﻿[58] 
  REPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  COMMISSION. 
  

  

  ads 
  of 
  them 
  traveling 
  northward 
  about 
  May 
  2; 
  Falls 
  County, 
  millions 
  passing 
  over, 
  

   flying 
  northward, 
  about 
  May 
  2 
  ; 
  Gonzales 
  County, 
  nearly 
  disappeared 
  by 
  May 
  2 
  ; 
  Hays 
  

   County, 
  disappearing 
  about 
  May 
  2 
  ; 
  Live 
  Oak 
  County, 
  nearly 
  all 
  gone 
  by 
  May 
  2 
  ; 
  

   Washington 
  County, 
  emigrating 
  northward 
  rapidly 
  on 
  May 
  8; 
  Brazos 
  County, 
  almost 
  

   entirely 
  disappeared 
  by 
  May 
  5 
  ; 
  Colorado 
  County, 
  flying 
  northward 
  about 
  May 
  5 
  ; 
  

   Lampasas 
  County, 
  millions 
  flying 
  northward 
  during 
  week 
  ending 
  May 
  10 
  ; 
  Navarro 
  

   County, 
  departing. 
  about 
  May 
  12 
  ; 
  Navarro 
  County, 
  disappearing 
  rapidly 
  on 
  May 
  16 
  ; 
  

   Limestone 
  County, 
  left 
  about 
  May 
  15 
  ; 
  going 
  northward, 
  wind 
  south. 
  

  

  3. 
  No 
  eggs 
  were 
  deposited 
  during 
  the 
  present 
  year. 
  

  

  4. 
  Hatching 
  began 
  about 
  January 
  25, 
  and 
  ended 
  about 
  March 
  10. 
  The 
  eggs 
  were 
  

   hatching 
  most 
  numerously 
  between 
  February 
  15 
  and 
  March 
  1. 
  

  

  5. 
  In 
  the 
  visitation 
  of 
  1858 
  hatching 
  occurred 
  between 
  January 
  16 
  and 
  February 
  

   27 
  ; 
  the 
  period 
  of 
  maximum 
  hatching 
  is 
  not 
  known. 
  

  

  6. 
  No 
  information 
  was 
  received 
  that 
  the 
  eggs 
  failed 
  to 
  hatch 
  during 
  the 
  present 
  

   year. 
  

  

  7. 
  Open 
  places, 
  such 
  as 
  fields 
  or 
  prairies, 
  free 
  from 
  bush 
  and 
  with 
  but 
  little 
  grass, 
  

   were 
  generally 
  selected 
  by 
  the 
  insects 
  to 
  deposit 
  their 
  eggs. 
  They 
  seem 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  

   deposited 
  in 
  all 
  sorts 
  of 
  light, 
  loose 
  soil. 
  

  

  8. 
  Hatching 
  began 
  earliest 
  in 
  warm, 
  sandy 
  soil, 
  in 
  sheltered 
  localities, 
  but 
  pro- 
  

   gressed 
  without 
  interruption 
  wherever 
  the 
  eggs 
  had 
  been 
  deposited. 
  

  

  9. 
  First 
  insect 
  acquired 
  full 
  wings 
  in 
  Gonzales 
  County 
  about 
  April 
  5 
  ; 
  in 
  De 
  Witt 
  

   County 
  about 
  April 
  8; 
  in 
  Colorado 
  County 
  about 
  April 
  12; 
  rapidly 
  in 
  Gonzales 
  

   County 
  about 
  April 
  20. 
  

  

  10. 
  The 
  winged 
  insects 
  began 
  to 
  migrate 
  from 
  Gonzales 
  County 
  about 
  April 
  20 
  ; 
  

   from 
  Washington 
  County 
  on 
  April 
  26 
  ; 
  from 
  Colorado 
  County 
  about 
  April 
  20 
  ; 
  Fayette 
  

   County 
  on 
  April 
  15 
  ; 
  Johnson 
  County 
  about 
  April 
  25 
  ; 
  De 
  Witt 
  County 
  about 
  April 
  

   25 
  ; 
  Robertson 
  County 
  about 
  April 
  25 
  ; 
  Waller 
  County 
  on 
  April 
  30 
  ; 
  Bastrop 
  County 
  

   about 
  April 
  26 
  ; 
  Hays 
  County 
  about 
  April 
  26. 
  

  

  11. 
  While 
  the 
  ravages 
  were 
  progressing 
  the 
  damages 
  were 
  reported 
  as 
  severe 
  from 
  

   nearly 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  central 
  counties 
  of 
  the 
  State, 
  but 
  their 
  effect 
  has 
  since 
  proved 
  to 
  be 
  

   less 
  permanent 
  than 
  was 
  at 
  first 
  apprehended, 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  devastated 
  grain-fields 
  

   having 
  entirely 
  recovered 
  since 
  the 
  departure 
  of 
  the 
  insects 
  ; 
  some, 
  however, 
  had 
  to 
  

   be 
  replanted 
  in 
  Lavaca 
  County. 
  The 
  damage 
  was 
  estimated 
  after 
  the 
  departure 
  of 
  the 
  

   insects 
  as 
  5 
  per 
  cent, 
  of 
  the 
  crops 
  ; 
  in 
  Colorado 
  County 
  at 
  less 
  than 
  3 
  per 
  cent. 
  ; 
  in 
  

   Bastrop 
  County 
  the 
  damage 
  was 
  finally 
  reported 
  as 
  not 
  material, 
  except 
  to 
  gardens 
  ; 
  

   in 
  Lee 
  County 
  it 
  is 
  reported 
  that 
  little 
  damage 
  was 
  done 
  ; 
  in 
  Denton 
  County 
  damage 
  

   reported 
  as 
  not 
  general 
  ; 
  in 
  Leon 
  County 
  damage 
  reported 
  as 
  not 
  enough 
  to 
  materially 
  

   affect 
  the 
  crop 
  ; 
  in 
  Navarro 
  County 
  damage 
  estimated 
  at 
  less 
  than 
  5 
  per 
  cent, 
  of 
  crops 
  ; 
  

   in 
  Kendall 
  County 
  damage 
  reported 
  as 
  not 
  material 
  ; 
  in 
  Llano 
  County 
  the 
  insects 
  

   reported 
  to 
  have 
  done 
  but 
  little 
  harm 
  ; 
  in 
  Wilson 
  County 
  have 
  interfered 
  but 
  little 
  

   with 
  corn 
  and 
  cotton 
  ; 
  in 
  Lampasas 
  County 
  injury 
  to 
  wheat 
  not 
  so 
  great 
  as 
  was 
  ex- 
  

   pected 
  ; 
  in 
  Burnett 
  County 
  reported 
  to 
  have 
  done 
  but 
  little 
  damage 
  ; 
  in 
  Williamson 
  

   County 
  reported 
  to 
  have 
  done 
  no 
  damage 
  of 
  serious 
  consequence. 
  

  

  From 
  the 
  preceding, 
  which 
  I 
  take 
  as 
  fair 
  examples 
  of 
  the 
  remaining 
  devastated 
  

   counties, 
  I 
  conclude 
  that 
  the 
  damage 
  to 
  the 
  grain 
  crops 
  in 
  the 
  64 
  counties 
  visited 
  can- 
  

   not 
  exceed 
  5 
  per 
  cent. 
  Gardens 
  everywhere 
  appear 
  to 
  have 
  suffered 
  to 
  a 
  much 
  greater 
  

   extent 
  than 
  the 
  grain 
  crops. 
  They 
  are 
  reported 
  as 
  having 
  been 
  entirely 
  destroyed 
  in 
  

   a 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  cases, 
  and 
  were 
  badly 
  damaged 
  wherever 
  visited. 
  Assuming 
  that 
  

   a 
  large 
  percentage 
  recovered 
  from 
  the 
  ravages 
  of 
  the 
  insect, 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  the 
  grain, 
  

   I 
  will 
  estimate 
  25 
  per 
  cent, 
  as 
  totally 
  lost. 
  Taking 
  the 
  population 
  of 
  the 
  64 
  devastated 
  

   counties 
  for 
  the 
  year 
  1870 
  as 
  a 
  basis, 
  and 
  dividing 
  it 
  by 
  5, 
  to 
  get 
  the 
  approximate 
  

   number 
  of 
  families, 
  and 
  we 
  have 
  for 
  the 
  latter 
  84,304. 
  Assuming 
  that 
  one-half 
  of 
  

   these 
  families 
  possess 
  gardens 
  worth 
  $75 
  each, 
  and 
  that 
  an 
  average 
  of 
  25 
  per 
  cent, 
  of 
  

   all 
  were 
  destroyed, 
  and 
  we 
  have 
  $790,350 
  as 
  the 
  approximate 
  damage 
  to 
  gardens. 
  

  

  12. 
  Wheat, 
  oats, 
  corn, 
  and 
  cotton 
  were 
  the 
  crops 
  most 
  affected, 
  the 
  first-named 
  

   sustaining 
  the 
  greatest 
  and 
  the 
  last-named 
  the 
  least 
  injury. 
  

  

  13. 
  Fruit 
  crops 
  were 
  more 
  easily 
  protected 
  from 
  the 
  unfledged 
  insects 
  than 
  cereals, 
  

   and 
  suffered 
  less. 
  Of 
  the 
  latter 
  no 
  comparisons 
  can 
  be 
  given. 
  

  

  14. 
  Crops 
  which 
  suffered 
  least 
  were 
  fruit, 
  corn, 
  and 
  cotton. 
  

  

  15. 
  In 
  almost 
  every 
  instance 
  the 
  young 
  insects 
  commenced 
  hopping 
  northward 
  as 
  

   soon 
  as 
  hatched. 
  Their 
  progress 
  was 
  necessarily 
  very 
  slow 
  until 
  after 
  they 
  had 
  ac- 
  

   quired 
  wings, 
  when 
  they 
  rose 
  in 
  immense 
  swarms 
  high 
  into 
  the 
  air, 
  and 
  taking 
  advan- 
  

   tage 
  of 
  a 
  warm 
  south 
  wind 
  rapidly 
  disappeared, 
  always 
  pursuing 
  a 
  northerly 
  course. 
  

   When 
  meeting 
  contrary 
  currents 
  of 
  air 
  from 
  the 
  north 
  they 
  were 
  obliged 
  to 
  alight 
  and 
  

   wait 
  for 
  favorable 
  winds. 
  

  

  16. 
  Mr. 
  Sears, 
  residing 
  on 
  the 
  Bosque 
  River, 
  McLennan 
  County, 
  poisoned 
  myriads 
  of 
  

   the 
  insects 
  with 
  corn- 
  meal 
  and 
  strychniue. 
  Many 
  citizens 
  of 
  Brazos 
  County 
  saved 
  

   their 
  peach 
  crops 
  by 
  applying 
  tar 
  to 
  the 
  body 
  of 
  the 
  trees, 
  thus 
  preventing 
  the 
  insects 
  

   from 
  ascending. 
  Liberal 
  use 
  was 
  also 
  made 
  of 
  lire, 
  boards, 
  carbolic 
  soap, 
  tar, 
  kero- 
  

   sene, 
  and 
  turpentine, 
  it 
  is 
  said 
  with 
  good 
  success. 
  

  

  