﻿X 
  LETTER 
  OF 
  TRANSMITTAL. 
  

  

  the 
  point 
  of 
  abandoning 
  their 
  new 
  homes. 
  At 
  this 
  juncture 
  the 
  Commission 
  went 
  

   into 
  the 
  field, 
  and, 
  by 
  its 
  encouraging 
  predictions 
  and 
  recommendations, 
  did 
  much 
  to 
  | 
  

   inspire 
  the 
  people 
  with 
  hope 
  and 
  confidence, 
  and 
  greatly 
  helped 
  to 
  draw 
  westward 
  

   again 
  the 
  emigration 
  that 
  had 
  stopped. 
  

  

  All 
  this 
  work, 
  however, 
  interfered 
  with 
  needed 
  investigation 
  into 
  the 
  proper 
  range 
  

   and 
  native 
  home 
  and 
  breeding 
  grounds, 
  and 
  some 
  other 
  important 
  questions 
  which 
  

   can 
  only 
  be 
  properly 
  studied 
  during 
  a 
  normal 
  year, 
  i. 
  e., 
  one 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  insect 
  is 
  con- 
  

   fined 
  to 
  its 
  native 
  or 
  permanent 
  breeding 
  grounds. 
  Such 
  a 
  year 
  will 
  be 
  the 
  present 
  

   (1878), 
  for 
  from 
  our 
  investigations 
  we 
  are 
  able 
  to 
  state 
  with 
  confidence 
  that 
  the 
  

   people 
  of 
  the 
  more 
  fertile 
  country 
  west 
  of 
  the 
  Mississippi, 
  occasionally 
  termed 
  the 
  

   border 
  States, 
  will 
  not 
  be 
  troubled 
  with 
  the 
  young 
  insects 
  next 
  spring 
  and 
  summer, 
  and 
  

   probably 
  not 
  for 
  several 
  years 
  to 
  come. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  therefore 
  quite 
  important 
  that 
  the 
  investigations 
  be 
  continued 
  until 
  every 
  ques- 
  

   tion 
  is 
  settled 
  that 
  human 
  investigation 
  can 
  settle. 
  

  

  Fully 
  recognizing 
  the 
  importance 
  and 
  the 
  magnitude 
  of 
  the 
  work 
  yet 
  to 
  

   be 
  performed 
  it 
  was 
  our 
  object 
  to 
  ascertain, 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  possible 
  : 
  1. 
  The 
  

   relative 
  amount 
  of 
  plains 
  and 
  prairie 
  land 
  that 
  is 
  susceptible 
  of 
  burning- 
  

   over 
  in 
  the 
  permanent 
  breeding 
  grounds 
  of 
  the 
  insect, 
  and, 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  

   possible, 
  the 
  proportion 
  in 
  square 
  miles, 
  and 
  the 
  particular 
  locations. 
  

   2. 
  The 
  proportion 
  of 
  more 
  arid 
  land 
  and 
  other 
  regions 
  not 
  susceptible 
  of 
  

   being 
  burned 
  over, 
  but 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  insects 
  may 
  develop. 
  3. 
  The 
  

   probable 
  cost 
  of 
  burning 
  over 
  such 
  land 
  as 
  will 
  permit 
  of 
  it, 
  and 
  the 
  

   present 
  facilities 
  for, 
  or 
  difficulties 
  in 
  the 
  way 
  of, 
  doing 
  so. 
  4. 
  The 
  best 
  

   means 
  of 
  destroying 
  the 
  insects 
  in 
  the 
  less 
  fertile 
  areas 
  that 
  cannot 
  be 
  

   burned 
  over. 
  5. 
  The 
  proportion 
  of 
  land 
  that 
  can 
  be 
  irrigated 
  and 
  set- 
  

   tled, 
  and 
  the 
  best 
  method 
  of 
  bringing 
  about, 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  possible, 
  the 
  

   settlement 
  of 
  the 
  same. 
  G. 
  Such 
  meteorological 
  data, 
  especially 
  the 
  pre- 
  

   vailing 
  direction 
  of 
  the 
  winds 
  at 
  different 
  seasons, 
  as 
  bear 
  on 
  the 
  migra- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  locust. 
  7. 
  The 
  cheapest 
  and 
  best 
  method 
  of 
  making 
  obser- 
  

   vations 
  on 
  the 
  egg 
  deposits, 
  the 
  hatching 
  of 
  young 
  and 
  the 
  movements 
  of 
  

   the 
  winged 
  insects, 
  and 
  how 
  far 
  the 
  force 
  already 
  in 
  government 
  em- 
  

   ploy 
  is 
  available 
  for 
  the 
  purpose. 
  

  

  In 
  order 
  to 
  perform 
  this 
  labor 
  we 
  asked 
  for 
  an 
  appropriation 
  of 
  

   $25,000. 
  But 
  $10,000 
  were 
  granted 
  by 
  Congress, 
  and 
  this 
  only 
  toward 
  

   the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  fiscal 
  year 
  1878. 
  It 
  was 
  then 
  too 
  late 
  in 
  the 
  season 
  to 
  

   satisfactorily 
  accomplish, 
  with 
  such 
  limited 
  means, 
  the 
  work 
  proposed 
  — 
  

   a 
  work 
  to 
  be 
  done 
  in 
  a 
  region 
  in 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  difficult 
  and 
  expensive 
  to 
  

   travel. 
  In 
  order, 
  therefore, 
  to 
  accomplish 
  as 
  much 
  as 
  possible 
  with 
  the 
  

   means 
  afforded, 
  Mr. 
  Riley 
  drew 
  no 
  salary 
  and 
  remained 
  in 
  Washing- 
  

   ton 
  editing 
  and 
  superintending 
  the 
  printing 
  of 
  the 
  First 
  Report, 
  while 
  

   Messrs. 
  Thomas 
  and 
  Packard 
  devoted 
  themselves 
  to 
  the 
  task 
  of 
  ex- 
  

   ploration. 
  These 
  facts 
  were 
  set 
  forth 
  in 
  our 
  annual 
  report 
  to 
  you 
  lor 
  

   the 
  year 
  1878, 
  and 
  an 
  additional 
  appropriation 
  of 
  $15,000 
  was 
  asked 
  

   for, 
  being 
  the 
  balance 
  of 
  the 
  amount 
  originally 
  estimated 
  as 
  necessary. 
  

   This 
  was 
  granted 
  by 
  Congress, 
  but 
  in 
  the 
  bill 
  making 
  the 
  appropriation 
  

   the 
  Commission 
  was 
  charged 
  with 
  the 
  additional 
  work 
  of 
  investigating 
  

   and 
  reporting 
  on 
  the 
  Cotton 
  Worm, 
  and 
  other 
  insects 
  injurious 
  to 
  the 
  

   cotton 
  plant 
  and 
  to 
  agriculture. 
  The 
  operations 
  of 
  the 
  Commission 
  thus 
  

  

  