﻿22 
  REPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  COMMISSION. 
  

  

  only 
  does 
  it 
  prevent 
  the 
  number 
  destroyed 
  from 
  migrating, 
  but 
  for 
  eacla 
  

   one 
  killed, 
  so 
  to 
  speak, 
  an 
  entire 
  family 
  brood 
  of 
  the 
  next 
  or 
  migrat- 
  

   ing 
  generation 
  is 
  destroyed. 
  In 
  other 
  words, 
  the 
  destruction 
  of 
  thou- 
  

   sands 
  there 
  would 
  be 
  as 
  effectual 
  as 
  destroying 
  millions 
  of 
  the 
  migrating 
  

   swarms. 
  The 
  means 
  of 
  destroying 
  the 
  young, 
  as 
  before 
  stated, 
  can 
  be 
  

   made 
  more 
  effectual 
  in 
  the 
  sections 
  where 
  irrigation 
  is 
  carried 
  on 
  than 
  

   where 
  it 
  is 
  not. 
  

  

  As 
  shown 
  in 
  our 
  first 
  report 
  the 
  destruction 
  of 
  the 
  young 
  locusts 
  

   bred 
  in 
  the 
  temporary 
  region 
  from 
  the 
  invading 
  hordes 
  not 
  only 
  gives 
  

   immediate 
  relief 
  but 
  also 
  tends 
  to 
  postpone 
  future 
  invasions 
  by 
  so 
  less- 
  

   ening 
  the 
  numbers 
  in 
  the 
  returning 
  swarms 
  that 
  a 
  longer 
  time 
  is 
  re- 
  

   quired 
  for 
  development. 
  With 
  an 
  agricultural 
  population 
  in 
  the 
  area 
  

   designated 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  destruction 
  would 
  then 
  be 
  carried 
  on 
  at 
  each 
  

   end 
  of 
  their 
  migratory 
  route. 
  

  

  Here 
  we 
  may 
  also 
  remark 
  that 
  the 
  present 
  idea 
  of 
  making 
  that 
  sec- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  our 
  country 
  peculiarly 
  pastoral 
  area 
  7 
  while 
  doubtless 
  profita- 
  

   ble 
  to 
  the 
  present 
  and 
  for 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  generations 
  to 
  come, 
  will 
  in 
  the 
  

   end 
  entail 
  hardships 
  upon 
  those 
  to 
  follow. 
  It 
  can 
  no 
  longer 
  be 
  doubted 
  

   that 
  while 
  the 
  destruction 
  of 
  forests 
  was 
  the 
  chief 
  agency, 
  yet 
  the 
  pas- 
  

   toral 
  habit 
  of 
  the 
  people 
  of 
  Western 
  Asia 
  and 
  other 
  Oriental 
  countries,, 
  

   once 
  so 
  fertile 
  but 
  now 
  barren, 
  was 
  one 
  important 
  factor 
  in 
  producing 
  

   the 
  present 
  dry 
  and 
  barren 
  condition 
  of 
  those 
  countries. 
  No 
  country 
  in 
  

   the 
  interior 
  of 
  a 
  continent, 
  unless 
  supplied 
  with 
  numerous 
  lakes 
  or 
  nu- 
  

   merous 
  and 
  permanent 
  rivers, 
  can 
  remain 
  permanently 
  fertile 
  and 
  pro- 
  

   ductive 
  if 
  given 
  up 
  largely 
  to. 
  pasturage 
  of 
  sheep, 
  goats, 
  and 
  cattle 
  

   without 
  cultivation. 
  The 
  rapid 
  destruction 
  of 
  the 
  mountain 
  forests, 
  and 
  

   pasturing 
  their 
  slopes 
  and 
  bordering 
  plains, 
  will 
  most 
  certainly 
  have 
  a 
  

   tendency 
  to 
  render 
  that 
  portion 
  of 
  our 
  country 
  more 
  dry 
  and 
  barren. 
  

  

  Unless, 
  therefore, 
  our 
  government 
  adopts 
  some 
  policy 
  by 
  which 
  an 
  

   agricultural 
  population 
  can 
  be 
  thrown 
  into 
  that 
  area 
  the 
  day 
  will 
  most 
  

   assuredly 
  come 
  when 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  as 
  barren 
  and 
  desolate 
  as 
  the 
  plains 
  of 
  

   Arabia. 
  The 
  development 
  of 
  the 
  locusts 
  is 
  but 
  an 
  incident 
  of 
  the 
  

   change 
  from 
  a 
  former 
  condition 
  of 
  abundant 
  moisture 
  to 
  the 
  present 
  dry 
  

   one. 
  But 
  this 
  branch 
  of 
  the 
  subject 
  we 
  propose 
  to 
  omit 
  at 
  present. 
  

  

  It 
  will 
  be 
  seen, 
  therefore, 
  by 
  the 
  foregoing 
  that 
  we 
  think 
  it 
  is 
  possible, 
  

   to 
  modify 
  to 
  a 
  very 
  large 
  extent 
  the 
  operations 
  of 
  the 
  locusts 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  

   these 
  relate 
  to 
  the 
  area 
  along 
  the 
  east 
  flank 
  of 
  the 
  mountains 
  ; 
  and 
  that 
  

   the 
  general 
  government 
  may, 
  without 
  any 
  very 
  great 
  expense, 
  very 
  

   greatly 
  assist 
  in 
  the 
  work. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  proper 
  to 
  state 
  here, 
  before 
  leaving 
  this 
  part 
  of 
  our 
  subject, 
  that 
  

   we 
  have 
  not 
  suggested 
  the 
  building 
  of 
  a 
  railroad 
  along 
  the 
  belt 
  desig- 
  

   nated 
  without 
  some 
  knowledge 
  of 
  the 
  difficulties 
  in 
  the 
  way 
  of 
  such 
  a 
  

   scheme. 
  Instead 
  of 
  following 
  the 
  valley 
  of 
  some 
  stream 
  it 
  would 
  have 
  

   to 
  cross 
  alternately 
  narrow 
  valleys 
  and 
  broad 
  elevated 
  plateaus 
  its 
  en- 
  

   tire 
  length, 
  but 
  the 
  difficulty 
  in 
  this 
  respect 
  would 
  be 
  no 
  greater, 
  and 
  

   perhaps 
  not 
  as 
  great, 
  as 
  that 
  experienced 
  in 
  running 
  the 
  Northern 
  Pa- 
  

  

  