﻿20 
  KEPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  COMMISSION. 
  

  

  combinations 
  in 
  large 
  quantities, 
  but 
  I 
  do 
  not 
  know 
  exactly 
  to 
  what 
  

   geological 
  period 
  these 
  formations 
  belong. 
  The 
  rocks 
  have 
  the 
  ax)pear- 
  

   ance 
  of 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  Fort 
  Pierre 
  and 
  Dakota 
  groups, 
  and 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  

   formations 
  contain 
  large 
  quantities 
  of 
  gypsum 
  and 
  pyrites 
  of 
  iron, 
  as 
  

   well 
  as 
  large 
  numbers 
  of 
  geodes 
  and 
  globular 
  concretions 
  varying 
  in 
  size 
  

   from 
  the 
  fourth 
  of 
  an 
  inch 
  to 
  over 
  a 
  foot 
  in 
  diameter. 
  

  

  All 
  the 
  farming 
  land 
  in 
  the 
  section 
  west 
  of 
  the 
  Missouri 
  could 
  be 
  con- 
  

   tained 
  in 
  a 
  State 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  Delaware. 
  It 
  is 
  mostly 
  confined 
  to 
  the 
  val- 
  

   leys 
  of 
  the 
  Yellowstone, 
  Big 
  Horn, 
  Tongue, 
  Judith, 
  Gallatin, 
  Madison, 
  

   Jefferson, 
  Sun, 
  Smith, 
  Prickley 
  Pear, 
  Missouri 
  between 
  the 
  junction 
  of 
  

   the 
  three 
  forks 
  (Madison, 
  Jefferson, 
  and 
  Gallatin) 
  and 
  Fort 
  Benton, 
  and 
  

   several 
  other 
  smaller 
  streams. 
  Along 
  these 
  streams 
  there 
  are 
  many 
  lo- 
  

   calities 
  where 
  the 
  mountains 
  encroach 
  so 
  closely 
  as 
  to 
  leave 
  no 
  bottoms^ 
  

   and 
  hence 
  the 
  amount 
  of 
  arable 
  land 
  is 
  reduced. 
  The 
  next 
  rise 
  of 
  land 
  

   is 
  just 
  fair 
  for 
  grazing, 
  but 
  as 
  a 
  rule 
  the 
  grasses 
  on 
  these 
  j)laces 
  are 
  

   much 
  like 
  those 
  on 
  the 
  table-lands 
  and 
  more 
  elevated 
  regions 
  — 
  short 
  and 
  

   in 
  clumps. 
  

  

  The 
  mountain 
  chains 
  are 
  numerous, 
  and 
  occupy 
  about 
  one-tenth 
  of 
  

   the 
  entire 
  area 
  of 
  the 
  Territory, 
  I 
  should 
  judge. 
  Among 
  these 
  there 
  is 
  

   much 
  good 
  grazing, 
  and 
  now 
  and 
  then 
  a 
  small 
  patch 
  of 
  tillable 
  land. 
  

   The 
  grazing, 
  however, 
  among 
  these 
  ranges 
  is 
  only 
  good 
  during 
  the 
  

   warmer 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  year, 
  when 
  the 
  snows 
  are 
  off. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  over 
  the 
  greater 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  entire 
  country 
  that 
  the 
  locusts 
  

   deposit 
  their 
  eggs, 
  only 
  avoiding 
  the 
  higher 
  jjoints 
  and 
  timbered 
  por- 
  

   tions 
  of 
  the 
  mountain 
  ranges 
  and 
  the 
  very 
  lowest 
  of 
  the 
  valley 
  lands 
  

   where 
  it 
  is 
  too 
  wet. 
  This 
  entire 
  area 
  is 
  admirably 
  suited 
  for 
  them, 
  since, 
  

   during 
  the 
  summer 
  and 
  fall 
  months, 
  the 
  country 
  is 
  dry 
  and 
  the 
  soil 
  hard, 
  

   offering 
  just 
  such 
  conditions 
  as 
  are 
  generally 
  chosen 
  by 
  them 
  under 
  which 
  

   to 
  deposit 
  their 
  eggs. 
  

  

  Over 
  this 
  vast 
  area 
  I 
  am 
  sorry 
  to 
  say 
  that 
  burning 
  w^ould 
  be 
  impossi- 
  

   ble 
  except 
  over 
  a 
  very 
  few 
  small 
  districts 
  in 
  the 
  extreme 
  eastern 
  i^ortion 
  

   where 
  the 
  locusts 
  do 
  not 
  often 
  breed. 
  From 
  the 
  time 
  the 
  snows 
  begin 
  to 
  

   melt 
  until 
  the 
  grass 
  is 
  almost 
  fully 
  grown, 
  this 
  vast 
  district 
  is 
  almost 
  daily 
  

   visited 
  by 
  rain 
  and 
  snow 
  storms, 
  and 
  the 
  country 
  where 
  level 
  is 
  one 
  

   vast 
  mud-hole. 
  The 
  young 
  grass, 
  too, 
  seems 
  to 
  begin 
  to 
  grow 
  even 
  be- 
  

   fore 
  the 
  snow 
  melts. 
  At 
  any 
  rate 
  by 
  the 
  time 
  the 
  young 
  locusts 
  appear 
  

   the 
  country 
  is 
  quite 
  green 
  and 
  fires 
  would 
  not^run. 
  This 
  was 
  attested 
  

   by 
  all 
  with 
  whom 
  I 
  spoke 
  in 
  reference 
  to 
  destroying 
  the 
  young 
  by 
  prairie 
  

   fires 
  in 
  si)ring. 
  So 
  it 
  appears 
  that 
  other 
  means 
  would 
  have 
  to 
  be 
  adopted 
  

   to 
  destroy 
  the 
  young 
  in 
  Montana. 
  

  

  Winds 
  have 
  much 
  to 
  do 
  with 
  the 
  direction 
  taken 
  by 
  swarms, 
  but 
  not 
  

   with 
  their 
  migrating. 
  Eains 
  cause 
  them 
  to 
  alight. 
  Mountain 
  ranges, 
  

   river 
  courses, 
  and 
  valleys 
  also 
  seem 
  to 
  slightly 
  change 
  their 
  courses, 
  

   and 
  form 
  thoroughfares 
  along 
  which 
  sw^arm 
  after 
  swarm 
  passes 
  year 
  

   after 
  year. 
  

  

  