﻿MEANS 
  OF 
  PROTECTING 
  MINNESOTA. 
  305 
  

  

  As 
  bearing 
  upon 
  this 
  point 
  and 
  tending 
  to 
  confirm 
  the 
  opinion 
  here 
  advanced, 
  I 
  refer 
  

   yon 
  to 
  the 
  chapter 
  on 
  chronology 
  in 
  the 
  first 
  report 
  of 
  the 
  commission. 
  In 
  this 
  \i 
  

   be 
  seen 
  that 
  the 
  great 
  invasions 
  of 
  Wf> 
  P**ed 
  southward 
  along 
  the 
  -west 
  vide 
  of 
  Man 
  - 
  

   toba 
  not 
  entering 
  that 
  province 
  and 
  not 
  entering 
  Minnesota 
  (thai 
  i> 
  depositing 
  - 
  

   north 
  of 
  Clay 
  County, 
  whereas 
  in 
  L856 
  they 
  penetrated 
  eastward 
  in 
  this 
  latitude 
  to 
  

   - 
  County. 
  

  

  By 
  reference 
  to 
  the 
  map 
  of 
  Minnesota 
  before 
  alluded 
  to 
  you 
  will 
  Bee 
  tbjtt 
  the 
  an 
  

   egg-deposits 
  in 
  lS?:>- 
  ? 
  ?4 
  and 
  lr7:> 
  were 
  in 
  tin- 
  t-xtreme 
  southwestern 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  Stat< 
  . 
  

  

  From 
  these 
  facts, 
  and 
  from 
  many 
  others 
  which 
  might 
  he 
  mentioned. 
  1 
  conclude, 
  

   as 
  I 
  believe, 
  correctly, 
  that 
  if 
  (with 
  the 
  conditions 
  hereafter 
  mentioned) 
  the 
  eae 
  

   part 
  of 
  Dakota, 
  from 
  the 
  west 
  line 
  of 
  the 
  James 
  River 
  Valley 
  to 
  the 
  eastern 
  border 
  

   of 
  the 
  Territory, 
  can 
  be 
  settled 
  to 
  a 
  moderate 
  extent 
  with 
  a 
  farming 
  population, 
  the 
  

   locust 
  invasions 
  will 
  be 
  largely 
  diverted 
  from 
  your 
  State. 
  Tin- 
  farther 
  these 
  settle- 
  

   ments 
  extend 
  northward, 
  and 
  the 
  more 
  extensive 
  and 
  dense 
  they 
  become, 
  the 
  greats 
  

   the 
  benetit. 
  

  

  In 
  this 
  connection 
  I 
  may 
  add 
  that 
  while 
  in 
  Winnipeg 
  I 
  was 
  informed 
  that 
  the 
  Souris 
  

   or 
  Mouse 
  River 
  section 
  is 
  proving 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  better 
  agricultural 
  area 
  than 
  was 
  supposed 
  ; 
  

   that 
  coal 
  has 
  been 
  found 
  there, 
  and 
  that 
  land 
  is 
  now 
  being 
  surveyed 
  preparatory 
  to 
  

   settlement. 
  If 
  this 
  is 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  correct, 
  and 
  the 
  settlement 
  should 
  become 
  extensive, 
  

   it 
  will 
  aid 
  in 
  the 
  direction 
  indicated. 
  

  

  The 
  benefit 
  to 
  be 
  derived 
  by 
  Minnesota 
  from 
  the 
  settlement 
  of 
  Eastern 
  Dakota 
  does 
  

   not 
  by 
  any 
  means 
  consist 
  wholly 
  in 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  it 
  will 
  then 
  offer 
  the 
  first 
  attractions 
  to 
  

   the 
  invaders. 
  Dakota, 
  east 
  of 
  the 
  Missouri, 
  has 
  evidently 
  long 
  been 
  a 
  kind 
  of 
  camping- 
  

   ground 
  for 
  the 
  locusts. 
  Not 
  simply 
  a 
  stopping 
  place 
  for 
  a 
  few 
  days 
  of 
  invading 
  

   swarms 
  that 
  then 
  passed 
  onwards, 
  but 
  a 
  temporary 
  breeding 
  ground, 
  where 
  the 
  

   invaders 
  of 
  one 
  season 
  would 
  deposit 
  their 
  eggs, 
  the 
  young 
  from 
  which, 
  if 
  the 
  next 
  

   season 
  proved 
  favorable, 
  would 
  pass 
  onward 
  to 
  the 
  southeast 
  or 
  east. 
  I 
  am 
  fully 
  

   aware 
  that 
  invading 
  swarms 
  from 
  Montana 
  and 
  even 
  British 
  America 
  sometimes 
  

   extend 
  their 
  flights 
  in 
  a 
  single 
  season 
  to 
  Iowa, 
  Nebraska, 
  and 
  Kansas 
  ; 
  but 
  I 
  am 
  also 
  

   aware 
  of 
  another 
  fact, 
  not 
  so 
  generally 
  known, 
  that, 
  in 
  what 
  are 
  considered 
  non-locust 
  

   years, 
  the 
  shorter 
  movements 
  — 
  as 
  from 
  Montana 
  into 
  Dakota, 
  from 
  British 
  America 
  

   into 
  Dakota, 
  and 
  from 
  Western 
  to 
  Eastern 
  Dakota— 
  are 
  going 
  on, 
  to 
  a 
  greater 
  or 
  less 
  

   degree, 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  seasons, 
  and 
  that 
  for 
  a 
  season 
  or 
  two 
  preceding 
  the 
  great 
  

   invasions 
  they 
  are 
  more 
  than 
  usually 
  active 
  in 
  these 
  movements. 
  For 
  proof 
  of 
  this 
  

   I 
  refer 
  you 
  to 
  our 
  First 
  Report, 
  pp. 
  62 
  to 
  92, 
  and 
  Appendix, 
  pp. 
  243, 
  244. 
  

  

  A 
  settlement 
  of 
  this 
  section 
  of 
  Dakota 
  will 
  have 
  a 
  tendency 
  to 
  interrupt 
  these 
  

   movements 
  and 
  prevent 
  the 
  insects 
  from 
  using 
  it 
  as 
  a 
  temporary 
  breeding-ground. 
  

   That 
  this 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  Territory 
  could 
  be 
  considered 
  a 
  truly 
  permanent 
  breeding- 
  

   ground 
  of 
  the 
  Rocky 
  Mountain 
  locust 
  I 
  now 
  consider 
  improbable, 
  for 
  I 
  do 
  not 
  believe 
  

   they 
  can 
  remain 
  permanently 
  in 
  any 
  section 
  where 
  farming 
  can 
  be 
  carried 
  on 
  contin- 
  

   uously 
  without 
  any 
  aid 
  from 
  irrigation, 
  unless 
  it 
  be 
  far 
  northward 
  in 
  British 
  America, 
  

   or 
  in 
  some 
  very 
  elevated 
  section. 
  But, 
  possessing 
  largely 
  Ae 
  topographical 
  and 
  cli- 
  

   matic 
  characteristics 
  adapted 
  to 
  the 
  life, 
  habits, 
  and 
  perpetuation 
  of 
  the 
  locusts, 
  they 
  

   retained 
  their 
  hold 
  here 
  much 
  longer 
  than 
  in 
  the 
  more 
  truly 
  temporary 
  regions 
  of 
  

   Central 
  Minnesota 
  and 
  of 
  Iowa, 
  Nebraska, 
  Kansas, 
  &c. 
  As 
  before 
  stated, 
  the 
  elevated 
  

   and 
  treeless 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  Coteau 
  of 
  the 
  Prairies 
  has 
  evidently 
  furnished 
  the 
  pests 
  

   with 
  a 
  temporary 
  breeding-ground, 
  and 
  will 
  explain 
  the 
  reason 
  for 
  their 
  hanging 
  so 
  

   long 
  in 
  the 
  southwestern 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  State. 
  

  

  Is 
  it 
  possible 
  to 
  do 
  anything 
  to 
  this 
  coteau 
  that 
  will 
  render 
  it 
  less 
  adapted 
  to 
  this 
  

   purpose 
  ? 
  If 
  it 
  is 
  pos-ible 
  to 
  clothe 
  it 
  with 
  timber. 
  I 
  answer, 
  emphatically, 
  yes. 
  Cover 
  

   it 
  with 
  a 
  forest 
  and 
  it 
  will 
  cease 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  rendezvous 
  of 
  the 
  pests, 
  and 
  the 
  influence 
  of 
  

   this 
  changed 
  condition 
  will 
  be 
  felt 
  in 
  this 
  respect 
  down 
  to 
  the 
  extremity 
  of 
  the 
  long 
  

   and 
  gentle 
  slopes 
  extending 
  into 
  the 
  southwestern 
  counties 
  of 
  Minnesota. 
  No 
  one 
  

   supposes 
  that 
  any 
  artificial 
  forest 
  that 
  can 
  be 
  placed 
  here 
  will 
  form 
  such 
  a 
  barrier 
  as 
  

   to 
  stop 
  the 
  flight 
  of 
  a 
  locust 
  swarm; 
  but 
  it 
  will 
  prevent 
  it 
  from 
  being 
  a 
  nesting-place. 
  

   20 
  L 
  

  

  