Sharp County record., 1878-03-22
THE GRASSH0PPERS.
The Forthcoming Report of the Entomo'
logical mmission-Assurances Given
that the West Will Not be Visited by the
Terrible scourge This Season.


Especial to the Chicago Tribune']
WASHINGTON, D. c., Feb. 24.-Prof.
Riley, Chief of the United States Ento-
mological Commission, has left for the
West. The members of the Commits
sion have been in session here for the
past three weeks, preparing their annu-
al report for the printer. 1t will be re-
membered that they were appointed
last March for the special object OF in
vestigating the Western grasshopper
scourge, with view of preventing its
injuries and its disastrous invaslonS.
A view of their feld-work, and synOp-
sis of their forthcoming report, submit
ted to the Secretary of the Interior,
shows that they have been very indus
trious, and successful beyond their fond
est anticipationS. During the summer
they have explored nearly every State
and Territory between the Mississippi
and the Pacific. They have ascertained
how TO etfectually cope with the young
insects as they appear in the more fer
tile Mississippi Valley country. This
part Of the problem is solved. 1t is full
lv believed tnat, with a wise diSsemina-
ton of the report, the farmers of the
Western country will in future no more
dread these young insects than
they viii crop of weeds,
As to the flying insects, the
Commission have ascertained the
principal laws governing their flights,
and point out in their report how, by
cooperation with the Dominion Gov
ernment, the insect may be kept down
in its native breeding grounds, and its
disastrous incursiOns into the more fer
tile country be thus avoided. There is,
however, much yet to be ascertained as
to the insects in their breeding-grOunds,
which are found to lie in the extreme
Northwest, both south and north of the
boundary line. The time given during
the past season to the young insects,
learning how to best control them, and
in encouraging the farmers, somewhat
interfered with a thorough exploration
OF these native breeding grounds. In
dian troubles, want OF time, and want
OF funds also prevented as thorough a
survey of that portion Of the field as is
desirable. The Commission, therefore,
appeared before the Committee on APP
propriations, and asked for an appro-
priation Of $25,000 to enable them to
complete the investigations so thor
oughly that there will be no need in the
future Of Congress creating another
Commission for the same purpose. The
Commission also pledge themselves,
with this appropriation, not only to com
plete this special investigation, but to
carry on study Of the Southern cotton
worm and other Southern insects, and
make full report thereon, with view
of preventing the injury that they cause
in the South.
The Commission have had a favora-
bic hearing from the Joint Committee
on Printing, aud 10000 copies of the
report, which will embrace between
400 and 500 pages, will probably be Or
dered.
1t will be most gratifying to the peo-
pie of the West to know that the Com
mission, in the Introduction to their re-
port, confidently assert that there will
be no damage by the grasshoppers cur
ing the coming summer in all the fer
tile country between the Mississippi and
the mountains; and that, probably, no
special injury will take place for several
years to come. This assurance, from
men who have carefully studied the
question, who give what seems to be
sound reasons for their opinion, will do
much to inspire the people of the West
with confidence, and to draw thither the
immigration that the rayages of the in
sect had somewhat checked.
The Commissioners think that, con-
sidering the vast area affected, embrac-
ing over 100000 square miles, tits graft
flying to find that such thorough work
has already been done; and, when it is
considered that, between the years
1887, the loss from the ravages of the
grasshopper to the Western country
amounted to about $2OO,OOO,O 900, and
that the injury to the Southern cotton
| crop from the c0ttOn-Worm is also very
great, the demand they make for small
appropriation seems quite reasonable.
There are nineteen chapters in the re-
port. The first treats of the characters
of the species of grasshopper. The
second gives chronological history Of
all the grasshopper-injury for all past
years in this country, showing conclu-
sively that there has not been an in
crease in the numbers of the insects, as
many people suppose, but that its great
er injury is due to the settling up OF the
country. The third chapter gives sta
tistics of losses. There are two chap
tiers on the natural enemies of the
grasshopper, illustrating quite a num-
Der of species hitherto unknown to at
tack it. The stomach of 130 birds in
600 specimens have been critically ex-
amined, and the good services of these
aids is daily borne out by the investiga-
tions. A number of experiments on the