﻿[22] 
  REPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  COMMISSION. 
  

  

  as 
  the 
  railroad 
  and 
  my 
  trip 
  ended 
  at 
  Breckenridge. 
  The 
  noise 
  was 
  as 
  of 
  bees 
  swarm- 
  

   ing, 
  so 
  great 
  was 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  wings 
  in 
  motion. 
  

  

  Question 
  23. 
  Very 
  few 
  eggs 
  hatched 
  here 
  in 
  the 
  fall. 
  In 
  February, 
  1877, 
  I 
  placed 
  

   earth 
  containing 
  egg-cells 
  in 
  my 
  office 
  and 
  hatched 
  out 
  a 
  large 
  number, 
  placed 
  them 
  

   out 
  doors 
  over 
  night 
  with 
  thermometer 
  20° 
  below 
  zero 
  ; 
  next 
  day 
  replaced 
  them 
  in 
  

   office, 
  and 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  hours 
  one-third 
  had 
  recovered 
  ; 
  next 
  night 
  placed 
  them 
  out 
  doors, 
  

   18° 
  below 
  zero 
  ; 
  next 
  day 
  only 
  about 
  one 
  in 
  five 
  of 
  the 
  survivors 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  experiment 
  

   recovered. 
  

  

  Last 
  summer 
  we 
  put 
  about 
  one 
  bushel 
  of 
  the 
  grown 
  'hoppers 
  in 
  a 
  gunny 
  sack, 
  

   placed 
  the 
  sack 
  in 
  a 
  barrel 
  of 
  water 
  and 
  kept 
  it 
  under 
  water 
  with 
  weights. 
  The 
  next 
  

   day 
  I 
  took 
  them 
  from 
  the 
  barrel 
  and 
  emptied 
  them 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  sack, 
  when, 
  to 
  my 
  aston- 
  

   ishment, 
  I 
  discovered 
  a 
  large 
  number, 
  perhaps 
  one 
  in 
  forty 
  or 
  fifty, 
  still 
  alive. 
  

  

  Question 
  24. 
  Garden 
  truck, 
  oats, 
  barley, 
  wheat, 
  potatoes, 
  buckwheat, 
  and, 
  when 
  well 
  

   grown, 
  apparently 
  anything 
  an 
  ostrich 
  would 
  digest 
  ; 
  coats 
  or 
  other 
  clothing, 
  saddles, 
  

   leather, 
  whips, 
  &c, 
  left 
  on 
  the 
  ground 
  a 
  few 
  hours 
  would 
  be 
  ruined. 
  

  

  Question 
  26. 
  Here 
  they 
  do 
  not 
  seem 
  to 
  have 
  made 
  much 
  impression 
  on 
  native 
  grasses. 
  

  

  Question 
  27. 
  Our 
  domestic 
  fowls. 
  I 
  have 
  also 
  observed 
  my 
  tame 
  crane 
  gathering, 
  

   them 
  in. 
  

  

  Question 
  28. 
  Plowing 
  in 
  fall 
  and 
  early 
  spring 
  where 
  they 
  were 
  known 
  to 
  have 
  laid 
  

   eggs 
  in 
  great 
  numbers 
  seems 
  to 
  have 
  almost 
  entirely 
  spoiled 
  the 
  hatch. 
  

  

  Question 
  29. 
  Almost 
  entire 
  prairie 
  ; 
  small 
  clumps 
  of 
  timber 
  occasionally 
  along 
  the 
  

   streams. 
  

  

  Question 
  30. 
  Our 
  nights 
  being 
  almost 
  universally 
  cool 
  the 
  'hoppers, 
  towards 
  sunset, 
  

   congregate, 
  when 
  small, 
  in 
  piles 
  or 
  windrows, 
  in 
  the 
  ruts 
  in 
  the 
  roads, 
  and 
  along 
  the 
  

   sides 
  of 
  houses 
  or 
  other 
  elevations, 
  sometimes 
  two 
  or 
  more 
  inches 
  deep. 
  Where 
  they 
  

   lack 
  these 
  accommodations, 
  I 
  observe 
  they 
  climb 
  on 
  small 
  shrubs, 
  literally 
  covering: 
  

   them. 
  I 
  think 
  they 
  neither 
  march, 
  fly, 
  nor 
  eat 
  with 
  us 
  at 
  night. 
  

  

  Question 
  31. 
  Apparently 
  about 
  the 
  same 
  rate 
  of 
  speed 
  as 
  the 
  wind. 
  

  

  D. 
  WILMOT 
  SMITH. 
  

  

  Springfield, 
  Bon 
  Homme 
  County, 
  June 
  5, 
  1877. 
  

  

  The 
  first 
  appearance 
  of 
  locusts 
  was 
  in 
  the 
  morning 
  of 
  August 
  3, 
  1872. 
  I 
  think 
  they 
  

   must 
  have 
  come 
  from 
  northeast, 
  as 
  I 
  met 
  them 
  while 
  traveling 
  in 
  that 
  direction. 
  I. 
  

   recollect 
  it 
  was 
  very 
  hot, 
  but 
  did 
  not 
  record 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  the 
  wind; 
  think 
  it 
  was- 
  

   a 
  still 
  day. 
  The 
  next 
  noon, 
  the 
  wind 
  being 
  in 
  the 
  northwest, 
  they 
  moved 
  a 
  little 
  to< 
  

   southeast 
  and 
  remained 
  until 
  about 
  noon 
  of 
  the 
  5th, 
  when 
  they 
  left 
  in 
  a 
  body, 
  wind 
  

   being 
  southeast. 
  During 
  their 
  stay 
  they 
  spoiled 
  some 
  pieces 
  of 
  corn 
  and 
  late 
  oats;, 
  

   others 
  but 
  slightly. 
  

  

  Their 
  next 
  visit 
  was 
  in 
  1874. 
  I 
  think 
  it 
  was 
  July 
  18. 
  They 
  rose 
  in 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  clouds- 
  

   in 
  the 
  south 
  and 
  southwest, 
  about 
  lp.m., 
  and 
  commenced 
  settling 
  about 
  2 
  p. 
  ra., 
  rav- 
  

   enously 
  devouring 
  every 
  green 
  thing 
  in 
  garden 
  and 
  field, 
  so 
  that 
  in 
  two 
  hours 
  hardly 
  

   a 
  vestige 
  was 
  left 
  in 
  gardens 
  ; 
  nothing 
  in 
  ours 
  except 
  young 
  peach-trees 
  ; 
  but 
  the 
  next 
  

   day, 
  between 
  9 
  a. 
  m. 
  and 
  12 
  m. 
  the 
  wind 
  blowing 
  gently 
  from 
  the 
  north, 
  they 
  left 
  for 
  the 
  

   south. 
  The 
  result 
  was, 
  very 
  few 
  men 
  harvested 
  an 
  ear 
  of 
  corn 
  or 
  dug 
  a 
  potato, 
  very 
  

   few 
  oats 
  gathered, 
  and 
  wheat 
  turned 
  out 
  less 
  than 
  5 
  bushels 
  to 
  the 
  acre. 
  About 
  two 
  

   weeks 
  later 
  vast 
  hordes 
  passed 
  over 
  from 
  the 
  north, 
  and 
  thus 
  ended 
  the 
  campaign 
  for 
  

   that 
  year. 
  

  

  June 
  17, 
  1875, 
  the 
  wind 
  being 
  south, 
  the 
  'hoppers 
  came 
  in 
  untold 
  numbers, 
  and 
  about 
  

   11 
  a. 
  m. 
  began 
  to 
  settle, 
  but 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  minutes 
  a 
  cloud 
  being 
  in 
  the 
  north, 
  the 
  wind 
  

   commenced 
  blowing 
  gently 
  from 
  the 
  north 
  ; 
  they 
  came 
  slowly 
  but 
  steadily 
  all 
  day 
  from 
  

   the 
  south, 
  settling 
  mainly 
  on 
  fields 
  of 
  corn, 
  remaining 
  until 
  noon 
  of 
  the 
  8th, 
  when> 
  

   they 
  left, 
  leaving 
  about 
  three-quarters 
  of 
  a 
  crop. 
  

  

  July 
  20, 
  1876, 
  the 
  wind 
  having 
  been 
  in 
  northeast 
  for 
  several 
  days, 
  they 
  came 
  in 
  force 
  

   from 
  that 
  direction, 
  but 
  did 
  not 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  very 
  hungry 
  ; 
  soon 
  after 
  they 
  settled, 
  

   the 
  wind 
  veered 
  to 
  the 
  south 
  and 
  remained 
  there 
  almost 
  constantly 
  for 
  a 
  month, 
  so 
  

   they 
  could 
  not 
  get 
  away, 
  they 
  trying 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  times 
  when 
  the 
  wind 
  would 
  change 
  

   to 
  north 
  for 
  a 
  few 
  minutes, 
  so 
  they 
  merely 
  changed 
  neighborhoods 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  times 
  

   till 
  August 
  18, 
  when 
  the 
  wind 
  being 
  north, 
  with 
  a 
  clear 
  sky 
  and 
  but 
  gentle 
  bieeze, 
  

   they 
  took 
  their 
  final 
  flight 
  south, 
  occupying 
  about 
  two 
  hours 
  passing 
  a 
  single 
  point. 
  

   I 
  can't 
  learn 
  that 
  there 
  have 
  ever 
  been 
  eggs 
  of 
  any 
  amount 
  laid 
  in 
  this 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  

   Territory 
  since 
  1866 
  till 
  last 
  year, 
  and 
  then 
  only 
  in 
  small 
  patches 
  in 
  some 
  locations. 
  I 
  

   have 
  heard 
  of 
  but 
  very 
  few 
  in 
  our 
  county, 
  no 
  one 
  apprehending 
  any 
  danger 
  from 
  them 
  ; 
  

   the 
  first 
  discovered 
  was 
  about 
  the 
  first 
  of 
  May, 
  small 
  patches, 
  generally 
  in 
  sandy 
  or 
  

   gravelly 
  locations, 
  facing 
  the 
  south. 
  

  

  S. 
  HITCHCOCK. 
  

  

  