New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-04-15

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co ordinate branch of the government Th'
act of Congress, tho other day, in printing
these extra reports shows that the informa
ton which they contain is much sought
after by the constituents of the honorable
gentleman in Congress, for no other in
fluence could be brought to bear on these
| Congressmen but tho clsmor of their con
stituents. That much is certain 90 far a
this particular action of theirs is con
cerned. Yet this Congress is about to legis
late against any further publication of simi
lar reports. They make no provision fol
the publication of monthly crop reports
They propose to reduces the pay of the
| seven gentlemen whose duty it is to utilize
all the great mass of material that come.
from all over the world and enters. after
great labor of arrangement and compilar
tion, into the reports of the bureau. They
reduce every one of these gentlemen down
| to $l2C0 per annum, and the chief of the
| division, the editor of these reports and his
| two valuable assistants and translators are
cut down from $500 to $1,000 per annum.
In seeking out remedy to apply to the
terrible plague of grasshoppers, which for
several seasons has go terribly afflicted the
| Western and Northwestern portion of the
| United States, Congress seems to be crop
! ing in the dark. The hand of the National
Academy Of Sciences is visibly seen in the
deliberations of Congress on this subject.
20 <hn 1f <hn
proposition now before Congress to estsb-
lish commission to investigate the raw
ages of the grasshopper. The plan pro.
posed provides for the appointment Of an
entomologist, whose duty it shall be to in
vestigats the origin and habits of these
grasshopper plaques, their extent, and
what means shall be applied for their sup.
preston. The entomologist thus appointed
shall pursue his investigations for the space
of one year, at . salary of $4,000. Why
give this newly created officer $4,000 per
annum, when the entomolcgist of the Agri-
cultural Bureau is allowed only $4,000 per
annumg Let us lcok 1T this subject in all
its bearings, and see whether it is . ju-
y
"bug bureau" or specially created officer
Practical entomologists deem it an impos-
sibility to derive any further practical ad.
vsntages from studying the habits Of
grasshoppers. The great increase of the
grasshopper depends wholly on climatic
conditions. The exceedingly dry seasons,
such as We have had for number of years,
is favorable condition for the develop.
ment of the eggs of the grasshopper, and
they have increased in this way in billions.
Powerful winds, e., winds which will
spread over dry climatic regions, will be
favorable to the grasshopper. They will
be taken up by the velocity of winds and
waited to regions to which they are wholly
unsuited to thrive originally; but in case
hot. dry season sets in. they will thrive
enormously, even in those regions to which
they are not naturally adapted.
To illustrate that the suppression of these
ravenous insects is dependent wholly on
the weather, it is we'll right here to give q
case in point, and then show that the in
sects themselves can be utilized and prove
of some service in point of usefulness as
we'll as injurious to the crops. The thrips
of the vine Of grape increased enormously
during the very dry seasons. In cities, dur
ing the hot season. the thrips almost entirely
destroyed the vines There is no help for
it. There is no practical remedy tor their
as they grow in such enormous
quantities. 1t is q question of the weather.
In Australia the government pays for the
out Of the eggs of the graeshop-
per-pays 60 much for each nest. That has
been found impracticable, the spread is 80
enormous.
The proposition to utilize grasshoppers,
by Professor Taylor, of the agricultural
bureau, had good effect in Missouri, for
the Governor of that State offered . pre-
MUM of go many dollars per bushel. 1t
was stated in the Senate during the recent |
debate on the establishment OF. "bug bu- |
reau" for the suppression of grasshoppers,
hat 10000 bushels were collected and
burned. The coccus, which at one time |
was believed to be simply the pest of the |
1ermes' belly, was discovered to give val |
liable scarlet dye, and it is now manufac. |
ured and cold at $50 pound. 1t is rea-
enable to be supposed in the light of
hemlstry, moreover, az demonstrated by
Professor Taylor, of the agricultural bureau
hat the 10000 bushels of grasshoppers col
.cted In Missouri could have been utilized
s food for fowls and hogs. Another point
~ ~ "a nf /
hese insects through chemical action 10
he fact that celebrated watch maker in
ieneva has written the Department of the
Interior that the oil of grasshopper Ia of
reat use in the delicate machinery of fine
watches and in the art of watch making
So that, taking this subject in
IL its aspects, the work of solving the
uestion as to the best method of meeting
nd taking advantage of the calsmities of
grasshoppe. plague belongs to the chem
ct instead of the entomoloRist, because it
as been demonstrated that the human
,ind can conceive Of no remedy to avoid
he dire calamity Of plague; that is in
he control of q higher power, but. once
pom us, the fact is undenisble that the hu-
ian mind can turn what looks like q mis-
ortune into blessing. That point has
cen solved through the great science Of
hemistry. Therefore, the subject should
q allowed to rest where it belongs.
congress, if it wants to economize,
hould create no new bureaus for ex-
erimental purposes at the expense Of
10 public treasury. The bureau which 10
40 subject matter Of this article is compe-