*money home about the first of August.

I am well now with the exception of a cold in my throat that causes me to cough a good bit and spit more. I caught it while out last week in cold rooms & trains. Have had a very heavy overcoat made and now hope to be able to keep warm.

July 5th 1897
My Dear Psyche:–
As this is your birthday I will write to you instead of to mamma. I just returned from way up north of here where I was all last week looking up the grasshoppers so as to know something about how they pass the winters. I found lots of them in the woods about 200 miles from here and heard of many more within 50 to 75 miles of where I saw them.

You might not think that there is a winter in this country but there is, and very cold too. Not such freezing cold as we have in Nebraska, but damp and chilly and nearly cold enough to freeze ice. Then there are no fires anywhere in the cars, hotels, houses or huts. The children all run barefooted and with but little clothing on them and when the sun shines they all stand on the sunny side of the house. When it is cloudy they huddle together like chickens to keep one another warm, or stand crouched down with their backs to the wind like cattle.

A great many of the houses are made by standing up four posts then putting on a roof to keep the rain out. Some richer ones put sticks and brush to keep out the wind on one, two or even three sides. None of the houses are as good as our old chicken coop. This is out in the country. In town the houses are a little better. Some have moveable sides as to change them around when the wind changes. A few of the poor people have unburnt brick houses without doors or windows, and without floors. Only one room. Even the business people have brick or dirt floors in their houses. A few of the richest people have really fine and good

really good houses.

The country over which I travelled while away from here last week is most very flat and without trees. Hardly any streams of water are found and these are very poor to drink. Most of the people, judging from their looks, think it is not fit to wash in either. About Tucuman and Cordoba there are mountains and some snow can be seen on their summits. There are districts covered with forest too; but these do not look like forests in our country. The trees are nearly all low and scraggly and many of them look more like apple trees than forest trees.

In Tucuman and around about there I saw large groves of orange trees loaded with ripe fruit. But they looked fine. I wish all of you could have seen them. Then too, there were great plantations of sugar cane and quite a number of sugar factories scattered about over the country making the entire scene a strange one.

I have hired a young Sweitzer to collect birds for the University of Nebraska and hope to bring home a large number of fine specimens. He will go with me up north in a week or so where we may stay a whole month. I to study the hoppers and he to help about the camp work and to collect specimens. I must talk German to him, so I am learning two languages while down here — German and Spanish. Only I can talk German much better than I can the Spanish.

I had too much to do to keep up my letters to you like the one I wrote from Pernambuco. I will try to write at least one letter a week home but can't write a letter to each one that often. Tell Helen to wait for a letter the next time I write — about next Sunday. I will write one to mamma then too. Try and help mamma all you can by being a good girl.

Your Papa,
Lawrence Bruner

I expect to go down to Buenos Aires on Thursday of this week to see the members of the ""Locust Investigating Committee,"" and to draw pay for June and to collect the money that I paid out for expenses during the month. I will need about half of the money for use here in paying for clothing, things for bringing home with me and in paying for University specimens. Will send some more*

I am quite anxious to see the debt gotten in such shape as to "pinch" less severely. If this can be done we can then feel like fixing up the church a little on the outside.

Buenos Aires, Argentina
July 11th 1897
My Dear Marcia:–
I received your letter dated June 9th, but mailed on the 7th yesterday. You must have "got an extra move on yourself" to write two days later than the day of mailing the same letter. Psyche's letter was also received in the same mail, as were letters from Howard and Secretary Wilson of the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture. Minister Buchanan also tells me that he forwarded a couple other letters to me a day or two before my coming down here. Hope to get these on Tuesday evening when I arrive at Carcaraña.

Came down here on Friday evening to attend a meeting and report to the "Langosta Investigating Committee. Also to have a month by settlement. Will attend to this latter affair tomorrow fore noon and get ready to start back either tomorrow evening or Tuesday morning as stated above. Then too, I have some shopping

to attend to while here in the metropolis. I must purchase bird collecting material for the U. of N. so as to make a very credible showing for the money invested.

Today Mr. and Mrs. McCrosky and myself went down to La Plata to see the large museum there; and when we returned here this evening I had them dine with me here at the Royal Hotel. Last evening I had the pleasure to dine with them and to visit them at their rooms. They are beginning to think some of going to housekeeping. Both are apparently well and enjoying themselves, and can speak the Spanish quite fluently. Wish that I could do as well. Maybe I will be able to by the end of the year if I persevere.

By the way Consul Baker was burried [sic], or rather the funeral services were held here on the morning of the 9th of July. You will remember reading of his accident whereby it became necessary to have his right arm amputated at the shoulder. At first he seemed to get along extremely well, but a few days before the end fever set in and resulted in death. A

son of his lives in Lincoln. You will remember the name. His wife is quite a noted singer, and is the sister of Brad Cook who lives across the road from the State Farm. Mr. Bakers untimely death was quite a shock to all Americans, as well as to all English and many other peoples. He was liked by all.

I am pleased at receiving so much real home news as was contained in these last letters of yours and Psyche's. I only wish that I could write you as much from here, but I cannot. I will send you a clipping from one of the daily newspapers of this city with reference to the Locust Committee's meeting. All of the papers are now much interested in this question. The people of the country are watching for great results from my studies of the insect. Hope that I will not disappoint them.

Would like to see all of you, but would more especially like to see Baby Alice. She will be a great big girl of 2 1/2 years old when I return home next April. It will only be about 7 1/2 months before I start for home, and this time will soon slip by both to me here and to

you at home. Just think of it! The summer is now quite advanced, fall will soon be with you and school will begin. Thanksgiving will come, then Christmas and New Years. After this only 2 months and I will be starting for home.

I will not send you any money this month for I must keep at least $150 for use down here and by this time you undoubtedly have the $600. which I sent you a month or so ago. Should you run short just let Mr. Dales or Mr. Loveland know and they will arrange to let you have some until I send you the next draft. I give you the authority to sign my name to notes for a reasonable amount. In 3 weeks I will have another $300 due me and I can then send you at least $350 or $400.

In reference to your doctoring I can only say "go ahead" if you can be benefited and the bill will be paid as soon as possible. Hope that you may be entirely well before I return for you have certainly had a time of it.

Was interested in the Plymouth Notes which you inclosed​ [sic]. Hope the full amount will be raised although the $250 or $300 which we offered to give will cause us to stint ourselves for a year.

Mr. Howard wrote me that he had seen by the dispatches that I had arrived safely in the country. I am quite overcome by the much free advertising that I am receiving both here and at home. Hope I may be able to prove worthy of a small portion of it. Howard has been exceedingly kind and friendly to me from the beginning in connection with this position. I like him for it although I liked him equally well before.

Am sorry to learn of the deaths of Mrs. Curtis and Mrs. Shepard, while the news of the weddings of Dr. Walcot and Miss Buckstaff and Rev. Silver and Miss Sewell are more cheery. All these items concerning home people are news to one so far away and among strangers. They are of vastly more importance to one than they would be were he or she at home.

Since Moores are so friendly I do hope he will be able to settle his unfortunate affairs in some satisfactory manner. There does not appear to be any opening in this country just at present. The country is passing through a "dull" time — the "boom" having fallen as in our

own country. If the locusts to not devastate the country the coming year and crops are good business in general will undoubtedly rally. Otherwise not immediately. It is still too early to predict anything definitely with reference to the locust outlook but I think from what I have seen that the worst has passed. See clipping.

Now I hope that the girls will not get in the way of mad dogs or other dangers, that Fido is of the past, and that all is going well at home. It is all that I can do way off here in the way of helping you in the care of the little ones.

Tell Psyche that I cannot answer her letter tonight, but that I will write to her soon — maybe the next letter home. I cannot send Helen a doll or Psyche the doll's clothes. In the first place there are no native dolls; and in the second place, of course they cannot have clothes. But I will get something for each before I come home. I was very much surprised at Psyche's letter for I didn't know that she could write so well. She must keep on though.

Good bye, a kiss for each. Yours.
Lawrence Bruner

July 20th 1897
Dear Marcia:–
I have just returned from another trip up north where I went to examine a large swarm of locusts. To say that I am tired is putting it mildly for these railway and across country rides in Argentina are much more tiresome than they would be at home. This chiefly on account of the great changes in temperature experienced along with the dust and slow running and uncomfortable cars. Then too, no water on the trains to drink when one is thirsty and when you do find it the water is strongly salt, saltpetre or some alkali. Beer is .80 cents a bottle (qt.) more than I care to drink at a time, sodawater .40 cts and plain, i.e. not sweetened or flavored. Wine makes me sick, as does also the coffee and tea of the country which, as an Englishman put it is made for cultivated tastes. His was cultivated, mine crude.

In this last trip I found no change in the hoppers from last time. True they had moved about a little and scattered. A few more had died and a small number had been destroyed by birds and small mammals. The region where most of them are at present, apparently in their winter quarters, is too dry for birds and other vertebrate enemies; and as to man, there is no danger that any locusts will be destroyed by him even though it would be a quite easy matter for him to do so. No one in this country (that is scarcely anybody) will lift his hand to do anything of this sort unless he is paid for it. They expect the government to take the matter in hand and make a special appropriation for each case. If prairie fires were lighted during cold dry days and nights fully one-half of the swarm could be destroyed in a very few days. But no, there is no appropriation on hand just at present.

[left margin] traveling have other matters to attend to. Hope to send you about $400.00 in the course of two weeks — possibly $450.00. You have a list of the debts that must be settled, as well as those that can wait. Do the best you can with the money, only don't stint yourself nor deny what you ought to have. I hardly expect that the full amount will have been subscribed for the church debt, but hope for the best. Am glad to know that Youngblut has bought out Peters. Of course we will continue dealing there, and maybe will get more satisfactory goods in some directions.
I see that my paper is running out so must think of closing. Hope that both yourself and the little folks are well. I also include Seba and Grace. Will write again when I receive a letter — and one or two are due now.

Yours, Lawrence Bruner

I do not yet quite understand this South American insect. I have not been able to definitely decide in my mind whether it is double brooded or only single brooded. I have not yet learned to my satisfaction whether the insects which we now find gathered in the woods and adjoing [sic] grass plats are to develop later into egg-laying swarms. If these points were only settled I could rest at headquarters and wait until traveling was a little more comfortable. I could also suggest remedies that if carried out would be quite effective and at the same time inexpensive. As if is I must still keep on investigating "in the field" until the points under consideration are settled.

Later when I begin breeding-cage studies I expect to remain at this place a great deal more. I will then move into a small house and live more to my liking at least part of the time.

While out on my last trip I saw 10 wild ostriches quite near to the railroad track. In fact one of the birds had crawled into the right of way through the wire fence and the train had a nice race with it. It finally made several plunges at the fence and forced itself through between the wires. In doing so it hurt one of its legs and went off limping greatly. If the train had stopped it could have been very easily captured by two or three men. Will try to bring one or two skins of this ostrich and some eggs along home for the U. of N. museum. I already have secured 50 or more bird skins of 20 different kinds, and my man is busy getting more daily. Hope to have several hundreds of good bird skins by the end of the year. Insect collecting is not good yet, but will be in a month or two. I will then devote my spare moments in collecting for the university and myself. Orthoptera are scarce here in winter –– save of course the destructive locust. Only have about a dozen or fifteen kinds taken here in Argentina. Hae had letters from Scudder, F.W. Taylor and Father. If you see Taylor soon tell him that in a week or two perhaps I will find time to write to him.

[left margin] Usually most of my time is quite fully occupied with matters related to the subject of my mission to this country and only the fortunate are favored with immediate replies to their letters. Later this may be changed. If I am located in a house over which I have the control I can begin early or work late if I desire. Now I can only begin at 8:30 and must quit at 5 P.M. Cannot write at Mr. James' place without disturbing the family and when (over)