﻿304 
  REPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  COMMISSION. 
  

  

  By 
  reference 
  to 
  the 
  map 
  of 
  your 
  State, 
  prepared 
  by 
  your 
  Geological 
  and 
  Natural 
  

   History 
  Survey, 
  showing 
  the 
  locust 
  areas 
  therein 
  for 
  the 
  years 
  1873-'76, 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  

   that 
  the 
  southwestern 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  was 
  the 
  part 
  most 
  continuously 
  affected, 
  

   Other 
  facts 
  ascertained 
  by 
  the 
  commission 
  indicated 
  some 
  peculiarities 
  in 
  this 
  respect 
  

   in 
  reference 
  to 
  this 
  section 
  not 
  observed 
  in 
  other 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  or 
  in 
  the 
  States 
  south, 
  

   These 
  facts 
  attracted 
  my 
  attention 
  and 
  induced 
  me 
  to 
  seek 
  and, 
  if 
  possible, 
  to 
  find 
  out 
  

   the 
  cause 
  for 
  these 
  peculiarities 
  ; 
  in 
  other 
  words, 
  to 
  find 
  why 
  the 
  locusts 
  hung 
  longer 
  

   and 
  more 
  contiuuously 
  around 
  this 
  section 
  than 
  in 
  other 
  portions 
  of 
  the 
  State. 
  This 
  r 
  

   I 
  now 
  believe, 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  elevated 
  region 
  called 
  the 
  Coteau 
  of 
  the 
  Prairies,, 
  

   which 
  affords 
  topographical 
  and 
  climatic 
  conditions 
  more 
  nearly 
  ad 
  apted 
  to 
  the 
  con- 
  

   tinual 
  existence 
  of 
  the 
  locust 
  than 
  other 
  portions 
  of 
  the 
  State. 
  If 
  I 
  am 
  correct 
  in 
  thi» 
  

   opinion 
  we 
  Lave 
  here 
  one 
  factor 
  which 
  must 
  be 
  taken 
  into 
  consideration 
  in 
  the 
  dis- 
  

   cussion 
  of 
  this 
  locust 
  problem 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  it 
  relates 
  to 
  your 
  State 
  and 
  the 
  adjoining 
  sec- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  Dakota. 
  

  

  As 
  before 
  intimated, 
  I 
  had 
  formed 
  the 
  idea 
  that 
  the 
  more 
  elevated 
  portions 
  of 
  Eastern 
  

   Dakota, 
  for 
  instance, 
  those 
  lying 
  along 
  and 
  bordering 
  the 
  valley 
  of 
  James 
  River, 
  were 
  

   too 
  sterile 
  and 
  arid 
  ever 
  to 
  be 
  used 
  for 
  agricultural 
  purposes 
  ; 
  that 
  in 
  fact 
  but 
  a 
  narrow 
  

   strip 
  alone 
  along 
  the 
  James 
  River 
  could 
  be 
  made 
  productive 
  by 
  means, 
  in 
  part 
  at 
  least, 
  

   of 
  irrigation. 
  The 
  facts 
  seen 
  and 
  ascertained 
  the 
  present 
  year 
  have 
  in 
  a 
  large 
  meas- 
  

   ure 
  dispelled 
  this 
  unfavorable 
  opinion. 
  I 
  am 
  aware 
  the 
  present 
  year 
  is 
  a 
  very 
  favor- 
  

   able 
  one, 
  and 
  one 
  that 
  cannot 
  be 
  considered 
  as 
  a 
  type 
  of 
  the 
  seasons 
  in 
  that 
  section 
  ; 
  

   but 
  it 
  shows, 
  I 
  think, 
  conclusively, 
  that 
  a 
  very 
  large 
  portion 
  of 
  this 
  section 
  of 
  Dakota 
  

   can 
  and 
  will 
  ultimately 
  be 
  made 
  to 
  sustain 
  a 
  large 
  agricultural 
  population. 
  For 
  even 
  

   allowing 
  quite 
  a 
  heavy 
  discount 
  on 
  the 
  present 
  crop 
  there 
  would 
  still 
  be 
  sufficient 
  to 
  

   justify 
  farming 
  in 
  this 
  region 
  ; 
  and 
  wherever 
  this 
  is 
  the 
  case, 
  and 
  the 
  process 
  of 
  farm- 
  

   ing 
  is 
  so 
  easily 
  carried 
  on 
  as 
  here, 
  the 
  section 
  will 
  ultimately 
  be 
  settled 
  up. 
  

  

  In 
  this 
  fact 
  I 
  think 
  we 
  find 
  a 
  second 
  important 
  factor 
  to 
  be 
  considered 
  in 
  discussing; 
  

   this 
  problem. 
  

  

  A 
  third 
  possible 
  factor 
  is 
  the 
  supposed 
  climatic 
  change 
  believed 
  by 
  many 
  to 
  be 
  go- 
  

   ing 
  on. 
  Although 
  I 
  have 
  not 
  included 
  this 
  item 
  in 
  the 
  present 
  consideration, 
  and 
  can- 
  

   not 
  say 
  that 
  I 
  have 
  been 
  converted 
  to 
  that 
  view, 
  but 
  look 
  upon 
  these 
  changes 
  rather 
  

   as 
  cyclical, 
  yet 
  there 
  are 
  some 
  reasons 
  for 
  believing 
  that 
  an 
  unusual 
  change 
  of 
  some 
  

   kind 
  is 
  now 
  going 
  on 
  in 
  the 
  seasons 
  in 
  the 
  Northwest 
  ; 
  what 
  the 
  ultimate 
  result 
  will 
  

   be 
  I 
  am 
  wholly 
  unable 
  to 
  predict, 
  but 
  so 
  far, 
  at 
  least, 
  it 
  is 
  favorable. 
  

  

  Leaving 
  the 
  last 
  item 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  discussion 
  let 
  us 
  see 
  what 
  hope 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  based 
  on 
  the 
  

   other 
  items. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  reasonable 
  to 
  believe, 
  in 
  fact 
  we 
  may 
  assume 
  as 
  evident, 
  that 
  the 
  farther 
  west- 
  

   settlements 
  are 
  pushed 
  continuously, 
  that 
  is 
  without 
  extensive 
  breaks, 
  and 
  the 
  denser 
  

   they 
  become, 
  the 
  greater 
  will 
  be 
  the 
  tendency 
  to 
  hold 
  back, 
  so 
  to 
  speak, 
  the 
  locust 
  

   swarms 
  ; 
  that 
  is 
  to 
  say 
  the 
  advanced 
  cultivated 
  fields 
  will 
  bring 
  them 
  down, 
  in 
  part 
  

   at 
  least, 
  and, 
  supplying 
  their 
  appetites, 
  prevent 
  them 
  from 
  advancing 
  further 
  eastward 
  ;. 
  

   their 
  temporary 
  nesting 
  grounds 
  will 
  also 
  be 
  disturbed, 
  and 
  thus 
  their 
  advance 
  re- 
  

   tarded. 
  

  

  While 
  this 
  is 
  true 
  theoretically, 
  the 
  experience 
  of 
  the 
  years 
  1874-77 
  may 
  cause 
  many 
  

   to 
  doubt 
  its 
  correctness 
  in 
  reality. 
  It 
  is 
  true 
  that 
  swarms 
  drive 
  on 
  southeast 
  in 
  their 
  

   invading 
  flights 
  over 
  broad 
  and 
  extensive 
  settlements, 
  as, 
  for 
  example, 
  over 
  Nebraska 
  

   into 
  Iowa 
  and 
  Kansas, 
  and 
  occasionally 
  even 
  into 
  Missouri 
  and 
  Texas 
  ; 
  but 
  after 
  all, 
  

   though 
  not 
  brought 
  to 
  public 
  notice, 
  the 
  fact 
  is 
  that 
  Northern 
  or 
  Northeastern 
  Ne- 
  

   braska 
  often 
  receives 
  the 
  smaller 
  invading 
  swarms 
  and 
  suffers 
  the 
  injury 
  when 
  the 
  

   central 
  and 
  southeastern 
  parts 
  are 
  entirely 
  exempt. 
  Other 
  facts 
  might 
  also 
  be 
  cited 
  to 
  

   prove 
  that 
  the 
  statement 
  above 
  made 
  is 
  true 
  as 
  a 
  general 
  principle. 
  But 
  Minnesota 
  

   is 
  somewhat 
  peculiarly 
  and 
  favorably 
  situated 
  in 
  this 
  respect. 
  The 
  locust 
  swarms, 
  

   as 
  a 
  very 
  general 
  rule, 
  sweep 
  down 
  from 
  the 
  northwest 
  in 
  a 
  south 
  and 
  southeast 
  direc- 
  

   tion, 
  and, 
  as 
  it 
  requires 
  a 
  much 
  less 
  opposing 
  influence 
  to 
  turn 
  them 
  slightly 
  away 
  

   from 
  their 
  course 
  than 
  to 
  stop 
  them 
  directly, 
  the 
  chances 
  are 
  much 
  more 
  in 
  favor 
  of 
  

   localities 
  thus 
  situated 
  than 
  if 
  placed 
  directly 
  in 
  the 
  line 
  of 
  their 
  usual 
  course. 
  

  

  