﻿44 
  REPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  COMMISSION. 
  

  

  mold. 
  I 
  recall 
  very 
  well 
  tlie 
  spring 
  of 
  1873, 
  when 
  great 
  numbers 
  of 
  the 
  

   eggs 
  deposited 
  the 
  previous 
  fall 
  failed 
  to 
  batch, 
  and 
  upon 
  examination 
  

   were 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  moldy. 
  This 
  is 
  caused 
  by 
  the 
  warm 
  wet 
  weather 
  in 
  

   fall. 
  The 
  lining 
  and 
  covering 
  to 
  the 
  egg-pod 
  partially 
  decompose 
  under 
  

   these 
  conditions, 
  and 
  then 
  this 
  decomi^osition 
  is 
  imparted 
  to 
  the 
  eggs, 
  

   which 
  undergo 
  a 
  sort 
  of 
  fermentation 
  — 
  thus 
  titting 
  them 
  for 
  the 
  growth 
  

   of 
  various 
  molds. 
  This 
  condition 
  of 
  affairs 
  was 
  quite 
  extensive 
  in 
  this 
  

   and 
  adjoining 
  counties* 
  where 
  I 
  had 
  the 
  opportunity 
  of 
  examining 
  them, 
  

   but 
  how 
  general 
  in 
  the 
  State 
  I 
  am 
  unable 
  to 
  state, 
  as 
  I 
  made 
  no 
  efforts 
  

   at 
  the 
  time 
  to 
  ascertain. 
  Sandy 
  soil, 
  however, 
  appeared 
  to 
  be 
  com- 
  

   paratively 
  free 
  from 
  these 
  conditions, 
  I 
  suppose 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  its 
  porous- 
  

   ness 
  and 
  property 
  of 
  absorbing 
  moisture, 
  or 
  of 
  permitting 
  it 
  to 
  soak 
  in. 
  

   In 
  those 
  localities 
  where 
  the 
  eggs 
  were 
  attacked 
  by 
  mold 
  the 
  species 
  of 
  

   Anthomyia 
  flies 
  were 
  also 
  quite 
  numerous. 
  Hence, 
  it 
  appears 
  that 
  on 
  

   sandy 
  soil 
  the 
  eggs 
  are 
  freest 
  from 
  all 
  destructive 
  agencies; 
  true, 
  such 
  

   locaTities 
  are 
  more 
  like 
  the 
  permanent 
  breeding 
  grounds. 
  

  

  Naturally 
  with 
  the 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  farms 
  and 
  advance 
  of 
  

   the 
  settlements 
  ui)on 
  the 
  frontier 
  the 
  devastation 
  by 
  locusts 
  will 
  be 
  felt 
  

   less. 
  They 
  will 
  divide 
  their 
  ravages 
  among 
  more 
  farmers, 
  and 
  hence 
  

   none 
  will 
  feel 
  the 
  losses 
  nearly 
  as 
  much 
  as 
  did 
  those 
  who 
  were 
  isolated 
  

   from 
  their 
  neighbors 
  during 
  past 
  invasions. 
  Thinly-settled 
  districts 
  

   suffered 
  much 
  more 
  than 
  those 
  which 
  were 
  more 
  thickly 
  settled; 
  and 
  

   those 
  lying 
  out 
  upon 
  the 
  prairie 
  than 
  those 
  adjoining 
  and 
  interspersed 
  

   with 
  groves. 
  During 
  these 
  invasions 
  there 
  was 
  no 
  year 
  but 
  in 
  which 
  

   a 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  crox)S 
  was 
  saved 
  and 
  harvested 
  by 
  the 
  farmers 
  of 
  the 
  

   extreme 
  eastern 
  portion 
  of 
  Nebraska 
  and 
  other 
  sections 
  of 
  country 
  that 
  

   were 
  comparatively 
  thickly 
  settled, 
  and 
  that 
  wxre 
  situated 
  near 
  some 
  

   natural 
  timber-belt 
  and 
  interspersed 
  with 
  i^lanted 
  groves; 
  while, 
  on 
  

   the 
  contrar}^ 
  those 
  that 
  were 
  far 
  away 
  from 
  these 
  natural 
  and 
  artificial 
  

   groves, 
  and 
  thinly 
  settled, 
  were 
  entirely 
  devastated 
  by 
  the 
  hordes 
  of 
  

   ravenous 
  insects.. 
  Hence 
  we 
  are 
  compelled 
  to 
  acknowledge 
  that 
  the 
  

   settling 
  of 
  a 
  country 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  settlers 
  are 
  tree 
  planters 
  has 
  a 
  ten- 
  

   dency 
  to 
  diminish 
  the 
  ratio 
  of 
  locust 
  injury. 
  

  

  Tree-planting 
  is 
  not 
  only 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  great 
  importance 
  to 
  the 
  inhab- 
  

   itants 
  of 
  a 
  country 
  like 
  ours 
  in 
  supplying 
  a 
  much-needed 
  material 
  for 
  

   fuel 
  during 
  our 
  severe 
  winters, 
  when 
  at 
  times 
  it 
  is 
  impossible 
  to 
  obtain 
  

   coal 
  — 
  either 
  from 
  the 
  failure 
  of 
  a 
  sufficient 
  supply 
  at 
  the 
  mines, 
  or 
  

   from 
  the 
  impracticability 
  of 
  reaching 
  towns 
  where 
  it 
  can 
  be 
  obtained 
  — 
  

   but 
  it 
  is 
  also 
  of 
  untold 
  benefit 
  as 
  a 
  moderator 
  of 
  climatic 
  extremes. 
  

   By 
  planting 
  trees 
  throughout 
  the 
  Temporary 
  Eegion 
  wherever 
  they 
  

   will 
  grow, 
  in 
  time 
  the 
  area 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  locust 
  is 
  capable 
  of 
  con- 
  

   tinuing 
  its 
  existence 
  but 
  two 
  or, 
  at 
  most, 
  three 
  generations, 
  without 
  

   having 
  recourse 
  to 
  the 
  arid 
  regions 
  hitherto 
  referred 
  to 
  as 
  the 
  permanent 
  

   breeding-grounds, 
  will 
  be 
  increased. 
  Aside 
  from 
  the 
  greater 
  amount 
  

   of 
  humidity 
  that 
  would 
  naturally 
  follow 
  tree-planting, 
  the 
  spread 
  of 
  

  

  '•Cuming 
  County 
  and 
  others 
  in 
  Nebraska. 
  

  

  