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Title
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The Plymouth Notes
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Alternative Title
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Lawrence Bruner Letters, 1897
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Creator
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Lawrence Bruner
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Identifier
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081210-1897-060z
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Transcription
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PEOPLE YOU KNOW.
A private letter from Prof. Lawrence Bruner to Prof. F. W. Taylor tells some-public. The letter is dated Carcarana, August 1, but just reached here. Professor Bruner says he was very cordially welcomed by the members of the syndicate which sent for him. The native entomologists do not, however, regard with favor the introduction of a foreigner and a few of the Spanish papers have shown enmity, others defending the professor, so he is gaining notoriety at least. Among the professor's first duties was drinking the health of officials and others which he says caused him to go to bed for several days. As to his work of investigating the grasshoppers the professor says: "I have gone over 450 to 500 reports and tabulated the information and misinformation therein contained for my future use. It is truly surprising how differently different persons see the same things. This information is in German, French, Spanish and the queen's English. Some reports are painfully long, others astonishingly brief—none of them of very much use practically."
Of his travels Professor Bruner says he has travelled over 4,000 miles in Argentina, seeing parts of seven provinces. He continues: "I have been almost up to Bolivia and Paraguay twice, have been to Buenos Ayres and La Plata, Cordoba, Tucreman, Salta and a few other principal cities of the land; saw the Andes, crossed the great pampas and viewed such interesting creatures as wild ostriches and llamas from the trains as I passed from point to point. All of this of course is full of interest to me. Especially is the bird life attractive. For insects I cannot say so much as it is now winter and there are few about.
"I may be obliged to visit Bolivia, Paraguay and Brazil to the east of the former in order to find out the extent of the former in order to find out the extent of the country at times overrun by the destructive locusts 'a la paiz.' Should this be the case the next two months will be active ones for me. The Bolivian trip mean a full month's horseback riding on a 'mool.'
"Aside from the destructive locusts the country is greatly overrun by other insect enemies that might be readily handled if the people only knew how and then would do it."
Professor Bruner says it is awkward sometimes not to be able to say a few appropriate words in a language that is understood. He says he likes the country better as he sees more of it, but the "better" is only a relative term and he thinks of Uncle Sam's domain with a longing to be back here.
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Rights
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Is Version Of
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081210-1897-060z.jpg
The Plymouth Notes