The Grasshoppers

Dr. A. S. Packard, Jr., secretary of the United Stiltes Entomologieal Commission, has lately returned from an extended trip tlirougli portions of Colorado, Wyoming, Northern Utah, Eastern Idaho, Central and Eastern Montana, and through Dakota. He reporta that 50 per cent. of locust eggs in Colorado, about Denver and Greeley, were destroyed by parasites, according to the experience of Mr. A. H. Arnett, of Morrison, and Mr. Max Cïark, of Greeley. Though large numbers hatched out in the spring, the heavy, late rains, the extreme cold, the fall of snow for tliree days at the end of April, killed the young, so that few were left, except in smail areas abont Greeley and Longmont. The young died from apparently the samo causes as in Kansas and Nebraska, i. e., extreme wet and cold weather. In the fall of 187C eggs were laid in profusión in Colorado, and the farmers expected to have the " worsi fight yet " with the locusts. May 29 .and 30, a large swarm flew over Jules"burg, Col., on the Union Pacific railroad, and were seeu seventeen miles west of that point by Mr. Joseph Ramsay, of Greeley. These flew from the soutli, probably from Texas. In Wyoming, locusts were reported as hatching out from a point fifty miles north of Laramie City to Custer. Light swarms from this rogion andthe Black Huls may be expected in Colorado. In Utah, Cache and Mftlade valleys were badly infested. About Franklin Utah, one-third of the wheat erop was reported as devoured by them. The winged locusts were beginuing to fly .Tune 11. These locvists will probably migrate to Middle and Southern Utah. Though numerous about Farmington, Utah, on the shores of Salt lake, Jittle injury was done, as the season was late, wet and cold, and hatehing was ïnuch later tlian usual. In Idaho scattered broods of young were seen along the stage-road from Franklin to Pleasant valley, but none were seen in Montana from the southern borders of the Territory through the central parts as f ar uorth as Fort Benton, nor along the Missouri rivet to the eastern border of the Territory. A few hatched out in Bitter Boot valley, doing some dainage, and locusts were reported to have hatehed out on the Yellowstone river at and near Baker's battle ground, i. e., on the north shore of the river between Clark's fork and Froze-to-Death oreek. None were seen or reported from the valleys of the Sim river and the Upper Missouri, and none in the Gallatin, Madison and Jefferson valleys. From reliable information received at Fort Benton, there were no young locusts this spring in the Marías or Milk river valleys, or in the región northward toward the South Saskatchewan river. None were aeen by parties who liad just returned from Wood mountain, Sitting Bull's camp, sixty miles north of the United States boundary line. Locusts hatched out in February at Fort M'Leod, on the South Saskatchewan river, but were killed by the unfavorable weather. Along the Missouri river and the line of the Northern Pacific railroad no young locusts were seen, and it is probable that few locusts developed in Dakota this season, unless in the eastern portions. Light swarms, however, were seen flying from the east at Fort Peck, as early as June 18, also at Wolf Point. on the Missouri, and at Bismarck, June 21, and a few were seen at about the same date at Jamestown, Dakota. These apparently cume frem Minnesota and Iowa. If so, it showt (coupled with the fact of the Texan swarms observed in Colorado) that the return westward migrations of the locust from the border States extend 1o the base of the Kocky mountains, from Colorado to the United States northern boundary line. It resulte from these observations that over an immense area in the northwest supposed to have furnished the swarms which have hitherto devastated Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, and Minnesota, owing to the wet, cool, backward weather this spring, there were no young locusts developed, if many hatched. Should the present exceptionally cool and wet season be followed by a similar one in 1878, it may be reasonably expected that the border States will not be invaded to an alarmiug extent next ycar. It also appears somewhat doubtful whether extensive swarms will invade the border States of Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, and Missouri this summer and fall, though light swarms mny possibly fly east from the Black Hill and Yellowstone región. But absolute predictions can not be made, and it would be unwise to hazard an opinión except as to probabilities.