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session of the Invading species. All the important species of parasites occur in fairly 
large numbers throughout the infested region. One species, the common Black Blis- 
ter-beetle, [sal this time so numerous as to seriously damage the potato crop; it i-. 
even mi i el i more numerous and injurious than the Colorado Potato-beetle. 
Considering the locust invasion in all its bearings, th<- true state of affairs may be 
summed up in a few sentences. There are not enough locust-, to seriously injure the 
crop of 1891, though some farmers will lose considerable. Many parasites are a1 
hand to assist us in 1892. The great bulk of the invading species arc still remarkably 
healthy, and will lay enough eggs to produce immense swarms in 1892 if not pre- 
vented by artificial or natural means. They are still local, and can be exterminated 
by energetic and prompt means. 
Your Excellency, knowing the great danger of another locust trouble, perhaps 
similar to that experienced from 1872 to 1876, has taken the only possible way to 
prevent it by instructing the county commissioners of the infested regions to take 
the proper steps for fighting these insects. Some of the commissioners thus called 
upon have responded cheerfully and have acted at once, but others do not seem to 
consider the locusts as dangerous enough to cause serious losses. Such a view is 
very short-sighted. EA r en if these injurious insects do not seriously endanger the 
crop of 1891, they will assuredly do so in 1892 if not stamped out in time. "An 
ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure " is an old saying, but a very true one, 
and ought to be made the leading impulse in our work against these intruders. In 
Polk County a large number of hopper-dozers have been in operation under the in- 
telligent and energetic leadership of the chairman of the county commissioners, and 
have done good execution. As all the locusts, or nearly all, were already winged 
when the machines were put in operation, very little could be done with them dur- 
ing the warmer parts of the day, but late in the evening, during the night, and early 
in the morning, when the insects are sluggish and crawl up to the highest parts of 
the plants, immense numbers w r ere killed, and many fields could thus be saved. At 
the present time the grain is too far advanced to use such machines, except in ex- 
treme cases. The only remedy, and the only one that will effectually do the work, 
is plowing all the fields known to contain the eggs of locusts. If a good crop is se- 
cured next month a large portion of the cultivated land will be plowed, thus killing 
off immense numbers of locusts in 1892. But all the other cultivated laud should 
also be plowed after the eggs have been laid. The locusts have commenced to mate 
and will soon deposit their eggs, and continue this work until sometime in Septem- 
ber. This time of egg-laying depends, of course, upon climatic conditions, and may 
be greatly shortened or lengthened. At all events, however, no land should be 
plowed before all the eggs have been deposited. If already plowed, or plowed he- 
fore the eggs have been laid, a second plowing later in autumn or as early as possible 
in spring will be absolutely necessary. The locusts prefer ground free from roots 
and well drained. Such ground we furnish them now by summer fallow and later 
by early plowing. All fields treated in this manner are very suspicious and ought 
to be plowed again. 
I have recommended that instead of summer fallowing, to plow now only to a depth 
of 2 inches and later to the usual depth. Concerted action is absolutely necessary, 
and the ignorant or slovenly farmer should not be permitted to endanger the future 
crops of his neighbors and perhaps that of a large part of the State. The county 
commissioners can help greatly in this good work, and should, if necessary, force all 
farmers to do their duty to themselves and to their fellow-farmers. In this connec- 
tion permit me again to call your attention to the fact that the State of Minnesota 
needs some laws to protect the good farmers against injurious insects raised bj the 
poor ones. Locusts ought to be classified with certain contagious diseases, like the 
smallpox, for instance, and similar laws ought to be framed to suppress these U - 
as SUCh discuses. 
Generally speaking, the climatic conditions prevailing this summer have been 
