaged 
  the 
  wheat 
  fields 
  afterwards 
  

   gave 
  clear 
  evidence 
  of 
  the 
  failure 
  of 
  success 
  by 
  this 
  plan. 
  

  

  This 
  method, 
  if 
  we 
  may 
  judge 
  from 
  the 
  slight 
  notice 
  of 
  it 
  by 
  Koppen 
  

   both 
  in 
  his 
  " 
  Reuschrecken 
  in 
  Sudrussland" 
  and 
  his 
  paper 
  on 
  the 
  

   u 
  Destruction 
  des 
  Sautereliesf 
  7 
  to 
  the 
  Exposition 
  Internationale 
  at 
  Brus- 
  

   sels 
  in 
  1876, 
  is 
  considered 
  of 
  but 
  little 
  value 
  in 
  Southern 
  Russia. 
  

  

  In 
  a 
  file 
  of 
  papers 
  in 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  bulletins, 
  published 
  by 
  the 
  revenue 
  

   department 
  of 
  the 
  Government 
  of 
  Madras 
  in 
  1878, 
  in 
  reference 
  to 
  the 
  

   locusts 
  that 
  troubled 
  that 
  part 
  of 
  India 
  that 
  year, 
  we 
  find 
  the 
  following 
  

   statement 
  in 
  reference 
  to 
  an 
  attempt 
  to 
  destroy 
  young 
  locusts 
  by 
  burn- 
  

   ing 
  them 
  with 
  straw 
  : 
  

  

  Here 
  the 
  ground 
  was 
  literally 
  covered 
  with 
  them. 
  I 
  collected 
  about 
  100 
  people 
  and 
  

   when 
  I 
  saw 
  a 
  large 
  swarm 
  (for 
  they 
  were 
  just 
  like 
  bees) 
  I 
  first 
  threw 
  some 
  straw 
  over 
  

   them 
  (having 
  carefully 
  surrounded 
  them) 
  and 
  set 
  fire 
  to 
  it. 
  Some 
  perished, 
  but 
  they 
  

   were 
  but 
  a 
  few 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  millions 
  and 
  millions 
  there. 
  I 
  worked 
  for 
  six 
  hours 
  at 
  this 
  

   work, 
  and, 
  though 
  we 
  did 
  all 
  we 
  could, 
  I 
  do 
  not 
  suppose 
  we 
  effected 
  much.* 
  

  

  This 
  is 
  not 
  directly 
  applicable 
  to 
  the 
  point 
  now 
  under 
  discussion, 
  but 
  

   it 
  tends 
  to 
  show 
  that 
  the 
  impression 
  that 
  all 
  the 
  locusts 
  are 
  killed 
  where 
  

   the 
  fire 
  passes 
  over 
  them 
  is 
  erroneous. 
  We 
  are, 
  therefore, 
  after 
  a 
  more 
  

   thorough 
  investigation 
  of 
  the 
  subject, 
  confirmed 
  in 
  the 
  following 
  opinion 
  

   expressed 
  in 
  our 
  first 
  report 
  : 
  t 
  

  

  Scarcely 
  any 
  eggs 
  are 
  laid 
  in 
  rank 
  prairie, 
  and 
  the 
  general 
  impression 
  that 
  locusts 
  

   are 
  slaughtered 
  by 
  myriads 
  in 
  burning 
  extensive 
  areas 
  is 
  an 
  erroneous 
  one, 
  at 
  least 
  

   in 
  the 
  temporary 
  region. 
  

  

  We 
  are 
  inclined 
  to 
  think 
  the 
  same 
  thing 
  is 
  to 
  a 
  great 
  extent 
  true 
  in 
  

   reference 
  to 
  the 
  permanent 
  region. 
  There 
  is 
  some 
  difference, 
  it 
  is 
  true, 
  

   in 
  the 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  ground 
  selected 
  for 
  egg 
  deposits, 
  and 
  also 
  in 
  the 
  

   grasses 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  regions, 
  but 
  not 
  such 
  as 
  to 
  render 
  it 
  probable 
  that 
  

   the 
  result 
  would 
  be 
  much 
  more 
  favorable 
  in 
  one 
  section 
  than 
  the 
  other. 
  

  

  Although 
  we 
  do 
  not 
  think 
  this 
  plan 
  offers 
  sufficient 
  prospects 
  of 
  ef- 
  

   fectual 
  destruction 
  to 
  justify 
  the 
  government 
  in 
  attempting 
  to 
  put 
  it 
  

   into 
  operation, 
  yet 
  we 
  think 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  used 
  as 
  one 
  means 
  of 
  destroying 
  

   the 
  young 
  in 
  favorable 
  localities 
  by 
  the 
  farmers 
  and 
  others 
  of 
  those 
  

   localities 
  who 
  are 
  interested. 
  But 
  it 
  is 
  unnecessary 
  except 
  where 
  it 
  is 
  

   certain 
  the 
  young 
  locusts 
  are 
  in 
  the 
  grassy 
  area, 
  and 
  should 
  not 
  be 
  car- 
  

   ried 
  into 
  effect 
  until 
  the 
  locusts 
  are 
  nearly 
  half 
  grown, 
  or, 
  in 
  other 
  

   words, 
  well 
  advanced 
  in 
  the 
  larva 
  state. 
  

  

  If 
  the 
  plan 
  for 
  a 
  general 
  destruction 
  by 
  burning 
  is 
  abandoned 
  as 
  un- 
  

   tenable, 
  we 
  must 
  then 
  confess 
  we 
  see 
  no 
  prospect 
  at 
  present 
  of 
  entirely 
  

   exterminating 
  them 
  by 
  artificial 
  means. 
  

  

  The 
  problem, 
  then, 
  is 
  confined 
  to 
  a 
  modification 
  of 
  the 
  evil 
  by 
  lessen- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  numbers, 
  or 
  in 
  some 
  way 
  counteracting 
  them. 
  

  

  The 
  various 
  methods 
  which 
  may 
  be 
  adopted 
  for 
  destroying 
  the 
  un- 
  

   fledged 
  locusts 
  are 
  fully 
  explained 
  in 
  our 
  first 
  report. 
  All 
  these 
  meth- 
  

   ods 
  are 
  fully 
  as 
  applicable 
  in 
  the 
  permanent 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  temporary 
  region, 
  

  

  * 
  Proceedings 
  of 
  Board 
  of 
  Revenue 
  of 
  Madras, 
  J 
  une 
  20, 
  1878, 
  No. 
  1702. 
  t 
  Page 
  363. 
  

  

  