﻿24 
  REPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  COMMISSION. 
  

  

  prospects 
  of 
  the 
  inter-montane 
  area, 
  we 
  have 
  but 
  few 
  facts 
  and 
  few 
  con- 
  

   clusions 
  to 
  present 
  that 
  we 
  consider 
  of 
  special 
  importance, 
  and 
  these 
  re- 
  

   late 
  almost 
  entirely 
  to 
  Northern 
  Utah 
  and 
  Eastern 
  Idaho. 
  The 
  portion 
  

   of 
  this 
  inter-montane 
  section 
  within 
  the 
  locust 
  area 
  consisting 
  of 
  Idaho, 
  

   Western 
  Wyoming, 
  Western 
  Colorado, 
  Utah, 
  and 
  Nevada 
  offers 
  but 
  

   little 
  prospect 
  of 
  extension 
  of 
  agricultural 
  operations 
  within 
  its 
  bounds. 
  

   It 
  is 
  not 
  probable 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  375,000 
  square 
  miles 
  contained 
  in 
  this 
  area 
  

   more 
  than 
  25,000 
  to 
  30,000 
  square 
  miles 
  will 
  be 
  brought 
  under 
  cultiva- 
  

   tion 
  for 
  a 
  century 
  to 
  come, 
  its 
  chief 
  value 
  being 
  its 
  mineral 
  resources. 
  

   The 
  chief 
  agricultural 
  area 
  at 
  present, 
  and 
  the 
  only 
  one 
  to 
  which 
  we 
  shall 
  

   call 
  attention 
  at 
  this 
  time, 
  is 
  the 
  belt 
  running 
  north 
  and 
  south 
  through 
  

   the 
  central 
  part 
  of 
  Northern 
  Utah 
  and 
  Southeastern 
  Idaho. 
  

  

  As 
  shown 
  by 
  our 
  first 
  report 
  the 
  region 
  around 
  Salt 
  Lake 
  is 
  subject 
  to 
  

   repeated 
  locust 
  invasions 
  from 
  the 
  north, 
  apparently 
  the 
  resulting 
  broods 
  

   of 
  the 
  swarms 
  that 
  originate 
  in 
  that 
  portion 
  of 
  Montana 
  of 
  which 
  we 
  

   have 
  been 
  speaking, 
  and 
  which 
  pouring 
  over 
  the 
  mountain 
  pass 
  at 
  the 
  

   head 
  of 
  Jefferson 
  Eiver, 
  move 
  down 
  Snake 
  Eiver 
  Valley. 
  

  

  If 
  the 
  scheme 
  we 
  have 
  suggested 
  should 
  be 
  carried 
  out 
  and 
  should 
  

   prove 
  beneficial 
  in 
  reference 
  to 
  the 
  eastern 
  area, 
  it 
  would 
  have, 
  to 
  some 
  

   extent 
  at 
  least, 
  a 
  like 
  effect 
  as 
  to 
  this 
  section. 
  If 
  it 
  is 
  possible 
  to 
  estab- 
  

   lish 
  and 
  maintain 
  an 
  agricultural 
  population 
  in 
  the 
  Upper 
  Snake 
  Eiver 
  

   Valley, 
  this 
  would 
  have 
  a 
  strong 
  tendency 
  to 
  modify 
  the 
  evil. 
  But 
  the 
  

   present 
  barren 
  aspect 
  of 
  this 
  region 
  would 
  seem 
  to 
  forbid 
  any 
  hopes 
  of 
  

   ever 
  accomplishing 
  this 
  desired 
  end. 
  Still 
  there 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  one 
  pos- 
  

   sible 
  means 
  of 
  bringing 
  this 
  about, 
  at 
  least 
  to 
  a 
  limited 
  extent. 
  The 
  de- 
  

   mand 
  of 
  trade 
  will 
  doubtless 
  complete 
  the 
  railroad 
  already 
  started 
  in 
  

   that 
  direction 
  which 
  is 
  one 
  step 
  toward 
  the 
  desired 
  end, 
  but 
  something 
  

   more 
  is 
  required 
  in 
  this 
  case. 
  

  

  Snake 
  Eiver 
  affords 
  a 
  large 
  body 
  of 
  water 
  which 
  if 
  properly 
  utilized 
  

   would 
  irrigate 
  a 
  large 
  breadth 
  of 
  land, 
  and 
  notwithstanding 
  the 
  barren 
  

   appearance 
  of 
  the 
  soil 
  it 
  is 
  really 
  fertile 
  when 
  irrigated. 
  It 
  is 
  possible, 
  

   with 
  a 
  moderate 
  expense, 
  to 
  throw 
  dams 
  across 
  this 
  stream 
  at 
  certain 
  

   favorable 
  spots, 
  and 
  by 
  this 
  means 
  to 
  spread 
  the 
  water 
  over 
  the 
  adjoin- 
  

   ing 
  plains. 
  A 
  work 
  of 
  this 
  kind 
  would 
  of 
  course 
  have 
  to 
  be 
  done 
  by 
  the 
  

   general 
  government. 
  The 
  feasibility 
  of 
  this 
  project 
  could 
  easily 
  be 
  as- 
  

   certained 
  by 
  an 
  officer 
  of 
  the 
  Engineer 
  Corps 
  of 
  the 
  Ara^ 
  ; 
  and 
  as 
  this 
  

   is 
  on 
  the 
  line 
  of 
  the 
  chief 
  inter-montane 
  thoroughfare 
  and 
  also 
  of 
  the 
  

   locust 
  invasions 
  of 
  this 
  region, 
  the 
  subject 
  is 
  certainly 
  worthy 
  of 
  the 
  at- 
  

   tention 
  of 
  the 
  government. 
  

  

  As 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  by 
  what 
  we 
  have 
  presented 
  on 
  this 
  subject, 
  the 
  philoso- 
  

   phy 
  of 
  our 
  plan 
  for 
  modifying 
  the 
  evil 
  is 
  to 
  place 
  an 
  agricultural 
  popula- 
  

   tion 
  in 
  the 
  very 
  home 
  of 
  the 
  species, 
  which 
  from 
  necessity 
  would 
  be 
  

   compelled 
  to 
  wage 
  a 
  constant 
  warfare 
  against 
  them. 
  

  

  By 
  stirring 
  the 
  soil 
  their 
  nests 
  would 
  be 
  disturbed; 
  by 
  fighting 
  the 
  

   young 
  their 
  numbers 
  would 
  be 
  diminished 
  ; 
  and 
  as 
  irrigation 
  would 
  be 
  

   necessary 
  the 
  effect 
  of 
  dry 
  seasons 
  on 
  the 
  crops 
  would 
  not 
  be 
  felt 
  as 
  in 
  

  

  