﻿254 
  REPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  'COMMISSION. 
  

  

  themes 
  of 
  thought 
  and 
  speech 
  in 
  Sierra 
  Valley. 
  Though 
  former 
  articles 
  on 
  the 
  sub- 
  

   ject 
  are 
  somewhat 
  lengthy, 
  yet 
  the 
  half 
  was 
  not 
  told. 
  

  

  I 
  have 
  just 
  completed 
  the 
  entire 
  circuit 
  of 
  the 
  valley, 
  getting 
  statements 
  from 
  nearly 
  

   all 
  the 
  farmers 
  on 
  the 
  north 
  and 
  west 
  sides, 
  portions 
  of 
  the 
  valley 
  quite 
  as 
  severely 
  

   devastated 
  as 
  those 
  reported 
  previously, 
  but 
  for 
  want 
  of 
  time 
  to 
  visit 
  them 
  then 
  the 
  

   damages 
  generally 
  were 
  estimated. 
  

  

  Those 
  estimates 
  fall 
  far 
  short 
  of 
  the 
  truth, 
  as 
  details 
  clearly 
  show. 
  It 
  will 
  suffice 
  

   now 
  to 
  give 
  the 
  aggregates 
  of 
  damages 
  and 
  the 
  area 
  of 
  the 
  several 
  districts 
  : 
  Adam's 
  

   Neck 
  and 
  vicinity, 
  $18,000, 
  from 
  22 
  large 
  farms 
  containing 
  14,000 
  acres; 
  Beckwourth 
  

   and 
  vicinity, 
  $15,000, 
  18 
  small 
  farms 
  of 
  9,000 
  acres; 
  west 
  side, 
  $6,300, 
  15 
  small 
  farms 
  

   of 
  5,000 
  acres; 
  interior 
  (estimated), 
  $6,000, 
  12 
  small 
  farms 
  of 
  4,000 
  acres. 
  Totals, 
  

   $45,800 
  — 
  67 
  farms 
  of 
  35,000 
  acres. 
  Add 
  Loyalton 
  and 
  vicinity 
  and 
  Sierraville, 
  as 
  

   formerly 
  reported, 
  $30,000, 
  24 
  farms, 
  15,000 
  acres— 
  grand 
  totals, 
  $75,800 
  ; 
  91 
  farms 
  of 
  

   47,000 
  acres, 
  being 
  $30,000 
  damages 
  more 
  than 
  estimated. 
  

  

  The 
  statements 
  from 
  sufferers 
  elicited 
  on 
  this 
  circuit 
  in 
  regard 
  to 
  the 
  appearance 
  

   and 
  habits 
  of 
  the 
  locust, 
  conform 
  generally 
  to 
  those 
  of 
  others 
  given 
  in 
  the 
  first 
  arti- 
  

   cle, 
  though 
  some 
  observers 
  detected 
  two 
  or 
  more 
  kinds 
  of 
  grasshoppers, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  quite 
  

   likely 
  that 
  the 
  culprits 
  comprise 
  more 
  than 
  the 
  one 
  species 
  I 
  have 
  determined 
  as 
  the 
  

   (Edipoda 
  atrox. 
  But 
  all 
  statements 
  and 
  all 
  the 
  specimens 
  seen 
  declare 
  against 
  the 
  pos- 
  

   sibility 
  that 
  either 
  of 
  the 
  three 
  true 
  migratory 
  species 
  are 
  in 
  our 
  midst. 
  

  

  The 
  satisfaction 
  derived 
  from 
  this 
  conclusion 
  is 
  that 
  we 
  of 
  California 
  are 
  beyond 
  

   the 
  range 
  of 
  the 
  all-devouring 
  migratores 
  that 
  so 
  often 
  lay 
  waste 
  the 
  interior. 
  There 
  

   they 
  are 
  liable 
  to 
  fall 
  upon 
  the 
  farmer's 
  field 
  during 
  any 
  year 
  of 
  drought. 
  Most 
  of 
  

   the 
  border 
  States 
  have 
  enacted 
  expensive 
  legislation 
  to 
  reduce 
  the 
  pest, 
  by 
  giving 
  

   bounties 
  of 
  $1 
  to 
  $5 
  per 
  bushel 
  for 
  the 
  locusts 
  and 
  $50 
  per 
  gallon 
  for 
  eggs 
  collected 
  

   and 
  destroyed, 
  and 
  also 
  made 
  it 
  obligatory 
  upon 
  the 
  able-bodied 
  citizens 
  to 
  work 
  a 
  

   certain 
  number 
  of 
  days 
  to 
  destroy 
  them. 
  Coal 
  oil, 
  Paris 
  green, 
  caustic 
  potash, 
  and 
  

   several 
  other 
  chemical 
  poisons 
  are 
  employed, 
  and 
  twenty-two 
  kinds 
  of 
  machines, 
  more 
  

   or 
  less 
  elaborate 
  and 
  costly, 
  are 
  described 
  and 
  illustrated 
  in 
  the 
  last 
  report 
  of 
  the 
  

   United 
  States 
  Entomological 
  Commission, 
  as 
  being 
  in 
  u^e 
  in 
  the 
  infested 
  region. 
  Ex- 
  

   tensive 
  systems 
  of 
  irrigation 
  are 
  instituted, 
  co-operative 
  action 
  arranged 
  for 
  burning 
  

   the 
  dry 
  grass 
  of 
  the 
  prairies 
  at 
  the 
  right 
  time 
  to 
  kill 
  the 
  unfledged 
  locusts, 
  &c. 
  Fu- 
  

   migation, 
  by 
  burning 
  dampened 
  straw 
  along 
  the 
  borders 
  of 
  growing 
  crops, 
  is 
  found 
  to 
  

   ward 
  off 
  invading 
  swarms. 
  The 
  aid 
  of 
  the 
  military 
  and 
  Indian 
  agents 
  is 
  invoked 
  to 
  

   assist 
  in 
  digging 
  extensive 
  trenches 
  for 
  trapping 
  the 
  young, 
  and 
  a 
  signal 
  corps 
  of 
  ob- 
  

   servation 
  is 
  suggested 
  and 
  shown 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  more 
  prospective 
  service 
  than 
  the 
  present 
  

   one 
  devoted 
  to 
  " 
  weather 
  probabilities," 
  involving, 
  as 
  the 
  locust 
  problem 
  does, 
  an 
  an- 
  

   nual 
  average 
  loss 
  of 
  about 
  $40,000,000. 
  

  

  Professor 
  Riley 
  writes 
  me 
  : 
  " 
  Undoubtedly 
  th.6 
  same 
  remedies 
  that 
  I 
  have 
  recom- 
  

   mended 
  [alluding 
  to 
  this 
  report 
  of 
  the 
  Locust 
  Commission] 
  will 
  apply 
  to 
  your 
  species." 
  

  

  The 
  inutility 
  of 
  most 
  of 
  these 
  remedies 
  lies 
  in 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  a 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  eggs 
  are 
  

   deposited 
  in 
  patches 
  out 
  in 
  the 
  sage-covered 
  interior 
  of 
  the 
  valley, 
  where 
  they 
  cannot 
  

   be 
  treated 
  with 
  machines 
  or 
  with 
  plow 
  and 
  harrow, 
  fire 
  or 
  water, 
  all 
  too 
  late 
  for 
  this 
  

   year. 
  But 
  many 
  observers 
  speak 
  of 
  the 
  young 
  as 
  moving 
  in 
  narrow 
  columns, 
  mowing 
  

   swaths 
  of 
  grass 
  in 
  their 
  progress. 
  In 
  this 
  stage 
  they 
  might 
  be 
  precipitated 
  into 
  

   trenches, 
  or 
  trampled 
  or 
  crushed 
  by 
  rolliug. 
  These 
  methods 
  would 
  be 
  feasible 
  only 
  

   where 
  the 
  young 
  locusts 
  are 
  not 
  very 
  numerous. 
  Large 
  masses 
  thus 
  ditched, 
  if 
  left 
  

   uncovered, 
  would 
  bring 
  in 
  a 
  worse 
  pestilence 
  — 
  horrid 
  diseases. 
  

  

  The 
  insects 
  huddle 
  under 
  dry 
  grass 
  and 
  weeds 
  during 
  cool 
  nights, 
  where 
  they 
  may 
  

   often 
  be 
  destroyed 
  by 
  fire. 
  

  

  A 
  thin 
  film 
  of 
  coal-oil, 
  which 
  will 
  readily 
  spread, 
  upon 
  a 
  ditch 
  of 
  still 
  water, 
  will 
  

   kill 
  the 
  locusts 
  instantly 
  if 
  they 
  try 
  to 
  swim 
  across. 
  

  

  A 
  shallow 
  pan 
  having 
  a 
  small 
  quantity 
  of 
  coal-oil 
  in 
  it, 
  if 
  placed 
  where 
  the 
  insects 
  

   may 
  fall 
  into 
  it, 
  is 
  very 
  effective. 
  The 
  oil 
  in 
  these 
  cases 
  penetrates 
  the 
  breathing 
  ap- 
  

  

  