﻿[12] 
  REPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  COMMISSION. 
  

  

  sack, 
  which 
  was 
  emptied 
  from 
  the 
  original 
  contents. 
  I 
  believe 
  the 
  failure 
  to 
  hatch 
  

   was 
  owing 
  partly 
  to 
  the 
  warm 
  weather 
  during 
  winter 
  and 
  early 
  spring, 
  which 
  caused 
  

   early 
  deposited 
  eggs 
  to 
  approach 
  the 
  period 
  of 
  hatching 
  so 
  near 
  that 
  subsequent 
  hard 
  

   freezing 
  caused 
  them 
  to 
  addle. 
  

  

  Question 
  7. 
  In 
  warm 
  and 
  sandy, 
  well-settled 
  soil 
  ; 
  such 
  as 
  cornfields, 
  orchards, 
  and 
  

   pasture 
  land 
  where 
  the 
  grass 
  had 
  been 
  eaten 
  off 
  by 
  stock 
  rather 
  close, 
  and 
  where 
  bare 
  

   spots 
  were 
  frequent. 
  

  

  Question 
  16. 
  The 
  means 
  effectually 
  employed 
  in 
  this 
  section 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  to 
  

   destroy 
  the 
  young 
  insects 
  is 
  principally 
  the 
  so-called 
  " 
  Canfield 
  Grasshopper 
  Extermin- 
  

   ator." 
  I 
  have 
  killed 
  four 
  nail-kegs 
  full 
  * 
  within 
  three 
  days. 
  

  

  Question 
  18. 
  Coal-oil, 
  used 
  to 
  the 
  depth 
  of 
  about 
  one-fourth 
  of 
  an 
  inch 
  in 
  the 
  ma- 
  

   chine, 
  is 
  the 
  medium 
  by 
  which 
  millions 
  of 
  young 
  'hoppers 
  are 
  killed 
  in 
  a 
  very 
  short 
  

   time 
  by 
  dragging 
  the 
  machine 
  over 
  the 
  ground 
  infested 
  by 
  them. 
  In 
  sowing 
  the 
  

   killed 
  'hoppers 
  along 
  the 
  border 
  of 
  grain-fields 
  I 
  have 
  kept 
  the 
  living 
  ones 
  from 
  enter- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  grain-fields 
  and 
  also 
  have 
  driven 
  them 
  away 
  from 
  spots 
  in 
  the 
  orchard 
  and 
  

   grove 
  where 
  the 
  young 
  'hoppers 
  could 
  not 
  be 
  caught 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  trees 
  and 
  shrub- 
  

   bery. 
  

  

  We 
  settled 
  in 
  this 
  county 
  (Hall) 
  in 
  July, 
  1857, 
  and 
  we 
  did 
  not 
  notice 
  any 
  grass- 
  

   hoppers 
  until 
  August 
  1862. 
  The 
  swarm 
  appeared 
  then 
  and 
  came 
  with 
  northwest 
  wind. 
  

   Weather 
  clear. 
  

  

  August 
  1, 
  1864, 
  the 
  hoppers 
  made 
  their 
  appearance 
  again. 
  

  

  July 
  15, 
  1875, 
  all 
  the 
  buckwheat 
  in 
  the 
  county 
  was 
  destroyed 
  by 
  them, 
  but 
  no 
  other 
  

   crops. 
  

  

  July 
  8, 
  1866, 
  grasshoppers 
  came 
  in 
  large 
  swarms, 
  doing 
  a 
  great 
  deal 
  of 
  harm 
  ; 
  north- 
  

   west 
  wind 
  brought 
  them 
  ; 
  weather 
  clear. 
  

  

  In 
  1868, 
  appeared 
  again 
  but 
  did 
  no 
  damage. 
  

  

  In 
  1869, 
  came 
  in 
  the 
  early 
  days 
  of 
  August 
  and 
  destroyed 
  nearly 
  all 
  the 
  corn 
  crops 
  in 
  

   Hall 
  County. 
  

  

  In 
  1873, 
  May 
  22, 
  came 
  in 
  large 
  swarms 
  with 
  southwest 
  wind 
  ; 
  damage 
  light. 
  They 
  

   left 
  with 
  southwest 
  wind. 
  

  

  In 
  1874, 
  July 
  20, 
  21, 
  and 
  22, 
  also 
  August 
  5 
  and 
  6, 
  came 
  in 
  swarms 
  which 
  at 
  times 
  

   darkened 
  the 
  sky. 
  Wind 
  north 
  and 
  northwest 
  ; 
  weather 
  clear. 
  Nearly 
  all 
  the 
  crops, 
  

   in 
  particular 
  corn 
  crops, 
  in 
  Hall 
  County 
  were 
  destroyed, 
  but 
  hardly 
  any 
  eggs 
  were 
  

   deposited 
  by 
  them 
  here. 
  They 
  left 
  before 
  depositing 
  their 
  eggs 
  and 
  went 
  into 
  the 
  

   southeast 
  part 
  of 
  Nebraska, 
  into 
  Kansas 
  and 
  Iowa. 
  

  

  In 
  1875, 
  June 
  24, 
  appeared 
  again 
  in 
  this 
  county 
  with 
  southwest 
  wind 
  ; 
  August 
  8, 
  

   and 
  10, 
  with 
  northwest 
  wind, 
  and 
  the 
  damage 
  done 
  in 
  August 
  was 
  considerable. 
  The 
  

   greater 
  number 
  of 
  them, 
  however, 
  in 
  1875, 
  were 
  diseased 
  and 
  fell 
  dead 
  frequently 
  

   when 
  flying. 
  

  

  Maggots 
  numbering 
  from 
  one 
  to 
  eleven 
  in 
  each 
  'hopper 
  were 
  feeding 
  on 
  them 
  in 
  their 
  

   bodies. 
  Also 
  little 
  red 
  parasites 
  were 
  frequently 
  noticed 
  fastened 
  to 
  the 
  wings 
  or 
  

   bodies 
  of 
  them. 
  

  

  In 
  1876, 
  August 
  5, 
  first 
  swarm 
  seen 
  here, 
  at 
  3 
  p. 
  m., 
  with 
  northwest 
  wind, 
  weather 
  

   clear. 
  This 
  swarm, 
  however, 
  was 
  not 
  very 
  large. 
  August 
  10 
  and 
  12, 
  at 
  noon, 
  large 
  

   swarms 
  of 
  them 
  arrived 
  with 
  northwest 
  wind, 
  weather 
  clear, 
  and 
  commenced 
  depos- 
  

   iting 
  eggs 
  about 
  August 
  13 
  or 
  14. 
  On 
  the 
  14th 
  some 
  left, 
  but 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  more 
  

   and 
  still 
  larger 
  swarms 
  arrived 
  ; 
  weather 
  clear 
  and 
  northwest 
  wind 
  prevailing. 
  I 
  

   worked 
  hard 
  with 
  ten 
  hands 
  for 
  ten 
  days 
  to 
  save 
  my 
  corn 
  crop, 
  vegetable 
  garden, 
  and 
  

   orchard, 
  by 
  smudging 
  fires, 
  adding 
  freely 
  pulverized 
  sulphur, 
  but 
  eventually 
  had 
  to 
  

   abandon 
  one 
  field 
  after 
  another, 
  thus 
  leaving 
  the 
  'hoppers 
  the 
  victors. 
  They 
  stripped 
  

   every 
  fruit 
  tree 
  of 
  its 
  foliage 
  and 
  took 
  even 
  the 
  bark 
  off 
  the 
  large 
  limbs. 
  They 
  con- 
  

   tinued 
  depositing 
  their 
  eggs 
  until 
  the 
  23d 
  and 
  24th 
  of 
  August, 
  when 
  the 
  wind 
  which 
  

   ever 
  since 
  the 
  15th 
  had 
  blown 
  from 
  the 
  south 
  and 
  southwest 
  changed 
  to 
  the 
  north 
  and 
  

   northwest, 
  which 
  carried 
  all 
  those 
  that 
  were 
  able 
  to 
  fly 
  south 
  and 
  southeast. 
  

  

  The 
  extent 
  of 
  country 
  devastated 
  by 
  them 
  — 
  coming 
  from 
  north 
  and 
  northwest 
  — 
  

   reached 
  from 
  about 
  the 
  western 
  boundary 
  line 
  of 
  Nebraska 
  to 
  the 
  Missouri, 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  the 
  

   State 
  of 
  Nebraska 
  is 
  concerned, 
  and 
  from 
  the 
  Platte 
  bottom 
  toward 
  the 
  northern 
  boun- 
  

   dary 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  ; 
  while 
  farmers 
  25 
  miles 
  south 
  of 
  hero 
  got 
  fair 
  corn 
  crops 
  on 
  account 
  

   of 
  the 
  grasshoppers 
  reaching 
  them 
  from 
  ten 
  to 
  fourteen 
  days 
  later 
  than 
  they 
  reached 
  us. 
  

  

  In 
  Hall 
  County 
  nearly 
  all 
  vegetables 
  were 
  destroyed 
  by 
  them 
  — 
  the 
  early 
  potatoes 
  

   excepted. 
  

  

  The 
  full 
  grown 
  'hoppers 
  relished, 
  of 
  fruit-trees, 
  the 
  foliage 
  of 
  apple 
  trees 
  more 
  than 
  

   of 
  crab-apple, 
  pear, 
  peach, 
  cherry, 
  or 
  plum 
  trees; 
  still 
  all 
  were 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  damaged. 
  

   Plum 
  and 
  crab-apple 
  the 
  least. 
  Of 
  lorest 
  trees, 
  the 
  coffee-bean 
  tree, 
  ash-leaf 
  maple 
  or 
  

   box 
  elder, 
  soft 
  maple, 
  honey-locust, 
  elm, 
  beach, 
  willow, 
  Rocky 
  Mountain 
  evergeen, 
  

   red 
  and 
  white 
  cedar 
  were 
  injured 
  and 
  eaten 
  by 
  them 
  but 
  little; 
  while 
  the 
  black 
  locust, 
  

   white 
  and 
  gray 
  willow, 
  while 
  ash, 
  catalpa, 
  oottonwood, 
  silver 
  poplar, 
  black 
  and 
  

   white 
  walnut, 
  European 
  larch, 
  American 
  larch, 
  Scotch 
  pine, 
  white 
  pine, 
  Norway 
  

  

  * 
  Mr. 
  Thomas 
  was 
  at 
  the 
  houso 
  of 
  the 
  writer 
  when 
  ho 
  was 
  fighting 
  the 
  young 
  locusts 
  and 
  saw 
  ono 
  

   kog 
  lull 
  of 
  the 
  very 
  young 
  insects. 
  

  

  