﻿COURSES 
  FOR 
  THE 
  GOVERNMENT 
  TO 
  PURSUE. 
  273 
  

  

  Morrison 
  the 
  subject, 
  aud 
  tliey 
  see 
  nothing 
  impracticable 
  in 
  the 
  plan. 
  

   Indeed, 
  it 
  was 
  suggested 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Dawson 
  in 
  his 
  first 
  report 
  on 
  the 
  sub- 
  

   ject 
  oflocust 
  ravages 
  in 
  British 
  America, 
  and 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Riley 
  in 
  his 
  eighth 
  

   Missouri 
  report, 
  for 
  1875 
  (p. 
  132). 
  We 
  have, 
  on 
  this 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  boundary 
  

   line, 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  signal 
  stations 
  aud 
  military 
  posts 
  in 
  the 
  country 
  where 
  

   the 
  insect 
  breeds. 
  We 
  would 
  have 
  our 
  own 
  military 
  force 
  co-operate 
  

   with 
  the 
  Dominiou 
  police 
  force 
  as 
  a 
  locust 
  vigilance 
  committee. 
  Under 
  

   the 
  intelligent 
  guidance 
  and 
  direction 
  of 
  some 
  special 
  commissioner 
  or 
  

   commission, 
  we 
  would 
  have 
  that 
  whole 
  country 
  systematically 
  studied 
  

   every 
  year 
  by 
  such 
  a 
  force 
  with 
  reference 
  to 
  the 
  abundance 
  or 
  scarcity 
  

   of 
  the 
  locusts. 
  We 
  would 
  have 
  such 
  a 
  vigilance 
  force, 
  by 
  a 
  proper 
  sys- 
  

   tem 
  of 
  fire-guards 
  and 
  surveillance, 
  prevent 
  the 
  fall 
  fires 
  in 
  sections 
  

   where 
  the 
  insects 
  or 
  their 
  eggs 
  were 
  known 
  to 
  abound, 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  burn 
  

   them 
  at 
  the 
  proper 
  time 
  the 
  following 
  spring. 
  

  

  " 
  This 
  would 
  be 
  a 
  stupendous 
  work, 
  and 
  perhaps 
  too 
  expensive 
  ever 
  

   to 
  be 
  carried 
  out, 
  did 
  the 
  insects 
  breed 
  over 
  the 
  whole 
  of 
  the 
  region 
  we 
  

   have 
  designated 
  as 
  the 
  Permanent 
  region 
  ; 
  but, 
  fortunately, 
  the 
  breeding- 
  

   grounds 
  are 
  in 
  limited 
  areas 
  in 
  this 
  region, 
  comprising 
  the 
  richer 
  val- 
  

   leys 
  and 
  plateaux 
  and 
  strips 
  along 
  water-courses. 
  It 
  is 
  for 
  the 
  Com- 
  

   mission 
  to 
  accurately 
  map 
  out 
  in 
  detail 
  these 
  areas, 
  and 
  to 
  estimate 
  with 
  

   what 
  force 
  and 
  at 
  what 
  expense 
  to 
  the 
  two 
  governments 
  the 
  work 
  can 
  

   be 
  performed. 
  We 
  have 
  no 
  hope 
  nor 
  idea 
  that 
  the 
  pest 
  can 
  ever 
  by 
  

   human 
  means 
  be 
  exterminated 
  from 
  that 
  vast 
  region, 
  but 
  do 
  believe 
  

   that 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  so 
  kept 
  in 
  check 
  that 
  it 
  will 
  not 
  migrate. 
  The 
  constant 
  

   expense 
  will 
  be 
  limited 
  to 
  the 
  employment 
  of 
  the 
  necessary 
  force, 
  and 
  

   only 
  at 
  intervals 
  when 
  danger 
  threatens 
  will 
  it 
  be 
  necessary 
  to 
  go 
  to 
  

   the 
  extra 
  and 
  exceptional 
  expense 
  of 
  destroying 
  the 
  insects. 
  Again, 
  

   as 
  may 
  be 
  gathered 
  from 
  Chapters 
  VII 
  and 
  XV, 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  connection 
  

   between 
  locust-increase 
  and 
  seasons 
  of 
  drought, 
  and 
  we 
  may 
  take 
  ad- 
  

   vantage 
  of 
  this 
  kuowledge 
  by 
  making 
  especial 
  effort 
  whenever 
  the 
  char- 
  

   acter 
  of 
  the 
  seasons 
  indicates 
  danger. 
  

  

  " 
  The 
  next 
  question 
  to 
  consider 
  is, 
  whether 
  the 
  farmer 
  can 
  be 
  pro- 
  

   tected 
  from 
  the 
  invading 
  swarms, 
  in 
  case 
  the 
  above-mentioned 
  plans 
  

   should 
  fail 
  and 
  the 
  insects 
  had 
  become 
  numerous. 
  We 
  think 
  that 
  this 
  

   is 
  also, 
  to 
  a 
  large 
  extent, 
  possible 
  with 
  the 
  proper 
  system 
  and 
  organiza- 
  

   tion. 
  We 
  would, 
  in 
  such 
  an 
  event, 
  have 
  this 
  same 
  corps 
  of 
  observers 
  

   watch 
  carefully 
  the 
  development 
  and 
  movements 
  of 
  the 
  locusts 
  and 
  fore- 
  

   warn 
  the 
  farmers 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  of 
  threatened 
  danger. 
  There 
  is 
  no 
  

   reason 
  why 
  the 
  agricultural 
  community 
  should 
  not 
  be 
  informed 
  the 
  pre- 
  

   vious 
  autumn 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  extent 
  to 
  which 
  eggs 
  have 
  been 
  laid, 
  aud 
  as 
  to 
  

   the 
  particular 
  locations 
  where 
  laid; 
  or 
  why, 
  the 
  following 
  spring, 
  they 
  

   should 
  not 
  be 
  informed 
  of 
  the 
  prospects, 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  plant 
  accordingly, 
  as 
  

   recommended 
  in 
  Chapter 
  XIII, 
  i. 
  e., 
  put 
  in 
  a 
  larger 
  area 
  of 
  small 
  grain 
  

   that 
  will 
  be 
  harvested 
  before 
  the 
  winged 
  swarms 
  appear, 
  and 
  plant 
  such 
  

   crops 
  as 
  are 
  best 
  protected. 
  Then, 
  as 
  the 
  insects 
  were 
  commencing 
  to 
  

   migrate, 
  their 
  movements 
  should 
  be 
  communicated 
  to 
  the 
  people 
  through 
  

   18 
  L 
  

  

  