18 REPORT UNITED STATES ENTOMOLOGICAL COMMISSION. 
hordes of young grasshoppers which ravaged the wheat fields afterwards 
gave clear evidence of the failure of success by this plan. 
This method, if we may judge from the slight notice of it by Kdppen 
both in his " Eemchrecken in Sudrussland" and his paper on the 
"Destruction den Sauterelles," to the Exposition Internationale at Brus- 
sels in 187G, is considered of but little value in Southern Russia. 
In a file of papers in the form of bulletins, published by the revenue 
department of the Government of Madras in 1878, in reference to the 
locusts that troubled that part of India that year, we find the following 
statement in reference to an attempt to destroy young locust.s by burn- 
ing them with straw: 
Hero the ground was literally covered with them. I collected about 100 people aud 
when I saw a largo swarm (for they wero just like bees) I first threw some straw over 
them (having carefully surrounded them) and set fire to it. Some perished, but they 
were but a few out of the millions and millions there. I worked for six hours at this 
work, aud, though we did all we could, I do not suppose we effected much.* 
This is not directly applicable to the point now under discussion, but 
it tends to show that the impression that all the locusts are killed where 
the fire passes over them is erroneous. We are, therefore, after a more 
thorough investigation of the subject, confirmed in the following opinion 
expressed in our first report :t 
Scarcely any eggs arc laid in rank prairie, and the general impression that locusts 
are slaughtered by myriads in burning extensive areas is an erroneous one, at least 
in the temporary region. 
We are inclined to think the same thing is to a great extent true in 
reference to the permanent region. There is some difference, it is true 
in the character of the ground selected for egg deposits, and also in the 
grasses of the two regions, but not such as to render it probable that 
the result would be much more favorable in one section than the other 
Although we do not think this plan offers sufficient prospects of ef- 
fectual destruction to justify the government in attempting to put it 
into operation, yet we think it may be used as one means of destroying 
the young in favorable localities by the farmers and others of those 
localities who are interested. But it is unnecessary except where it is 
certain the young locusts are in the grassy area, and should not be car 
ried into effect until the locusts are nearly half grown, or, in other 
words, well advanced in the larva state. 
If the plan for a general destruction by burning is abandoned as un 
tenable, we must then confess we see no prospect at present of entirely 
exterminating them by artificial means. 
The problem, then, is confined to a modification of the evil by lessen 
ing the numbers, or in some way counteracting them. 
The various methods which may be adopted for destroying the uu 
fledged locusts are fully explained in our first report. All these meth 
ods are fully as applicable in the permanent as in the temporary region 
* Proceedings of Board of Revenue of Madras, June 20, 1878, No. 1702. tPage 363. 
