﻿OTHER 
  PROPOSED 
  PLANS 
  NOT 
  FEASIBLE. 
  25 
  

  

  the 
  temporary 
  region. 
  The 
  possibility 
  of 
  inundating 
  to 
  a 
  considerable 
  

   extent 
  their 
  egg 
  deposits 
  by 
  the 
  winter 
  supply 
  of 
  water 
  would 
  tend 
  to 
  

   diminish 
  their 
  numbers. 
  The 
  fact 
  that 
  their 
  breeding-grounds 
  are 
  

   chiefly 
  in 
  the 
  limited 
  agricultural 
  areas 
  is 
  also 
  another 
  argument 
  in 
  favor 
  

   of 
  the 
  plan. 
  

  

  That 
  large 
  areas 
  would 
  be 
  left 
  where 
  locusts 
  breed, 
  and 
  pour 
  down 
  

   on 
  the 
  nearest 
  cultivated 
  areas, 
  as 
  in 
  Western 
  Colorado, 
  is 
  certainly 
  true, 
  

   but 
  this 
  does 
  not 
  lessen 
  the 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  plan 
  proposed, 
  nor 
  is 
  it 
  a 
  reason 
  

   why 
  it 
  should 
  not 
  be 
  put 
  into 
  operation. 
  

  

  Other 
  proposed 
  schemes 
  for 
  destroying 
  or 
  preventing 
  the 
  multiplication 
  

   of 
  locusts 
  in 
  their 
  native 
  habitats. 
  — 
  Mr. 
  Ellwood 
  Cooper, 
  of 
  Santa 
  Bar- 
  

   bara, 
  Cal., 
  writing 
  to 
  the 
  Commission 
  in 
  1877, 
  makes 
  the 
  following 
  state- 
  

   ment 
  and 
  suggestion 
  : 
  

  

  I 
  have 
  found 
  on 
  iny 
  ranch 
  of 
  2,000 
  acres 
  that 
  these 
  beds 
  of 
  (egg) 
  deposit 
  do 
  not 
  

   amount 
  to 
  more 
  than 
  five 
  or 
  six 
  acres. 
  I 
  marked 
  these 
  places 
  so 
  that 
  when 
  the 
  rainy 
  

   season 
  came 
  I 
  could 
  plow 
  the 
  ground 
  and 
  thus 
  destroy 
  the 
  eggs, 
  and 
  while 
  grasshoppers 
  

   were 
  produced 
  by 
  the 
  millions 
  on 
  adjoining 
  ranches 
  none 
  were 
  hatched 
  on 
  my 
  place. 
  

   The 
  conclusion 
  is, 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  a 
  question 
  to 
  be 
  solved 
  by 
  meteorologists, 
  scientists, 
  or 
  

   naturalists, 
  but 
  one 
  for 
  the 
  plodding 
  farmer, 
  and 
  that 
  their 
  total 
  destruction 
  is 
  a 
  mat- 
  

   ter 
  easy, 
  simple, 
  and 
  not 
  expensive. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  question 
  of 
  the 
  plow 
  — 
  deep 
  and 
  thorough 
  

   plowing 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  breeding-grounds. 
  This 
  will 
  require 
  a 
  concert 
  of 
  action 
  on 
  the 
  part 
  

   of 
  the 
  Government 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  and 
  the 
  governors 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  Western 
  States. 
  

   Let 
  there 
  be 
  appointed 
  for 
  each 
  Territory 
  five 
  commissioners 
  and 
  as 
  many 
  for 
  each 
  

   State 
  where 
  they 
  have 
  suffered 
  from 
  the 
  ravages 
  of 
  this 
  insect. 
  The 
  duties 
  of 
  these 
  

   commissioners 
  [to 
  be] 
  to 
  solicit 
  information 
  during 
  the 
  coming 
  summer, 
  and 
  wherever 
  

   the 
  locusts 
  appear, 
  to 
  follow 
  them 
  and 
  mark 
  their 
  breeding-spots 
  ; 
  in 
  the 
  following 
  

   spring 
  have 
  every 
  spot 
  well 
  plowed 
  ; 
  some 
  kind 
  of 
  crop 
  can 
  be 
  raised 
  that 
  will 
  pay 
  

   the 
  expense. 
  If 
  this 
  plan 
  is 
  vigorously 
  followed 
  up 
  for 
  a 
  few 
  years, 
  the 
  devasta- 
  

   tion 
  and 
  miserj 
  T 
  produced 
  by 
  these 
  insects 
  will 
  be 
  a 
  history 
  of 
  the 
  past. 
  

  

  While 
  plowing 
  is 
  one 
  most 
  excellent 
  method 
  of 
  destroying 
  the 
  eggs 
  

   in 
  thickly-settled 
  districts 
  where 
  it 
  can 
  be 
  practiced, 
  the 
  idea 
  of 
  carry- 
  

   ing 
  out 
  the 
  plan 
  suggested 
  over 
  the 
  vast 
  area 
  of 
  the 
  permanent 
  breed- 
  

   ing 
  grounds 
  in 
  the 
  mountain 
  district 
  is 
  wholly 
  impracticable. 
  If, 
  as 
  we 
  

   have 
  shown, 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  impracticable 
  to 
  attempt 
  to 
  burn 
  over 
  the 
  

   infested 
  areas,the 
  idea 
  of 
  plowing 
  over 
  these 
  areas 
  must 
  be 
  considered 
  

   as 
  Utopian. 
  

  

  The 
  introduction 
  of 
  foreign 
  locust-eating 
  birds 
  has 
  been 
  suggested 
  as 
  

   one 
  means 
  of 
  modifying 
  the 
  evil. 
  That 
  this 
  plan 
  has 
  been 
  adopted* 
  in 
  

   certain 
  islands 
  with 
  success 
  is 
  probably 
  true, 
  and 
  we 
  think 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  

   well 
  to 
  try 
  the 
  experiment 
  in 
  this 
  country; 
  but 
  a 
  more 
  thorough 
  exami- 
  

   nation 
  of 
  the 
  subject 
  and 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  the 
  introduction 
  of 
  the 
  English 
  

   sparrow 
  we 
  must 
  confess 
  has 
  greatly 
  weakened 
  our 
  faith 
  in 
  the 
  plan. 
  

   We 
  think 
  it 
  wise 
  to 
  protect 
  by 
  stringent 
  laws 
  our 
  native 
  insectivorous 
  

   species, 
  especially 
  in 
  the 
  temporary 
  region, 
  as 
  these 
  have 
  undoubtedly 
  

   proved 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  great 
  value 
  in 
  destroying 
  the 
  young 
  locusts. 
  But 
  in 
  the 
  

   permanent 
  region 
  the 
  birds 
  have 
  to 
  a 
  very 
  large 
  extent 
  been 
  left 
  undis- 
  

   turbed 
  in 
  their 
  native 
  wilds 
  j 
  and 
  as 
  they 
  have 
  not, 
  so 
  far, 
  increased 
  to 
  a 
  

   degree 
  sufficient 
  to 
  aid 
  to 
  any 
  visible 
  extent, 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  likelihood 
  they 
  

   will 
  ever 
  do 
  so. 
  

  

  