[30] REPORT UNITED STATES ENTOMOLOGICAL COMMISSION. 
and southern parts of the county. These hatched during May and began flyingabout 
June 25, 1871). 
July:t0 and 31, was in Sioux Falls. The locusts visited that vicinity in August, 
1878. depositing eggs from the 15th instant to middle of September. These eggs 
hatched most numerously from April 25 to May 15. The young 'hoppers have no par- 
ticular direction of travel, going wherever they could find anything to eat. The 
amount of damage done by them this year was comparatively small, as much being 
attributed to the drought as to the locusts, 25 per cent, being the estimate of dam- 
age for Minnehaha County this year. Full-fledged 'hoppers were seen May 20, and 
swarms were living northwest with the wind June 11 to July7, and were seen flying 
over to the south July 28, but none have stopped here. 
Union anil Lincoln Counties, parts of which I passed over, have suffered very much. 
Wheat was almost all destroyed; oats had suffered severely, ashad all other small grain. 
Corn was looking well, but in some places a second planting had been made. 
Scarcely any means have been employed for destroying the locusts this year, a few 
of the fanners using coal-tar pans and muslin-bag machines. Several farmers "back- 
set" their fall plowing, and this undoubtedly destroyed great numbers of eggs, as 
there were noteo many 'hoppers noticed on such fields as on those not backset. More 
eggs were hatched on the bottoms than on the higher lauds. 
July 31, at Worthing, Minn., a few locusts were yet to be found. For information 
obtained here I am indebted to Mr. R. B. Potts, who very kindly gave me what uotes 
he had collected. 
Swarms came in August and September, 1878, from the northwest, and deposited 
«ggs iu new ground, and preferably in low places, and in the beds of sloughs and ponds. 
About one-third of the eggs deposited hatched, beginning early in April and hatching 
in batches until the latter part of May. Full-fledged locusts were noticed the last week 
of June, and swarms began departing about July 1, going in a northwest direction as 
near as possible, the wind being favorable. 'Hoppers have since then passed over on 
a northwest wind going southeast, flying very high. This season the young 'hoppers 
traveled to the northwest, but this is not their usual habit. 
All the wheat and about one tenth of other crops except sorghum, broom-corn, 
and pease were destroyed. A portion of the failure of this wheat crop is attributa- 
ble to poor seed. 
Crops ou sod-laud were injured; most of those on old, well-cultivated ground es- 
caped with not much injury. 
Many 'hoppers died about the time of the last molt. The dead bodies had a de- 
cayed appearance just back of the thorax shield — no grubs were formed in the bodies. 
The silky mite destroyed numbers of the eggs and also preyed upon fnll-growu lo- 
custs when in its more mature state. Dragging and harrowing the ground in the fall 
and winter exposed the eggs to birds, and the action of the weather which by alter- 
nate freezing and thawing destroyed them. 
Farmers have employed no means of destroying the young locusts this year. 
August 1, 1879, I arrived in Yankton, Dak., and am greatly indebted to Mr. A. W. 
Barber for information and assistance. 
From September 15 to 20, 1878, the locusts arrived here and immediately began de- 
positing eggs, preferably in the cultivated porous soils of the bottoms along streams. 
Very few eggs were placed in grassy or woody places. 
April 11, 1879, young 'hoppers were first seen in sunny places. From this time until 
the latter part of May they were hatching in batches, caused by the deep plowing of 
some of the farmers. 
Full wings were obtained from about June 15 to the latter part of July. They com- 
menced flying during the first week of July, going to the south with the wind. Other 
swarms were noticed flying over, going to the south and west. The prevailing winds, 
as noted by the United States Signal Service at Yankton, for June, July, and August 
were as follows: June, to the southeast; July, to the south 70 times, to the southeast 
44 times, out of 217 observations; August, to the south, but nearly evenly distributed 
among the different directions. 
Crops damaged most are wheat, of which about 50 per cent, is destroyed; oats, 25 
per cent. ; and corn to a considerable extent. 
Three miles north of Yankton, on the farm of Mr. Cribbs, the damage was not so 
great, while on the farm of Mr. Peter Huber, 15 miles north, the damage was very 
extensive. Mr. Huber said he had sown 200 bushels of wheat, and expected to har- 
vest about 50 bushels. 
Sorghum, broom-corn, and pease escaped injury; onions and tobacco were mostly 
eaten. 
In 1876 the locusts hatched very numerously, but did not do a great amount of dam- 
age. The red mites and wet season, with other causes, prevented their eating exten- 
sively. 
In 1877 the eggs were destroyed by silky mite and chickens. Mr. A. W. Barber 
.found about 1,200 eggs to the square foot in 1877. 
