﻿306 
  REPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  COMMISSION. 
  

  

  From 
  all 
  I 
  could 
  ascertain 
  during 
  my 
  short 
  visit 
  to 
  that 
  section 
  I 
  think 
  that 
  by 
  be- 
  

   ginning 
  with 
  cottonwood 
  the 
  elevated 
  ridges 
  and 
  plateaus 
  of 
  this 
  coteau 
  might 
  ul- 
  

   timately 
  be 
  clothed 
  with 
  timber, 
  but 
  this 
  is 
  a 
  question 
  that 
  must 
  be 
  decided 
  by 
  the 
  

   horticulturists. 
  If 
  it 
  can 
  be 
  done, 
  and 
  the 
  settlement 
  of 
  Eastern 
  Dakota 
  goes 
  on 
  as 
  

   rapidly 
  as 
  at 
  present, 
  I 
  am 
  thoroughly 
  satisfied 
  that 
  locust 
  visitations 
  to 
  Minnesota 
  

   will 
  grow 
  less 
  and 
  less 
  frequent, 
  and 
  the 
  numbers 
  decrease. 
  In 
  other 
  words, 
  the 
  bat- 
  

   tle 
  with 
  the 
  armies 
  of 
  these 
  little 
  foes 
  will 
  be 
  transferred 
  to 
  a 
  great 
  extent 
  to 
  the 
  val- 
  

   leys 
  and 
  plains 
  of 
  Eastern 
  Dakota. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  therefore 
  to 
  the 
  interest 
  of 
  Minnesota 
  that 
  the 
  settlement 
  of 
  this 
  part 
  of 
  Da- 
  

   kota 
  be 
  pushed 
  forward 
  as 
  rapidly 
  as 
  possible 
  ; 
  that 
  the 
  numerous 
  lines 
  of 
  projected 
  

   railroad 
  through 
  this 
  area 
  be 
  completed 
  at 
  as 
  early 
  a 
  day 
  as 
  possible. 
  Nor 
  will 
  this 
  

   be 
  less 
  beneficial 
  to 
  this 
  portion 
  of 
  Dakota, 
  for 
  the 
  more 
  extensive 
  and 
  more 
  dense 
  the 
  

   settlements 
  become, 
  the 
  less 
  difficult 
  will 
  the 
  contest 
  be. 
  

  

  But 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  obtain 
  the 
  full 
  benefit 
  of 
  this 
  settlement 
  there 
  are 
  three 
  conditions 
  

   which 
  I 
  think 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  necessary 
  to 
  observe. 
  

  

  First. 
  The 
  clothing 
  of 
  the 
  higher 
  portions 
  of 
  the 
  Coteau 
  of 
  the 
  Prairies 
  with 
  timber, 
  

   and 
  I 
  think 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  well 
  for 
  Dakota 
  and 
  Minnesota 
  to 
  apply 
  to 
  Congress 
  for 
  this 
  

   purpose. 
  It 
  is 
  the 
  only 
  assistance 
  in 
  this 
  respect 
  they 
  will 
  have 
  to 
  ask 
  of 
  the 
  govern- 
  

   ment, 
  and 
  whether 
  the 
  result 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  the 
  locusts 
  are 
  . 
  concerned 
  be 
  as 
  anticipated 
  or 
  

   not, 
  any 
  reasonable 
  appropriation 
  made 
  for 
  this 
  purpose 
  will 
  not 
  be 
  uselessly 
  spent 
  if 
  the 
  

   work 
  is 
  properly 
  carried 
  out, 
  for 
  the 
  timber 
  will 
  render 
  the 
  land 
  more 
  valuable, 
  and 
  

   it 
  is 
  more 
  than 
  probable 
  that 
  it 
  will 
  have 
  at 
  least 
  a 
  slightly 
  beneficial 
  effect 
  upon 
  the 
  

   climate. 
  It 
  is 
  proper 
  that 
  I 
  should 
  remark, 
  in 
  this 
  connection, 
  that 
  the 
  present 
  Com- 
  

   missioner 
  of 
  Agriculture,- 
  General 
  Le 
  Due, 
  suggested 
  this 
  some 
  two 
  years 
  ago 
  for 
  an- 
  

   other 
  purpose 
  than 
  that 
  now 
  proposed. 
  

  

  Second. 
  Tree-planting 
  should 
  be 
  carried 
  on 
  as 
  extensively 
  as 
  possible 
  in 
  all 
  the 
  set- 
  

   tlements. 
  

  

  Third. 
  The 
  lakes, 
  ponds, 
  and 
  even 
  marshes 
  scattered 
  over 
  Western 
  Minnesota 
  and 
  

   Eastern 
  Dakota 
  should 
  be 
  carefully 
  preserved. 
  This 
  is 
  an 
  essential 
  item 
  in 
  the 
  future 
  

   prosperity 
  of 
  this 
  entire 
  region. 
  Drain 
  these 
  or 
  dry 
  them 
  up, 
  and 
  the 
  day 
  will 
  surely 
  

   come 
  when 
  this 
  entire 
  section 
  and 
  Northern 
  Iowa 
  will 
  be 
  as 
  arid 
  and 
  barren 
  as 
  the 
  

   great 
  plains 
  of 
  the 
  West. 
  Every 
  pond, 
  swamp, 
  or 
  marsh 
  drained 
  is 
  to 
  that 
  extent 
  an 
  

   injury 
  to 
  your 
  State. 
  

  

  From 
  whence 
  comes 
  the 
  moisture 
  that 
  supplies 
  your 
  prairies 
  ? 
  From 
  the 
  great 
  lakes 
  

   that 
  lie 
  along 
  your 
  northern 
  border 
  from 
  Superior 
  to 
  Winnipeg. 
  Arising 
  from 
  these 
  it 
  

   falls 
  first 
  into 
  or 
  feeds 
  the 
  lakes 
  and 
  marshes 
  of 
  your 
  northern 
  timbered 
  section 
  ; 
  thence 
  

   by 
  another 
  step 
  it 
  spreads 
  southward 
  over 
  the 
  prairie 
  region, 
  feeding 
  the 
  numerous 
  

   lakes 
  and 
  ponds 
  of 
  that 
  section. 
  The 
  evaporation 
  from 
  these 
  not 
  only 
  assists 
  in 
  draw- 
  

   ing 
  down 
  the 
  moisture 
  which 
  would 
  otherwise 
  be 
  dissipated, 
  but 
  assists 
  in 
  spreading 
  

   it 
  farther 
  southward 
  and 
  southwest. 
  Drain 
  the 
  latter 
  and 
  all 
  this 
  beneficial 
  influence 
  

   will 
  be 
  lost, 
  and 
  step 
  by 
  step 
  the 
  water 
  area 
  will 
  be 
  diminished 
  and 
  the 
  amount 
  of 
  

   rainfall 
  lessened. 
  

  

  The 
  broad 
  and 
  extensive 
  marshes 
  of 
  the 
  Red 
  River 
  Valley, 
  between 
  Saint 
  Vin- 
  

   cent 
  and 
  Saint 
  Boniface 
  in 
  Manitoba, 
  are 
  of 
  great 
  value 
  to 
  the 
  lands 
  bordering 
  the 
  up- 
  

   per 
  or 
  southern 
  portion 
  of 
  that 
  valley, 
  and 
  if 
  drained 
  will 
  certainly 
  tend 
  to 
  lessen 
  the 
  

   rainfall 
  over 
  the 
  beautiful 
  and 
  productive 
  plains 
  between 
  Red 
  and 
  James 
  Rivers. 
  

  

  I 
  urge 
  this 
  matter 
  upon 
  your 
  consideration 
  because 
  the 
  history 
  of 
  the 
  world 
  shows 
  

   that 
  in 
  this 
  respect 
  man 
  has 
  generally 
  acted 
  with 
  consummate 
  folly. 
  In 
  all 
  the 
  writ- 
  

   ing 
  and 
  discussions 
  in 
  reference 
  to 
  rainfall 
  and 
  supply 
  of 
  moisture 
  the 
  all 
  important 
  

   item 
  — 
  area 
  of 
  evaporating 
  surfaces 
  — 
  seems 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  overlooked. 
  Preservation 
  of 
  

   forests, 
  planting 
  of 
  trees, 
  &c, 
  have 
  been 
  urged, 
  and 
  properly 
  too, 
  but 
  maintaining 
  or 
  

   enlarging 
  the 
  area 
  of 
  water 
  or 
  evaporating 
  surface 
  seems 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  entirely 
  forgot- 
  

   ten. 
  It 
  is 
  possible 
  perhaps 
  to 
  accomplish 
  this, 
  in 
  part 
  at 
  least, 
  by 
  appropriate 
  State 
  

   legislation. 
  But 
  simply 
  refraining 
  from 
  draining 
  is 
  not 
  sufficient. 
  These 
  little 
  bodies 
  

   of 
  water 
  should 
  be 
  surrounded 
  by 
  fringes 
  of 
  shrubbery 
  and 
  trees 
  which 
  should 
  never 
  

  

  