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axle, were fastened, running hack nearly to a V some eight or ten 

 feet behind the middle of the axle, and extending forward and 

 opening out in front of it. The front ends of this V was steadied 

 by a cross-piece. This was the frame-work. The net was made 

 of about 40 yards of cotton cloth, cone-shaped, in front about 18 

 feet wide, from one side to another along the axle, and six or eight 

 feet high from the ground to the top of the net. This net nar- 

 rowed hark about seven feet until it was some five or six feet in 

 diameter, and terminated in a stout canvas hag three or four feet 

 long, closed with a string at the rear end. The heavy loads of lo- 

 custs caught (sometimes 500 pounds) made it necessary to have a 

 support for the net and hag, and for this purpose a triangular floor 

 work of boards was made, the front end supported from the axle, 

 and the hind end from the hind end of the V poles, and running 

 as near the ground as possible. The lower edge of the net in front 

 was kept close to the ground by a piece of light scantling fastened 

 to the edge of the cloth, and rising and falling over uneven sur- 

 faces. The horses were hitched to the ends of the axles, outside of 

 the wheels, their breasts extending forward nearly to the front ends 

 of the V poles, where they were fastened by the head. The net 

 sloped backward at the top in front, and when the machine was in 

 motion a man stationed on the axle with a broom gave the locusts 

 as they entered the net a start toward the rear end. Just where 

 the cone terminated in the oblong bag, a large piece of canvas had 

 been cut out and wire gauze inserted, and the locusts moved to- 

 wards this on getting into the net, attracted by the light. The 

 only outlay in constructing this machine was for the 40 yards of 

 cotton cloth. This net captured from eight to twelve bushels of 

 pupae per day when first used, and the amount diminished daily 

 till the 24th of June, when about two bushels were taken. 



Mr. Andrew Webster, of Norseland, Nicollet county, had, in 

 1875, about 230 acres of wheai sown. The locusts began to hatch 

 about May 17th, and he commenced at once to destroy them by 

 burning with straw. As it was impossible to protect the whole of 

 his crop with the help at hand, he selected a field of fifty acres to 

 defend, and burned all the locusts that hatched near it. This 

 continued until June 11th, when the straw was exhausted, and the 

 locusts had begun to come in from the adjoining fields. Two 

 catching-nets were then rigged up, (of the usual form,) attached to 

 axles fourteen and sixteen feet long, each drawn by one horse 

 moving at a fast trot. The amounts caught were : From June 

 11th to 17th, (part of the time with one net,) 121 bushels ; with 

 both nets, June 17th, 37 bushels ; June 19th, 20 bushels ; June 



