﻿[16] 
  KEPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  COMMISSION. 
  

  

  sweet-potatoes 
  are 
  the 
  least 
  relished 
  "by 
  both 
  old 
  and 
  young 
  locusts. 
  Native 
  grasses 
  

   have 
  not 
  been 
  injured 
  by 
  old 
  or 
  young 
  insects 
  to 
  a 
  degree 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  be 
  visible. 
  

  

  The 
  young 
  and 
  growing 
  insects 
  remain 
  during 
  the 
  night 
  in 
  old 
  grass, 
  fallen 
  weeds, 
  

   piles 
  of 
  dry 
  hay 
  or 
  straw, 
  or 
  under 
  clods 
  of 
  earth, 
  but 
  never 
  under 
  the 
  latter 
  when 
  the 
  

   former 
  is 
  convenient. 
  

  

  E. 
  WHITCOMB. 
  

  

  Republican 
  City, 
  Harlan 
  County, 
  July 
  31, 
  1877 
  — 
  3.15 
  p. 
  m. 
  

   The 
  locusts 
  are 
  passing 
  over 
  here 
  to-day 
  in 
  vast 
  numbers. 
  Course 
  from 
  northeast 
  

   to 
  southwest. 
  Temperature 
  89° 
  in 
  shade 
  ; 
  have 
  been 
  flying 
  since 
  nine 
  o'clock. 
  The 
  

   wind 
  has 
  been 
  brisk 
  until 
  12 
  m. 
  Since 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  light. 
  'Hoppers 
  are 
  flying 
  high 
  and 
  

   fast, 
  wavering 
  but 
  little. 
  Weather 
  clear, 
  was 
  cloudy 
  this 
  morning, 
  cleared 
  about 
  8 
  

   a. 
  ni. 
  

  

  B. 
  D. 
  MILLS. 
  

  

  Plattsmouth, 
  Cass 
  County, 
  June 
  7, 
  1877. 
  

  

  The 
  locust 
  eggs 
  have 
  been 
  hatching 
  with 
  us 
  ever 
  since 
  early 
  in 
  April, 
  and 
  are 
  still 
  

   doing 
  so 
  in 
  shaded 
  cooler 
  places, 
  as 
  also 
  where 
  turned 
  under 
  Iby 
  the 
  plow 
  and 
  less 
  ex- 
  

   posed 
  to 
  the 
  heat 
  of 
  the 
  sun. 
  A 
  few 
  warm 
  days 
  in 
  succession 
  have 
  repeatedly 
  covered 
  

   the 
  ground 
  with 
  the 
  newly-hatched 
  insects. 
  But 
  one 
  peculiarity 
  has 
  been 
  observed 
  

   and 
  generally 
  commented 
  upon 
  by 
  all 
  observers, 
  viz, 
  but 
  a 
  very 
  small 
  per 
  cent, 
  of 
  the 
  

   insects 
  increase 
  in 
  size. 
  They 
  are 
  still 
  small, 
  but 
  just 
  hatched 
  ; 
  and, 
  further, 
  each 
  suc- 
  

   cessive 
  hatching 
  did 
  not 
  seem 
  to 
  increase 
  the 
  sum 
  total. 
  A 
  very 
  few 
  are 
  occasionally 
  

   seen 
  from 
  one-half 
  to 
  three-quarters 
  grown 
  ; 
  while 
  it 
  is 
  time 
  (with 
  former 
  experience) 
  

   that 
  the 
  earlier 
  hatching 
  should 
  have 
  wings 
  and 
  arrive 
  at 
  full 
  growth, 
  as 
  the 
  small 
  

   swarm 
  from 
  the 
  south 
  yesterday 
  also 
  indicated. 
  

  

  We 
  have, 
  during 
  May, 
  had 
  much 
  rainy 
  weather. 
  Some 
  severe 
  storms 
  that 
  washed 
  

   the 
  ground 
  somewhat 
  severely, 
  and 
  some 
  dead 
  have 
  been 
  found 
  on 
  margins 
  of 
  streams; 
  

   hence 
  the 
  general 
  reply, 
  although 
  quite 
  unsatisfactory, 
  has 
  been 
  " 
  drowned," 
  " 
  washed 
  

   away," 
  &c. 
  Now 
  a 
  farmer, 
  William 
  B. 
  Porter, 
  a 
  thoroughly 
  reliable 
  man, 
  tells 
  me 
  to- 
  

   day 
  that 
  yesterday 
  he 
  went 
  over 
  his 
  wheafrfield, 
  and 
  finding 
  but 
  few 
  'hoppers, 
  where 
  

   there 
  had 
  been 
  many 
  a 
  few 
  days 
  before, 
  he 
  got 
  down 
  to 
  the 
  ground 
  and 
  carefully 
  ex- 
  

   amined 
  it, 
  when 
  under 
  the 
  debris, 
  clods, 
  &c, 
  he 
  found 
  millions 
  dead 
  and 
  many 
  largely 
  

   decayed. 
  He 
  could 
  discover 
  no 
  insect 
  or 
  parasites 
  upon 
  them 
  or 
  other 
  cause 
  of 
  death. 
  

   The 
  ground 
  was 
  not 
  rolling 
  enough 
  to 
  wash 
  them 
  off, 
  supposing 
  the 
  rains 
  have 
  caused 
  

   this 
  destruction. 
  My 
  own 
  experiments 
  show 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  almost 
  if 
  not 
  impossible 
  to 
  

   drown 
  or 
  freeze 
  them 
  to 
  death, 
  i. 
  e., 
  at 
  a 
  single 
  operation. 
  But 
  continued 
  repetitions 
  

   or 
  series 
  of 
  rainy 
  days 
  (and 
  we 
  had 
  ten 
  successive 
  days 
  of 
  rain) 
  may 
  wear 
  them 
  out 
  at 
  

   last. 
  

  

  A. 
  L. 
  CHILD, 
  M. 
  D. 
  

  

  * 
  September 
  17, 
  1:877. 
  

  

  The 
  locust 
  has 
  been 
  seen 
  during 
  many 
  days 
  since 
  August 
  15 
  flying 
  over, 
  moving 
  

   with 
  the 
  wind, 
  generally 
  in 
  a 
  westerly 
  direction. 
  None 
  of 
  consequence 
  descending 
  to 
  

   the 
  earth. 
  

  

  A. 
  L. 
  CHILD, 
  M. 
  D. 
  

  

  North 
  Platte, 
  Lincoln 
  County, 
  June 
  15, 
  1877. 
  

  

  I 
  saw 
  grasshoppers 
  flying 
  over 
  (north) 
  last 
  week 
  ; 
  think 
  it 
  was 
  the 
  first 
  of 
  the 
  week. 
  

   Have 
  inquired 
  of 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  persons, 
  and 
  so 
  far 
  have 
  found 
  no 
  person 
  that 
  has 
  seen 
  

   any 
  flying 
  except 
  on 
  that 
  day. 
  I 
  have 
  been 
  over 
  on 
  the 
  north 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  North 
  Platte 
  

   River 
  twice 
  since 
  the 
  day 
  they 
  flew 
  over, 
  and 
  saw 
  very 
  few 
  ; 
  and, 
  unless 
  a 
  person 
  was 
  

   looking 
  for 
  grasshoppers, 
  they 
  would 
  not 
  notice 
  any. 
  Last 
  week 
  was 
  on 
  south 
  side 
  of 
  

   South 
  Platte 
  as 
  far 
  east 
  as 
  Warren 
  ; 
  saw 
  none 
  that 
  day. 
  

  

  Have 
  lived 
  in 
  North 
  Platte 
  five 
  years, 
  and 
  during 
  that 
  time, 
  in 
  the 
  month 
  of 
  June, 
  

   the 
  country 
  here 
  has 
  never 
  been 
  as 
  free 
  from 
  grasshoppers 
  as 
  now. 
  

  

  J. 
  H. 
  McCONNELL. 
  

  

  Falls 
  City, 
  Richardson 
  County, 
  May 
  28, 
  1877. 
  

   Your 
  opinion 
  expressed 
  in 
  the 
  Prairie 
  Farmer 
  that 
  nearly 
  all 
  the 
  eggs 
  in 
  Nebraska 
  

   would 
  hatch 
  seems 
  correct 
  regarding 
  this 
  section. 
  In 
  the 
  fall 
  of 
  1874 
  the 
  young 
  'hop- 
  

   pers 
  or 
  many 
  of 
  them 
  formed 
  in 
  the 
  eggs 
  and 
  hatched 
  about 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  April, 
  1875, 
  

   a 
  month 
  earlier 
  than 
  this 
  season. 
  The 
  flying 
  'hoppers 
  came 
  to 
  this 
  section 
  about 
  the 
  

   9th 
  of 
  August, 
  in 
  1874, 
  and 
  began 
  to 
  deposit 
  eggs 
  at 
  once. 
  Last 
  fall 
  they 
  came 
  about 
  

   the 
  middle 
  of 
  September, 
  which 
  accounts 
  for 
  the 
  lateness 
  of 
  the 
  hatch 
  this 
  spring. 
  

   Deep 
  plowing 
  under 
  of 
  the 
  eggs 
  is 
  thought 
  here 
  the 
  best 
  plan 
  as 
  regards 
  managing 
  

   them. 
  . 
  The 
  nearer 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  hatching 
  the 
  plowing 
  can 
  be 
  done 
  is 
  oonsidered 
  the 
  

   best. 
  

  

  