Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1871-12-02

lows all capture great variety of the fly
ing insects and sometimes destroy the so
called appleslugs in great numbers.
Probably very few persons have any idea
what the state of things would be if the
birds were all destroyed, other things re-
naming rs they now are. 1t can not be un-
profitable for us to devote Il few words to this
part of our subject. There are in the State
of Vermont probably not less than eight
hundred species of Lepidopterous insectsG.e.
the moths and butterilics,) and in the whole
United States there are not less, probably,
than four thousand. But leaving the rest of
the states let us coniine ourselves to our own
and see what results we can obtain. If we
suppose the number of species in this state
to be eight hundred, the increase will be
something like this: each female lays on the
average three hundred and fifty eggs but we
will place the number ut three hundred. Now
suppose that in this year, 1871, there exists
only one pair of each species, there would
be during the year 100000 eggs produced
which would develop into 100000 caterpill-
ars. Ii half of these were females, next
year we should have 100000 pairs of insects
which would produce 80, ,000,0 900 of caterpil-
lars Tor 1873, and so on, so that in five years
there would come from the unchecked in
crease OF only one pair of each species l2l5,-
OOO, O,OOOOOO 900 of caterpillars OF two hundred
millions for every single acre in the state. 1t
Is true that us the arrangement of things now
Is, not one IN. hundred, if indeed one in
thousands OF these eggs ever reaches Ii;tturi-
~, put the great agents of destruction are the
Dlrds. Ihe various species of ichneumon
iiles ana other parasites destroy great num-
bers however. Making all possible deduc-
tlohs On account OF all the destructive inilu-
ehces' except the birds, we have left a very
large figure, and if this is multiplied by the
number of pairs actually living on and, us
all Know, of some kinds there are thousands,
the product is something appalling. But us
tonishing rs this view of the case is it is by
no means complete.
The Lcpidoptera constitute only small
part of the insect world. 1t is indeed that
which probably contains most injurious in.
sects, but other groups are not to be over
looked. We have. for instance, the vas
numbers of beetles, to which group belong
the various tree borers, weevils and curculi
os; others of this tribe devour the leaves
bark, flowers and fruit of trees and plants
and many very troublesome bugs belong t
this group. Then among the grasshoppers
locusts, crickets and the like there are man,
pests. Among the flies, there are the Hes
sian fly, wheat fly, bot flies and Others. Their,
are in other groups different kinds of more o
less troublesome insects So that If we brin,
all these insect foes together we find an arm.
of enormous size, an army sufficient, il al
lowed to go on unchecked, to ravage tn
most fertile country more hopclessly than TIN
widest horde of savages or the fiercest con
} f;igration. Man is almost powcrless to checl
this invading host, all his ingenuity and al
J his knowledge has been again and agail
brought to bear upon the evil, and with s.
small results as to be almost in vain. II
show how far mans resources avail him il
this matter let me quote a fact or two iron
an article by Dr. Brewer in one of our popu
7 lar periodicals. In 1852 the forests of Lithu
ania were ravaged by the caterpillars of on
i. of the butterflies and although, aware Of tn
t danger, the landholders set the peasantry a
work collecting the eggs, larvae and adult
t and used every means in their power to pre-
vent the evil yet it continued till thousand
q of acres were ruined. The total loss mus
3 have been enormous; that in II single dis
D triet was estimated at $5S,000,000. And yt
= no one familiar with their habits can doul
t that had not the European Jays been almos
: exterminated in these same forests fey