The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1877-01-19
EMPORIA NEWS
FRIDAY. JANUARY 18Th. 1877
The Locust.

report OF the meeting of the Gov
errors and Entomologists of the
Western States held in Omaha
last October. The most valuable
part of the pamphlet is contribut-
cd by Prof. -Chas. ". Riley, our
State Entomologist, and the ablest
man in that speciality In the coun-
try
Prof. Riley says the Rocky
Mountain Locust is an American
insect, and the migratory and
devasting species of Europe, Asia
and Africa are specifically quite
differnt, though belonging to the
Same family. The young insects
hatch in Dakota. Without winds
they move only fifteen or twenty
miles a day; with strong winds
they travel ten times as fast.
Southof the 44th parallel and east
Of the Tooth meridian, the insect
cannot permanently thrive. This
would coHfine them to the country
north of Nebraska and Iowa, and
west of Fort Dodge, Kansas. We
have already given Prof. Riley's
advice. or Instructions, in a con-
densed form, but give them below
in his own words:
WORK TO BE DONE.
In orGer to lay stress on the
work to be done we will briefly
recapitulate.
Protect your fields and prairies,
as far as possible, from burning
this fall. Ask your railroad man
ayers to cooperate by burning
coal during the dry weather and
by instructing their section mas
ters to have 3 few hundred feet
carefully burned each side OF their
track. Then set all these fields
on fire next spring after the young
hatch and before they commence
to travel.
Harrow and drag wherever you
can. This is the best work that
can be done in the fall. A revolv-
ing harrow will more than pay for
itself on newly turned ground
and q sharp-toothed harrow Can
be used to good advantage on the
bare and uncultivated places, and
along roadsides where the eggs
are known to be laid.
Ditch! commence at once Il
surround your field or garden
with ditch such as here recon
mended. Employ the first two
weeks that would otherwise be de
voted to planting next sprins
either to ditchnig or making pit
or to blowing or deep narrowing
Don't plant until, by burning
crushing and trapping or starving
you have got rid of the bulk o
the pets.
Sow your grain in Glands" o.
strips fifty to one hundred fee
wide, to permit Of ditching be
tween them, and those of you who
have fall wheat up and doing well
where the eggs are thickly laid
should make bitches at intervlG
though the field to facilitate the
saving of it in the spring.
Organize, so as TO insure intel
ligent and concerted action.
Eemand of your legislature
that 1t enact a bounty law which
will render the labor bestowed on
the destruction of the eggs, not
only valuable as preventing injury
to yourselves, but billy re.
munerative to those who take the
trouble to collect them. With a
good harrow and proper sieve
better wages could be earned by
many, both young and old, at col
lecting locust eggs at So per bushel,
than can be earned at much other
work and few thousand dollars
taken from the State Treasury for
such q purpose would be well OK
pended.
Do not rely on one but employ
ali available means.
Demand State legislation that
will secure the services of some
competent person to canvass the
State, in order to indicate where
the greatest danger threatens, and
to facilitate organization, and the
distribution of documents con
tanning desired information.
Demand national legislation
that will look to possible proven
ton. Instruct your representatives
at Washington to urge the legis-
lation we have asked for.
Make provision for procuring as
large supply of hogs, and OF
Matching as large a number of
chickens, turkeys, and ducks, next
spring, as possible.
Above all, do not get discour-
aged.
Come what may, do not ask for
outside aid. We do not believe
there will ever be any need of it
ills, in the end, demorallzing.
The elements may, ere spring,
conspire to almost total destruc-
tion OF the eggs, though, as We
have said, it will not do to trust to
such, an occurrance. But let the
worst come that can, and you
may, by carrying out the suges-
tions here given, remain masters
of the field. In any event you
have the assurance that the evil is
only temporary. The insects will
leave in time to enable you to
raise, with fair weather, good
crops Of many products. and you
may not be visited again for years.
The people are in much better con-
ditIon to stand loss next spring
than they were two years ago.
There is no part of the country
that is not subject to meteorologi-
cal or chronological excuses, and
in the long run the locust is not
more injurious than are some in
eects in other. parts of the country.
When we think of the famine and
utter destitutlon that at times
overtake some Of the eastern PEG.
pies, we may we'll thank the Al.
mighty that we live in q land oil
such resources and promise. The
threatened country has prospered
in.the past; it will prosper in the