﻿APFE]¥D1X 
  VI, 
  

  

  MR. 
  JOHi^ 
  MARTEN'S 
  REPORT 
  0:N" 
  THE 
  ROCKY 
  MOUNTAm 
  

  

  LOCUST 
  m 
  1880. 
  

  

  Dr. 
  Cyrus 
  Thomas, 
  

  

  Of 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  Entomological 
  Commission 
  : 
  

  

  Sir 
  : 
  I 
  have 
  the 
  honor 
  to 
  report 
  that 
  in 
  obedience 
  to 
  your 
  instructions 
  

   I 
  have 
  visited 
  i)ersonally 
  i)ortions 
  of 
  southern 
  Minnesota, 
  central 
  and 
  

   northern 
  Dakota, 
  and 
  eastern 
  Montana 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  gathering 
  

   information 
  in 
  reference 
  to 
  the 
  locusts. 
  

  

  My 
  investigations 
  under 
  your 
  letter 
  of 
  instructions 
  were 
  confined 
  to 
  

   July 
  and 
  August, 
  1880. 
  

  

  Leaving 
  Carbondale, 
  111., 
  July 
  5, 
  1 
  passed 
  up 
  the 
  Illinois 
  Central 
  Rail- 
  

   road 
  to 
  Chicago, 
  and 
  from 
  there 
  to 
  Saint 
  Paul, 
  Minn., 
  over 
  the 
  Chicago 
  

   and 
  Northwestern 
  Railway, 
  where 
  I 
  stopped 
  one 
  day. 
  From 
  Saint 
  Paul 
  

   I 
  went 
  to 
  Willmar, 
  Minn., 
  on 
  the 
  Saint 
  Paul, 
  Minneapolis 
  and 
  Manitoba 
  

   Railway, 
  where 
  I 
  arrived 
  during 
  the 
  afternoon 
  of 
  the 
  9th 
  instant. 
  

  

  I 
  could 
  not 
  discover 
  by 
  iuqutry 
  that 
  any 
  damage 
  had 
  been 
  done 
  by 
  

   locusts 
  along 
  the 
  line 
  of 
  the 
  railroad, 
  but 
  I 
  saw 
  a 
  few 
  of 
  them 
  at 
  stations 
  

   where 
  the 
  train 
  stopped. 
  

  

  At 
  Willmar 
  I 
  learned 
  that 
  in 
  August 
  and 
  September, 
  1876, 
  swarms 
  

   of 
  locusts 
  came 
  from 
  the 
  west 
  and 
  northwest 
  and 
  deposited 
  eggs 
  in 
  

   large 
  quantities, 
  preferably 
  in 
  sunny 
  spots 
  nearly 
  or 
  quite 
  clear 
  of 
  vege- 
  

   tation, 
  though 
  large 
  numbers 
  were 
  placed 
  in 
  the 
  open 
  prairie 
  among 
  

   the 
  grass. 
  These 
  eggs 
  hatched 
  during 
  the 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  May 
  and 
  in 
  

   June, 
  1877, 
  the 
  young 
  locusts 
  stripping 
  the 
  fields 
  of 
  almost 
  every 
  

   green 
  thing 
  in 
  some 
  places, 
  causing 
  many 
  farmers 
  to 
  take 
  advantage 
  of 
  

   the 
  oft'er 
  of 
  seed 
  made 
  by 
  the 
  Governor 
  of 
  the 
  State. 
  In 
  June 
  and 
  July 
  

   the 
  locusts 
  departed 
  in 
  swarms, 
  going 
  towards 
  the 
  south 
  and 
  southeast. 
  

   The 
  crops 
  most 
  damaged 
  by 
  the 
  young 
  locusts 
  were 
  the 
  wheat, 
  oats, 
  

   and 
  other 
  small 
  gTains; 
  gardens 
  were 
  also 
  damaged 
  very 
  extensively. 
  

  

  I 
  could 
  learn 
  of 
  no 
  damage 
  done 
  by 
  locusts 
  in 
  this 
  vicinity 
  during 
  

   either 
  the 
  past 
  or 
  present 
  years, 
  and 
  many 
  averred 
  that 
  there 
  were 
  none 
  

   of 
  the 
  pests 
  in 
  the 
  country, 
  though 
  I 
  captured 
  several 
  specimens 
  in 
  fields 
  

   near 
  the 
  town. 
  

  

  In 
  examining 
  a 
  field 
  of 
  rye, 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  stalks, 
  perhaps 
  one-tenth 
  of 
  

   those 
  on 
  the 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  field 
  where 
  I 
  was, 
  were 
  i)erforated 
  by 
  some 
  in- 
  

   sect 
  from 
  two 
  to 
  four 
  inches 
  above 
  the 
  second^oint 
  from 
  the 
  head. 
  The 
  

   ])erforations 
  had 
  much 
  the 
  appearance 
  of 
  those 
  made 
  by 
  the 
  subgenus 
  

   CJdorops 
  of 
  the 
  two-winged 
  flies. 
  Above 
  the 
  perforations 
  the 
  stalks 
  were 
  

   dry 
  and 
  the 
  heads 
  only 
  chaff. 
  

  

  My 
  next 
  stopping-place 
  was 
  Glyudon, 
  Minn., 
  whefe 
  I 
  remained 
  only 
  

   long 
  enough 
  to 
  take 
  the 
  first 
  train 
  westward. 
  Along 
  the 
  railroad 
  from 
  

   Willmar 
  I 
  captured 
  several 
  specimens 
  of 
  0. 
  spretns^ 
  but 
  could 
  not 
  learn 
  

   of 
  any 
  ravages 
  committed 
  by 
  them 
  at 
  any 
  time 
  during 
  the 
  past 
  year. 
  

  

  From 
  Glyndon 
  I 
  went 
  to 
  Jamestown, 
  Dak., 
  arriving 
  there 
  Saturday, 
  

   July 
  10, 
  having 
  learned 
  nothing 
  along 
  the 
  route 
  of 
  damages 
  committed 
  

   during 
  the 
  two 
  years 
  just 
  past. 
  

  

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