﻿318 
  REPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  COMMISSION. 
  

  

  would 
  be 
  by 
  a 
  system 
  of 
  fire-guards 
  where 
  there 
  are 
  no 
  natural 
  streams 
  

   or 
  other 
  barriers 
  to 
  prevent 
  the 
  spread 
  of 
  the 
  flames. 
  We 
  repeat, 
  that 
  

   any 
  extensive 
  system 
  of 
  guarding 
  the 
  vegetation 
  in 
  the 
  fall 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  fire 
  

   it 
  the 
  ensuing 
  spring 
  would 
  only 
  be 
  warranted 
  at 
  government 
  expense 
  

   in 
  those 
  particular 
  areas 
  where 
  it 
  is 
  absolutely 
  known 
  that 
  eggs 
  have 
  

   been 
  thickly 
  laid 
  aud 
  that 
  the 
  insects 
  from 
  such 
  eggs 
  will 
  swarm 
  the 
  

   following 
  year. 
  Such 
  a 
  condition 
  will 
  occur 
  only 
  at 
  irregular 
  intervals 
  

   and 
  the 
  government 
  should 
  take 
  some 
  steps 
  to 
  provide 
  for 
  annual 
  obser- 
  

   vations 
  that 
  will 
  lead 
  to 
  a 
  knowledge 
  as 
  to 
  when 
  and 
  where 
  such 
  con- 
  

   ditions 
  prevail. 
  Systematic 
  firing 
  should 
  then 
  be 
  carried 
  on 
  from 
  the 
  

   circumference 
  of 
  such 
  area 
  or 
  areas 
  after 
  the 
  bulk 
  of 
  the 
  insects 
  are 
  known 
  

   to 
  have 
  hatched 
  and 
  before 
  they 
  are 
  able 
  to 
  escape 
  by 
  flight. 
  That 
  such 
  

   work 
  can 
  profitably 
  be 
  performed 
  in 
  large 
  portions 
  of 
  the 
  permanent 
  

   region, 
  we 
  have 
  little 
  doubt, 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  expense 
  in 
  such 
  instances 
  

   would 
  be 
  warranted 
  is 
  made 
  manifest 
  by 
  the 
  terrible 
  losses 
  which 
  the 
  

   insects 
  are 
  capable 
  of 
  occasioning. 
  

  

  In 
  many 
  sections 
  a 
  system 
  of 
  fire-guards 
  will 
  be 
  absolutely 
  necessary 
  

   to 
  judiciously 
  carry 
  out 
  any 
  such 
  scheme, 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  prevent 
  the 
  de- 
  

   struction 
  of 
  timber. 
  

  

  6. 
  A 
  PERMANENT 
  SYSTEM 
  OF 
  OBSERVATIONS 
  AND 
  WARNINGS. 
  — 
  In 
  

  

  order 
  to 
  carry 
  out 
  the 
  plan 
  just 
  considered, 
  and, 
  in 
  fact, 
  to 
  enable 
  the 
  

   government 
  to 
  take 
  any 
  intelligent 
  action 
  looking 
  to 
  the 
  direct 
  destruc- 
  

   tion 
  and 
  decrease 
  of 
  the 
  Locust 
  in 
  the 
  region 
  under 
  consideration, 
  sys- 
  

   tematic 
  observations 
  made 
  and 
  reported 
  from 
  year 
  to 
  year 
  are 
  absolutely 
  

   essential, 
  and 
  we 
  cannot 
  too 
  strongly 
  urge 
  upon 
  Congress 
  that 
  pro- 
  

   vision 
  be 
  made 
  for 
  such 
  continued 
  observations. 
  There 
  is 
  no 
  reason 
  

   why 
  it 
  should 
  not 
  be 
  made 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  duty 
  of 
  the 
  Signal 
  Bureau 
  to 
  

   obtain 
  the 
  desired 
  information, 
  and 
  to 
  report 
  the 
  situation 
  to 
  the 
  country 
  

   from 
  time 
  to 
  time. 
  The 
  source 
  of 
  these 
  destructive 
  insects 
  is 
  no 
  longer 
  

   an 
  utter 
  mystery, 
  and 
  every 
  year 
  is 
  adding 
  to 
  the 
  facilities 
  for 
  making 
  

   the 
  desired 
  observations. 
  

  

  With 
  an 
  increasing 
  population; 
  with 
  the 
  near 
  completion 
  of 
  projected 
  

   roads 
  through 
  Montana 
  and 
  adjoining 
  Territories; 
  with 
  the 
  completion 
  

   of 
  the 
  Canadian 
  and 
  Northern 
  Pacifies 
  now 
  assured, 
  the 
  means 
  of 
  estab- 
  

   lishing 
  a 
  system 
  of 
  locust 
  signals 
  and 
  warnings, 
  and 
  of 
  making 
  more 
  

   complete 
  and 
  accurate 
  observation, 
  will 
  be 
  far 
  greater 
  than 
  they 
  have 
  

   been. 
  Information 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  situation 
  and 
  extent 
  of 
  egg-deposits; 
  the 
  

   time 
  of 
  hatching 
  of 
  the 
  young 
  locusts; 
  their 
  movements 
  both 
  on 
  foot 
  

   and 
  on 
  wing, 
  can 
  and 
  should 
  be 
  as 
  rapidly 
  obtained 
  and 
  disseminated 
  

   as 
  possible. 
  The 
  local 
  press 
  will 
  be 
  but 
  too 
  ready 
  to 
  disseminate 
  it. 
  

   The 
  course 
  of 
  flights 
  from 
  day 
  to 
  day 
  should 
  be 
  traced 
  and 
  published 
  

   in 
  the 
  maps 
  issued 
  and 
  now 
  generally 
  posted 
  at 
  available 
  points, 
  as 
  

   post-offices, 
  depots, 
  etc. 
  In 
  many 
  instances 
  such 
  warnings 
  would 
  enable 
  

   the 
  farmer 
  to 
  cut 
  and 
  save 
  his 
  crops 
  before 
  the 
  swarms 
  reached 
  him, 
  

   that 
  would 
  otherwise, 
  unheralded, 
  swoop 
  down 
  upon 
  him 
  and 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  

   hours 
  destroy 
  the 
  labor 
  of 
  a 
  year. 
  Tracts 
  which 
  it 
  would 
  pay 
  to 
  guard 
  

  

  