43 
drifting toward the south. f lave been unable to find traces of a new 
invasion from the north. The situation then at the present time is tliat 
the stock that did the damage last year has moved about 200 miles 
farther south, so that most of the State is covered. However, it has 
become weakened and spread so that, except in localities, the locusts 
will not, in my opinion, be heard of next season. They will cause 
damage less than was done last season in the eastern part of the Nio- 
brara Valley and the South Platte Valley. 
The native species have been numerous enough to do considerable 
damage in all of the western half of the State. The limit of damage 
coincides, practically, with the limit of the drought-stricken regions of 
the preceding years. The regions in which the damage has been most 
appa'ent have been the Niobrara Valley eastward as far as Neleigh, 
the North and South Platte, and the Republican as far eastward as 
Indianola, with many branches between these latter, and north of the 
North Platte. These regions have not, however, been uniformly 
affected. One county may be severely affected and the next one not at 
all. In short, this whole region is covered with areas of infestation 
separated by areas almost entirely exempt and these areas are not 
bounded by any natural obstacles. 
A trip west and southwest from Alliance to Sidney by way of Gehr- 
ing showed parts of the country affected so severely that grain and 
even the woody parts of plants were entirely destroyed, and the locusts 
were so numerous as to cover imiles of fence posts, although this con- 
dition did not prevail everywhere. This damage was most severe near 
Gehring, although there was a large region south of that point that 
was apparently not affected. The region near Ogallala was almost 
devastated. 
The same conditions were found in the Niobrara and Republican 
valleys. The almost universal dying out of the prairie grass, the 
favorite food of most of the species, has driven the locusts into eculti- 
vated land. In the vicinity of Benkleman I found a field of wheat 
that was so nearly destroyed that the owner had given up hope of 
harvesting it at all, but a walk of several hours across the adjacent 
prairies discovered only a few dozen insects until another field was 
reached. 
It is truly astonishing to observe, when the conditions are such as 
these, that the farmers are so slow in being aroused to activity against 
these pests. Nature, it seems, has brought all their six-footed enemies 
together in small areas, and all there await destruction. All the locusts 
within a square mile may be collected on a few acres, as in the case 
mentioned, where a few hours’ labor would destroy them all; then the 
idea that it is best to destroy them to prevent an outbreak next year 
is So remote that it is not usually acted upon. It is possible, | believe, 
to destroy this pest in Nebraska by the use of *dozers at the proper 
seasons. 
The areas noted above are about 180 square miles in extent, situated 
