﻿THE 
  ROCKY 
  MOUNTAIN 
  LOCUST 
  IN 
  MONTANA 
  IN 
  1880. 
  13 
  

  

  in 
  a 
  southwestern 
  direction, 
  depositing 
  eggs 
  at 
  various 
  localities 
  on 
  

   tlieir 
  course. 
  

  

  In 
  glancing 
  over 
  the 
  Butte 
  Weekly 
  Miner 
  of 
  August 
  3, 
  1880, 
  1 
  find 
  the 
  

   following 
  local 
  : 
  

  

  At 
  Walla 
  Walla, 
  Wash., 
  whole 
  fields 
  of 
  standing 
  grain 
  are 
  being 
  sold 
  for 
  from 
  $5 
  to 
  

   $8 
  per 
  acre. 
  Some 
  of 
  it 
  has 
  recently 
  heen 
  attacked 
  1)1/ 
  grasshoppers, 
  and 
  some 
  fell 
  a 
  prey 
  

   to 
  the 
  scorching 
  heat, 
  but 
  such 
  grain, 
  if 
  cut 
  in 
  time, 
  will 
  make 
  excellent 
  hay. 
  

  

  From 
  this 
  I 
  would 
  infer 
  that 
  there 
  are 
  some 
  locusts 
  in 
  Eastern 
  Wash- 
  

   ington 
  Territory 
  and 
  Oregon. 
  

  

  August 
  7.— 
  Have 
  learned 
  no 
  new 
  facts 
  to-day 
  in 
  reference 
  to 
  the 
  

   Eocky 
  Mountain 
  locust, 
  but 
  have 
  been 
  studying 
  the 
  map 
  in 
  connection 
  

   with 
  my 
  notes, 
  and 
  find 
  that 
  there 
  are 
  three 
  principal 
  directions 
  by 
  

   which 
  swarms 
  come 
  into 
  the 
  Gallatin 
  Yalley, 
  viz., 
  southwest, 
  east, 
  and 
  

   northwest. 
  Those 
  coming 
  in 
  from 
  the 
  east 
  and 
  southwest 
  I 
  have 
  

   traced 
  heretofore, 
  but 
  those 
  coming 
  from 
  the 
  north 
  I 
  have 
  not; 
  hence, 
  

   will 
  do 
  so 
  now. 
  All 
  that 
  country 
  lying 
  to 
  the 
  north 
  and 
  west 
  of 
  Fort 
  

   Benton 
  to 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  main 
  Rockies 
  is 
  a 
  suitable 
  breeding- 
  ground 
  

   for 
  locusts, 
  and 
  at 
  times 
  is 
  partially 
  overrun 
  by^ 
  swarms. 
  It 
  is 
  during 
  

   these 
  years 
  that, 
  providing 
  the 
  wind 
  is 
  favorable, 
  the 
  Gallatin 
  Yalley 
  is 
  

   almost 
  sure 
  to 
  be 
  visited 
  j 
  but 
  this 
  vast 
  tract 
  of 
  country, 
  like 
  all 
  others 
  

   in 
  this 
  the 
  " 
  permanent" 
  region, 
  is 
  only 
  occasionally 
  occupied 
  by 
  them. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  Gallatin 
  Yalley 
  the 
  young 
  begin 
  to 
  hatch 
  about 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  

   May 
  — 
  soon 
  after 
  the 
  snow 
  is 
  off' 
  the 
  ground 
  — 
  and 
  continue 
  to 
  appear 
  

   until 
  the 
  1st 
  of 
  June, 
  according 
  to 
  locality 
  and 
  melting 
  of 
  incumbering 
  

   snows. 
  After 
  hatching, 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  noticed 
  that 
  the 
  majority 
  of 
  the 
  lit- 
  

   tle 
  ^-fellows" 
  move 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  direction 
  taken 
  by 
  the 
  parent 
  swarm 
  (?) 
  — 
  

   perhaps 
  from 
  inborn 
  memory 
  or 
  instinct. 
  With 
  a 
  knowledge 
  of 
  this 
  

   fact, 
  the 
  farmers 
  construct 
  ditches, 
  where 
  they 
  do 
  not 
  already 
  exist, 
  in 
  

   their 
  course, 
  and 
  turn 
  water 
  into 
  them. 
  When 
  the 
  little 
  locusts 
  come 
  

   to 
  these 
  they 
  jump 
  into 
  them, 
  and 
  are 
  washed 
  along 
  by 
  the 
  current 
  to 
  

   places 
  where 
  obstructions 
  are 
  so 
  placed 
  as 
  to 
  form 
  an 
  eddy. 
  Above 
  

   these 
  eddies 
  are 
  fastened 
  vessels 
  filled 
  with 
  coal-oil, 
  and 
  so 
  arranged 
  

   that 
  a 
  continual 
  dropping 
  is 
  obtained. 
  This 
  oil 
  on 
  the 
  surface 
  kills 
  the 
  

   young. 
  Another 
  method 
  adopted 
  is 
  simply 
  the 
  fastening 
  of 
  bags, 
  into 
  

   which 
  the 
  'hoppers 
  are 
  washed 
  and 
  drowned 
  by 
  the 
  current. 
  These 
  two 
  

   methods 
  have 
  been 
  so 
  successfully 
  used 
  as 
  to 
  save 
  the 
  greater 
  portion 
  of 
  

   the 
  crops 
  in 
  some 
  localities 
  where 
  employed. 
  In 
  fact, 
  I 
  am 
  informed 
  

   that 
  the 
  farmers 
  do 
  not 
  dread 
  the 
  young 
  any 
  more 
  than 
  we 
  do 
  in 
  the 
  

   more 
  thickly 
  settled 
  portions 
  of 
  the 
  States. 
  Other 
  means 
  have 
  been 
  

   tried, 
  but 
  with 
  indifferent 
  results; 
  and 
  since 
  there 
  is 
  seldom 
  any 
  necessity 
  

   of 
  constructing 
  other 
  ditches 
  than 
  those 
  already 
  made 
  for 
  irrigating 
  pur- 
  

   poses, 
  the 
  labor 
  and 
  cost 
  is 
  trifling. 
  It 
  is 
  claimed 
  that 
  one 
  gallon 
  of 
  

   coal-oil, 
  at 
  the 
  cost 
  of 
  75 
  cents 
  per 
  gallon, 
  will 
  kill 
  several 
  bushels 
  of 
  

   locusts. 
  Birds, 
  too, 
  are 
  becoming 
  more 
  numerous 
  than 
  formerly, 
  and 
  

   hence 
  the 
  destruction 
  of 
  locusts 
  (young 
  and 
  old) 
  by 
  this 
  means 
  is 
  in- 
  

   creasing. 
  

  

  