﻿PREVENTIVE 
  MEASURES 
  IN 
  THE 
  MOUNTAINS. 
  321 
  

  

  Dating 
  the 
  native 
  locust 
  iii 
  the 
  Rocky 
  Mountain 
  region 
  can 
  be 
  system- 
  

   atically 
  and 
  extensively 
  applied 
  beyond 
  locally 
  burning 
  over 
  tracts 
  

   and 
  destroying 
  the 
  freshly-hatched 
  young, 
  we 
  may 
  with 
  confidence 
  pre- 
  

   dict 
  that 
  even 
  in 
  ten 
  or 
  twenty 
  years 
  from 
  now, 
  when 
  the 
  rich 
  grazing 
  

   and 
  farming 
  territory 
  of 
  Montana 
  will 
  sustain 
  a 
  much 
  denser 
  population 
  

   than 
  at 
  present, 
  the 
  locusts 
  maybe 
  in 
  many 
  places 
  locally 
  exterminated, 
  

   their 
  numbers 
  in 
  general 
  diminished, 
  and 
  their 
  ravages 
  be 
  greatly 
  less- 
  

   ened. 
  

  

  "As 
  is 
  well 
  known, 
  the 
  greater 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  injury 
  done 
  by 
  the 
  locusts 
  

   is 
  accomplished 
  by 
  the 
  voracious 
  young 
  working 
  in 
  fields 
  of 
  young 
  wheat. 
  

   The 
  winged 
  adults 
  swarm 
  in 
  after 
  the 
  wheat 
  is 
  harvested 
  or 
  about 
  the 
  

   time 
  of 
  harvest. 
  

  

  "What 
  the 
  farmer 
  of 
  Colorado 
  and 
  Utah 
  wants 
  in 
  the 
  middle 
  and 
  

   latter 
  part 
  of 
  July 
  is 
  certain, 
  reliable, 
  and 
  detailed 
  information 
  respect- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  presence 
  or 
  absence 
  of 
  locusts 
  west 
  of 
  the 
  Rocky 
  Mountain 
  Range 
  

   or 
  in 
  Wyoming 
  northward, 
  if 
  he 
  live 
  in 
  Colorado 
  ; 
  or, 
  if 
  he 
  be 
  a 
  Mormon 
  

   farmer, 
  whether 
  the 
  locusts 
  are 
  flying 
  from 
  Montana 
  into 
  the 
  region 
  of 
  

   Idaho 
  lying 
  north 
  of 
  Cache 
  or 
  Malade 
  Valleys. 
  He 
  may 
  then 
  be 
  able 
  

   to 
  tell 
  whether 
  to 
  expect 
  the 
  locusts 
  late 
  in 
  August 
  or 
  early 
  in 
  the 
  

   autumn 
  in 
  his 
  own 
  countiy. 
  At 
  the 
  present 
  time 
  the 
  western 
  border 
  

   farmers 
  pick 
  up 
  in 
  a 
  desultory 
  and 
  haphazard 
  way 
  information 
  of 
  this 
  

   sort, 
  but 
  as 
  the 
  Far 
  West 
  becomes 
  more 
  densely 
  populated 
  and 
  increased 
  

   care 
  and 
  diligence 
  are 
  observed, 
  as 
  they 
  will 
  have 
  to 
  be 
  exercised 
  in 
  the 
  

   future 
  when 
  the 
  struggle 
  for 
  existence 
  becomes 
  more 
  intense 
  among 
  

   agriculturists 
  and 
  wheat-growers, 
  all 
  the 
  means 
  we 
  have 
  referred 
  to 
  of 
  

   obtaining, 
  classifying, 
  and 
  disseminating 
  a 
  knowledge 
  of 
  the 
  movements 
  

   of 
  the 
  locusts 
  will 
  be 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  fully 
  adopted. 
  When 
  this 
  result 
  is 
  

   attained 
  the 
  battle 
  with 
  the 
  locusts 
  is 
  more 
  than 
  half 
  won. 
  A 
  tolerably 
  

   complete 
  knowledge 
  of 
  the 
  habits 
  and 
  movements, 
  direction 
  and 
  time 
  of 
  

   flight, 
  &c, 
  over 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  years 
  will 
  also 
  (as 
  it 
  already 
  has 
  in 
  Utah) 
  

   tend 
  to 
  clear 
  up 
  the 
  mystery 
  hitherto 
  attending 
  the 
  migrations 
  and 
  rav- 
  

   ages 
  of 
  locusts. 
  This 
  will 
  have 
  the 
  effect 
  of 
  making 
  the 
  agricultural 
  

   community 
  less 
  subject 
  to 
  wild 
  panics, 
  and 
  more 
  bold, 
  determined, 
  and 
  

   combined 
  in 
  endeavoring 
  to 
  exterminate 
  the 
  locusts. 
  

  

  "A 
  large 
  proportion 
  of 
  the 
  money 
  losses 
  resulting 
  from 
  the 
  locust 
  in- 
  

   vasions 
  of 
  1867, 
  'G9, 
  '74, 
  and 
  '76' 
  was 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  a 
  panic, 
  of 
  uncertainty 
  

   as 
  to 
  the 
  future 
  ; 
  this 
  resulted 
  in 
  disheartenment, 
  in 
  the 
  abandonment 
  

   of 
  large 
  tracts 
  of 
  the 
  best 
  of 
  farming 
  lands 
  to 
  nature 
  aud 
  the 
  locusts. 
  

   This 
  will 
  probably 
  never 
  again 
  happen 
  in 
  the 
  West. 
  The 
  knowledge 
  

   already 
  disseminated, 
  the 
  extent 
  of 
  the 
  population 
  now 
  pouring 
  into 
  the 
  

   Xorthwest, 
  the 
  rapid 
  settlement 
  of 
  the 
  Territory 
  of 
  Montana, 
  and 
  the 
  com- 
  

   pletion 
  of 
  the 
  Northern 
  Pacific, 
  Canadian 
  Pacific, 
  the 
  Utah 
  and 
  Northern 
  

   Railroads, 
  and 
  the 
  consequent 
  change 
  in 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  due 
  

   to 
  human 
  agency 
  will 
  so 
  essentially 
  modify 
  the 
  locust 
  situation 
  that 
  we 
  

   believe 
  the 
  West 
  will 
  never 
  again 
  suffer 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  past. 
  It 
  remains 
  for 
  

   the 
  people 
  of 
  the 
  Rocky 
  Mountain 
  Plateau 
  to 
  use 
  such 
  local 
  and 
  general 
  

   21 
  L 
  

  

  