*Love to all.
Yours,
Lawrence Bruner.

Caracaña, Argentina
Oct. 3d 1897
Dear Marcia:
Your two letters of August 8th and 15th were awaiting me on my return from Paraguay. That I was pleased to hear from home goes without saying it. Then too, the photos; which I believe is that of my baby, although you do not say so, pleases me more than I can tell. Wish that I could see all of you this Sunday morning — not here in Argentina but at home. Wouldn't I be a tickled man though? My time is now a little more than half gone that I am engaged for. If by any hook or crook I can finish before I will come home before the 1st of next April, thought I cannot now imagine how that could be since there still remains so very much to be done before I can call the studies complete and have written my final and full report which will have to be done before I leave for home.

As to your meeting me in Chicago with the two older girls it is a little early just now to say; but I cannot imagine why you couldn't. Wouldn't you rather come on to Washington instead? I feel as if I ought to stop there for a day or two on my way

home, and it would be much easier to find you there than in Chicago. Then too, you would have friends in Washington to meet you at the train and help you to your quarters. You could telegraph to some one to meet you at the train. Mr. Woods, Mr. Williams, Mr. Kenyon, Mr. Smith, or even Mr. Howard or Mr. Collins. You would have to buy your tickets through and have your baggage checked to Washington, and take a sleeping-car all the way. But we can write about this matter later.

I had a very nice letter from Eugene Moore also. Will answer it some time during the coming week while I am out among the grasshoppers about 100 miles to the north of here where they are laying eggs at present and ravaging crops. I will see what I can do in the way of spreading disease among the hosts.

If having a piano in the house will sooth ​the nerves of Psyche by all means rent one at once. Do not send her to school if it irritates her. It is better to have her well than to cram her full of knowledge and she be sickly. Health first and an education afterwards is my idea.

Hope that as the cool weather comes baby Alice will be less subject to attacks of vomiting. Also that

I don't know where she gets her nervousness from.

It was certainly very kind of Governor Furnas to send you a pass to the State Fair and to write you such a nice letter. Hope that you took advantage of the offer of the State Board if you went up to the fair just to show your appreciation of their interest in your wellfare [sic] during my absence in a foreign land. They could well afford to be obliging to you for what I have done for them in the way of report writing and other entomological work. I am trying to get a pair of steer horns in this country for Furnas who is making a collection of them, and I hope to be able to find something extra fine.

By the way I see in the papers here that Consul Baker's son who is in Lincoln, Nebraska has been appointed as his father's successor here in Argentina. Maybe you knew this at the time and have seen him before he left for South America.

I do not know whether I will go to Bolivia or not. It is getting rather late now, and then too the time for actual study has arrived and must remain where I can learn the most. Although the trip would be a hard one to take and quite disagreeable in many ways I should like

to see that country while I have the opportunity. Even if I don't go to Bolivia I still hope to spend a week or ten days in Chile during summer when the trip can be made across the Andes with less fatigue than at present when it would have to be done amidst snow and ice. I have a pass nearly all the way now and can get that for the remaining distance for the asking. The commission will pay my traveling expenses if I go.

You have done excellent in the handling of business matters. By the time I return you will be able to run the business for me. If you ask Mr. Doane or Mr. French they can tell you where to send the $10. for Children's Home. When you do send it ask for a receipt to show me when I return home. There are several other payments that will have to be made before I return; viz Ward's interest $34.00, Nov. 1st; Life Ins. premium (Mockett's) $52.89, Dec. 8 and N.Y. Life premium $26.84 , Febr. 12th, 1898. Then Seba, Phoneta and interest to Ella Westfall.

I send you herewith a sight draft on New York for $400. which I trust will be enough for all requirements until I can send more in about 2 months. This will make a total of $1,400 — that I have sent from here. Will remit once more before coming home so as to not have too much money to cary ​[sic] when I return.

With regard to business matters. I think that I wrote about all last time, but will repeat here what I would like to have done with a part of the money which I send home from time to time.

Insurance (N.Y. Life) Feb. 12 – 1898 $26.84

" (Mockett & Sons) Dec. 8 $52.89

Ella Westfall (Pay interest & what you can) $350.

Winter's Coal supply (about 8 tons) $75.

Phoneta Munroe $50.

Church $250

" weekly subscription

Seba ballance [sic]​.

Charity such as seems needful and that we can stand. Keep a girl, and do not work too hard yourself.

If you think you can't take care of the furnace get a good student to look after it for his keep. But do about this as you think best. Have Corsmeyers look the furnace all over before starting up in fall so as to be sure about safety of the flues etc.

I hope to be able next spring to fix up about home a little. To put in a bath-tub etc.

You must not worry but that I will bring you the ring or something equally as interesting. Have one already for Seba.

Tell Hattie that I am sorry that I should be a cause for her to worry. As Kenelm writes, Mrs. Stevens, (you remember the good old lady in West Point,) also worries greatly about me too, and hopes that I will be provided with an escort. What queer ideas people will have about other countries than their own!

I am pleased to see Plymouth Church affairs progressing as rapidly as they do, and hope that they will be settled before long now. We have a long hard pull of it and certainly deserve to pull through. If I could and felt that it was necessary I would do more; but as long as I have nearly as much to look after outside as the amount to be raised by the church, I can not believe it my duty. Have figured very closely in order to do what we did during the past few years.

Again saying good bye, I remain yours etc.,
Lawrence

Mrs. McCrosky says to send her love to you when I am writing.*

*Hoping that you will all be as well when you receive this as you were when you wrote last, I send a kiss and hug to each.
Yours, Lawrence Bruner

Oct. 10th 1897
Dear Marcia:–
Today has been a great mail day for me. Five letters from home, i.e. that many separate envelopes containing 8 letters all told. and all of these those of Helen and baby Alice are the best — best because I didn't know that they could write so well. The latest too is only a month hold, having been mailed in Lincoln on Sept. 6th, and the first on Aug. 20th. I also received a letter from Kenelm and one from Mrs. McCrosky of Buenos Aires notifying me that she had sent me a lot of Outlooks, Sunday Journals and Nations. In the package were 10 Outlooks, 6 Journals, and as many Nations. Besides these there was a whole bunch of clippings from the week day issues of the Journal giving all kinds of Lincoln and Nebraska news — a regular treat to me for I do not get to see very much in the way of news from North America in the Argentine papers.

I was out on a trip of locust inspection during the past week and only returned last evening. While away I visited the city of Santa Fe for the first time. I also traveled over the line of railroad running between that city and San Francisco for the first time. On this trip a great many locusts were seen, as were also their eggs. I also saw where they had brought thousands of tons of the winged insects and buried them in ditches. At the one small town of Devota, a place not on any map that you may happen to have, 1200 tons were buried. At Pilar, another rather small place, 600 tons were collected by the farmers and paid for at the rate of 2 cents per kilogram. For eggs the Argentine government has been paying 15 cents per kilo. During the single day which I expect in that town and vicinity one ton of eggs was bought and buried. Although there still remain large numbers of locusts and many eggs have been deposited, they are rapidly dwindling day by day by these drains on their numbers. Seven thousand tons of locusts means at least two billion and eight hundred millions of locusts, or enough of them to cover 90 square miles with ten locusts to each square yard. This is certainly a very large swarm of insects. During the same time that there were being destroyed by the people an equal number perished from other causes, as for example the attacks of birds, small mammals, reptiles, insects and diseases. Still the plague is not exterminating

nor anything approximating extermination. Yet the plague is on the decline, and I hope to be able to witness its downfall before I leave the country a little over 4 months from now. If only I can get one of all the diseases to work well on the insects during the young stage the destruction will take but a short time. Otherwise there will have to be a great deal of hard work done by the citizens of all infested regions. Even if the work so well begun is continued, the plague cannot last much longer notwithstanding their great productiveness. Ordinarily nature keeps this and all other insects within certain comparatively harmless limits, so when we add to nature's checks such artificial devices as mentioned above the balance must soon be again established.

Although I have still much country to go over before I can judge for myself all the pros and cons of the work before me, I hope to be a little more at headquarters than I have been in the past. Today the locusts have arrived here in , and I will have every opportunity that is needed for their further study.

By the way, the insects which Mr. Hunter's brother sent to me arrived today. Instead of being what I wrote for they are something else. They are Hippiscus tuberculatus. I want Schistocerca americana, the insect figured on page 10 of Bulletin No. 28, U.S. Dept. Agriculture, Division of Entomology. Mr. Hunter can surely recognize the insect if he looks for it himself. There are specimens of it in one of the cabinets at the U. of. N. from Oklahoma, and quite a number of others at the house. I want the specimens to settle a point in reference to the classification of the Argentine locust.

The letters from home, although satisfying me as to how all of you are getting on, make me feel a little homesick. Of course I wish that you were all here, or what would be still better, that I was at home with all of you around me. You must be quite an interesting sight, you and the 3 girls hanging about like forlorn chickens. Wish I could see just how the group looks. Tell Seba, dear old girl, that I appreciate here care of the family during my absence, and that I will try and answer her better before very long. She must have quite a weight to carry in the form of worry if she tries to fill my place in all particulars. Will write to the girls, Psyche and Helen before long too. Will wait however until after I have visited some new region so as to have more to tell about. Tell Kenelm also that I will write to him if possible but in the meanwhile he can read my letters to you folks.

According to the Journal's reports Nebraska must be booming again so far as crops and the farmers are concerned. How is it?*

P.S. Tell Seba that I will write to her before long if she only has the patience to wait until I do. Was just after a flea that was hopping about on the letter and you see the results. Fleas are very common here — almost as common as flies at home, and they bite too.

Oct. 17th 1897
Dear Marcia:–
I have been staying at headquarters for the past week, so have nothing special to write about this time. Still I expect to fill up the sheet of paper with something for it wouldn't pay to send a letter that was not "filled up" so far. Then too, a long letter always seems better than a very short one although it might be ever so sweet.

Even if I have been remaining at headquarters for a week there has been plenty to keep me busy. The grasshoppers are right here now and laying their eggs in many places. Then I am also studying their habits, their natural enemies, and their methods of egg-laying. Have also been preparing breeding cages in which to keep specimens while studying the effects of certain diseases on the winged insects which I have caught and hope to inoculate with the fungus which I have found here in Argentina; and later with that from North America and Africa. Am at the same time keeping watch on the appearance of the same diseases among the insects in the fields round about here. Today, although it is Sunday, I have been going about over the country to see the insects as they are gathering at certain points to lay eggs. At one place, about 2 miles from here, they cover about one-quarter of a mile square, and at the time I was there they were still gathering from several directions. Should the night get a little colder these could mostly be destroyed in early morning were the people so inclined. But I am afraid they are not. They do not seem inclined to destroy a single locust without they are paid for doing it. Nearly every day one or more come to my place and want to hire out to me for killing locusts, or they bring some locusts or eggs which they want me to buy. They imagine, since I take interest in the destruction of the pest, that I will also pay them to assist me. They are very much like the old German at the fire in West Point, who, when I asked him to assist in fighting the fire, said "Vat you pay me?" They have no idea about public wellfare [sic]. It is everyone for himself and against everybody else. Other people are of value to the world only so far as they can be made to serve the individual.

I had a letter today from Amy that was written on the 13th of September. She does not seem to find teaching the most pleasant occupation she has ever tried, judging from the tone of her letter allthough [sic] she does not say so in that many words. The six days that she had taught seemed that many weeks. Of course as time progresses and she becomes accustomed to the work time will pass much more rapidly. I remember my first experiences as a teacher and they were something similar to Amy's.

At the same time that I am working on the destructive locusts I am also occupied in making a collection and studying the habits of all the other orthopterous insects that I can find in this country. Thus far I have gathered very close to one hundred different kinds. With the same kind of luck during the next four months I will have at least two hundred to two hundred and fifty distinct species. I am also getting together quite an interesting lot of things for the U. of N. museum. Have just had a copper tank made for holding all kinds of alcoholic specimens, and already have about a dozen good specimens to put in it. Pretty soon it will be too late to collect bird skins when I will have my Swiss boy collect insects, frogs, snakes, lizzards [sic] etc. He is quite handy and learns quickly, so he will be able to much more than earn his wages, about $17 per month and boards himself. Of course I must watch him. Just like most other hired help he can do much more when I am at home than when I am away. Only wish that the location () was a little better for more forms of birds and other animal life than it is. Instead of being in the vicinity of natural timber it is out on a plain many miles away from anything like a grove. Then too, the climate of this portion of Argentina is dry — as dry as that of Colorado Springs but without water for irrigation ditches. There has been but little rain thus far and unless it comes within the next few days the wheat crop will be lost. Last week was terrible hot and dusty. One day the my standard thermometer registered 98 in the shade at 3:30 in the afternoon. A few days before there was frost — quite a change! Still the people here think they have a fine climate. There is scarcely any grass left, the wheat is yellow and almost dried up, and even the weeds that usually keep looking bright and green are and very stunted. Usually at this time of year the country is clothed with vegetation waist high. Now it is not high enough to hide the shoe soles. The drouth has already done more harm than all of the locusts in the country can do.

But I see that my paper is just about filled, so I must come to an abrupt close. Hope that you all continue well and that you are having pleasant weather than we are or than you had some time ago. A kiss to each of the babies and also to yourself.

Yours,
Lawrence Bruner

P.S. I forgot to mention the fact that I am well, am still increasing in weight, and am so thoroughly impregnated with the fumes of onions and garlic that it will take at least a full year to become thoroughly "aired" out, though I air as much as possible all the time. Lawrence

Oct. 17th 1897
Dear Marcia:—
Your letter that was written on Sept. 12th came day before yesterday after going by way of France. You should have put on 10 cts of postage for when it reached Buenos Aires there was 30 cts postage due. Of course the American minister had to pay this amount before forwarding to me. The clippings which you had inclosed [sic] made the excess. All other countries make the ordinary inland limit for letters about 1/2 the weight that we do. The clippings were just what I wanted. They gave me some news outside of the immediate family circle — something that I do not get very often down here unless McCrosky's happen to think of me and send their (Sunday) State Journals and clippings from week day issues which her folks send them regularly each week. Then too I occasionally get to see New York and Pennsylvania papers at Mr. James's house; but these latter only have general news and not Nebraska and Lincon.

I have a copy of the notice you speak of with my picture surrounded by grasshoppers so you needn't worry about it any longer. In fact I have two copies of it, and send you one herewith. Please save it.

During the past week I have remained here in caring for the insects in breeding cages and trying experiments with fungus diseases which latter have been more or less satisfactory in killing the winged insects, though it is on the young or "jumpers" that I expect the best work to be accomplished. Quite a number of the winged insects are now dying hereabouts — partly from the infection from cages and partly from the disease as contracted from those that had died in grass clumps in March, April, and May last. If we only had a little more rain at present I believe that the disease would spread very rapidly both naturally and artificially. The greatest need of the country now is rain. The drouth is excessive in this part of the country at least, and has already caused much more harm to crops and pastures than have the locusts. Whether or not rain now would be of much use in making the wheat crop I cannot say since I do not know enough about conditions here to tell. If not, then there will be as much suffering among the colonists as

we had in western Nebraska and Kansas a couple years ago on account of drouth.

Spring has now begun in earnest and I will not be obliged to write you any more about my sufferings from the cold — at least I hope that I will not. The true, what few there are about here are now green. Insects are beginning to be quite plentiful and my man "Friday" is kept quite busy collecting them and caring for them afterwards. He is getting to be of considerable help to me now and if he continues to improve as rapidly from now on he will succeed in bringing together quite a good collection. During the week that has just closed we collected good series of 9 different kinds of Orthoptera. There were all kinds that lived through winter as jumpers and have gotten their wings just recently. The great majority of these insects are still the egg stage awaiting rain before they can hatch. During December and January will be the big months for collecting them. I have already made arrangements with a couple boys who are now in school, but who will then have their summer vacation, to help in making a collection of insects. They have a collection themselves and I have promised to help them about names and classification in return for what they will do for me.

During the coming week I will probably take another trip to some part of the Republic west or southwest of here, but just where I cannot tell at present. Perhaps to Mendoza and from there to Buenos Aires and back here. Should I do so, hope to see a much more interesting region than any yet visited by me. For later I am beginning to plan a trip across the Andes to Valparaiso Chile and then south through the center of that country as far as railroads run, after which I will recross the Andes and return by way of horseback, boat, stage and railroad to Bahia Blanka and Buenos Aires. This will be my southern trip and I hope to have a man along with me who is well acquainted with the region—an Englishman by the name of Philips. On this trip I hope to have some downright pleasure and to be among the mountains and fine scenery. Hardly expect to start on this trip before Christmas or New Year's, or possibly still later. It will require from three to four weeks to make it.

By a week, or at most, two weeks from now you will have received another draft of $400 . with which to pay expenses and possibly some of Ella Westfall's note. I shall remit again about the 1st of December, and then perhaps not again till I return home unless I should be going via South Africa or Europe and wouldn't care to carry so much money along with me. Have not yet found any diamonds even a gold mine of fabulous wealth but hope to before I have finished with the country, otherwise my trip to South America would have me a poor man save in experience.

Oct. 24th 1897
Dear Little Helen:
It is Sunday to–day here in South America just as it is at home where we see the "stars and stripes" floating in the wind every day. But I can't go to Sunday school because there is none here in Carcaraña. The town is about as big as West Point but there is only one church — and that is Catholic. People work just the same as on other days during the fore-noon, and then in the afternoon they have horse​ races and get drunk. That is a good many of the people do these things. I myself stay at home and write letters during the fore-noon, then go to the hotel for breakfast and in the afternoon if I have anything to read I stay at home and read. If I have nothing to read I just do nothing and sleep. Sundays are my homesick days. Week days I am too busy to think much about home.

I was very much pleased with your letter that came in the same envelope along with one from Psyche and one from baby Alice. Alice must be very cute now that she can run all about and talk. Isn't she? When you write

again tell me more about her. I want to know about Aunt Seba and Grace too. Tell me about everything — your school, the chickens, cats, Fido, Hawley's and whatever else you can think about.

When I take another long trip I will have more to write about and will then write to both you and Psyche.

I hope that you had a nice time during the summer at home and at West Point, and that you helped Mamma take care of the baby some of the time. Didn't you? Of course you did though.

Now that summer is over and you are going to school you will be quite busy learning to read better, to write and to do number work. By the time I come home you will know how to read nearly everything nearly as well as Psyche does now.

I will write a letter to Psyche pretty soon, but can't think of anything to write to her today. Just tell her not to feel slighted for I have written more letters to her than I have to you.

with a hug and a kiss to you and all the others, I am your papa,
Lawrence Bruner

Oct. 31st 1897
Dear Marcia:
Well it is Sunday afternoon again and I am just starting to write my weekly letter home although there is but little to write. Have not had a letter from home so cannot answer any possible questions that you might have asked. Wish that I could be at home this P.M. then wouldn't need to write.

During the past week I staid​ here at so as to continue some experiments that I had underway for the possible destruction of the Argentine locust. On Thursday had gotten so far along with these experiments that I sent a short report on the subject to the Comission​ [sic] at Buenos Aires. I send you a paper in which a mention of this experimentation is printed. Also, a little editorial and one or two other notes with reference to locust matters. Please cut these articles out and save them as I am keeping all the scraps for future use. May want to write a thesis on Argentine Locusts for my "master's" degree, now that I have my first as I understand from one of your letters. Haven't anything in particular to say about this action of the U. of N. authorities in my case. So will merely keep still. If I had something to say would have done so when I first heard about it.

We are still in need of rain in this particular vicinity, but when it will come I cannot say since there are no signs of rain. Then you know that "all signs of rain fail in dry weather." The grass and grain is all dried up. The swarms of locusts have left and now all is quiet here. Even the breeding cages that I have been keeping going for the past 2 or 3 months are about empty.

Expect to start out again either tomorrow or next day for a couple week's run over the northern part of the Republic. Then I will begin to do a little travelling further southward so that I will be ready to go across the mountains to Chile by the first of the year. How the time flies! Just think of it, I only have 4 months more at the most to remain in the country, and perhaps will get through in less time than that. The 5 months that I have been here have gone rather quickly — especially the last two. In fact, October has seemed barely longer than a week in passing.

If the next few months pass as rapidly they will soon be gone and I will be on my way to North America again. Have not been down to Buenos Aires since early in September so haven't seen the McCrosky's but have had a letter from each and another lot of "Outlooks" and "Nebraska State Journals". The last lot contained a good bit about University folks and affairs all of which I was quite glad to read.

By this time you must begin to feel the fall weather more or less keenly. Of course you will have the furnace going before this letter reaches you. My last draft will reach you either this week or next so you will have some money to spend till I can send again about the 1st of December. Had I known it in time I would have arranged to send you a "Christmas box". There was a steamer at Rosario which left yesterday direct for New York, and I might have given the captain the box and had him express it from N.Y. to you on his arrival there. May have another chance though before too late. Will keep a lookout. If not, you must get your own Xmas presents this year and wait till I come home for those from me.

I noticed in one of the State Journals that Prof F.W. Taylor had received a letter from me. Am glad that you don't give all my letters out for publication because I have been "in the papers" enough during the past 7 months to last me awhile, both here and in North America and Europe. I could have been quite prominently before the people here in Argentina ever since I arrived had I desired to pay any attention to newspaper assertions and cared to reply to them. Just today I have been obliged to refute a certain report that I am credited with; viz. that the locusts here lay from eight to eleven times before they die. But such is the result of happening to know a little more than ordinary mortals on some particular subject.

I have been invited out to dinner twice recently both times to Mr. Jameses. These meals at a private house are quite a treat to me, since they give me a rest on garlic and other formidable foods of like nature. Still were you to see me now you would certainly not think that I was starving myself to avoid such food as I would fire out of the back door at home were you to offer it to me. I weighted today in shirtsleeves 173lbs — more than at any other time in my life. Still I manage to get about over the ground about as fast as anybody and do not feel so very uncomfortable either. Wishing you all good health and a pleasant fall. I remain yours.

Lawrence Bruner
P.S. Please ask Mr. Hunter whether they copy of the Australian Agricultural Journal which was sent to Mr. James is to be returned.