Smyrna times., 1874-04-15
What is the Use of It."

Says the Philadelphia Ledger: Many of
the readers of the Ledger during their visits
or excursions to the rural districts have prob
ably seen men armed with small hoop nets,
who were not " fishing but only catching
bugs and butterflies and moths and beetles
ana other insects, which, when caught, are
closely examined and then carefully put away
IN satchels adapted to the purpose Some of
the observers have doubtless thought what
IS the good OF it?'' and especially of the ugly
looking bugs-they have probably wondered
What the bug hunters want with them. Well,
these bug hunters are what are called entomo-
loSlSts. Some Of them are mere curious anna
teurs, and some Of them are highly cultivated
scientific men, who study tho nature and habits
OF insects, so as to turn their knowledge to ac-
count tor the general service of mankind
Their studies have already been of great val
ue to the planter, the farmer and the gardener
An understanding of what insects are harmless
as regards the growing crops, and what are
destructive, has come to be matter of con-
siderable Importance. Such understanding is
furnished by the gentlemen land the ladies'
whose seemingly useless pursuit of butterflies,
bugs and beetles has excited the surprise of
the unlnltiated observers.
| 80 important has the study become in its
economic aspects that Governments extend aid
and encouragement 10 it, and our own is one
|
ton, and having published quite a body of
literature on the subject through the Reports
OF the Patent Office and the Agricultural Bu-
reau. There are great many books (some of
| them very COSTLY devoted exclusively to the
description OF insects and their habits and es-
peclally of their food, for it is mainly with
! respect to achdt they eat that they are either
harmless OF destructive to the planter, the far
mer. and the gardener. The army worm.
! Oft had L,,k 81
than hundred years, destroyed millions of
dollars worth Of grain in 1861. The wheat
nudge and IIesslnn fly destroyed several mil
hon dollars worth of wheat in New York in A
single year. 1t is said that the State of Maine
could raise hundred thousand bushels of
wheat year but for the ravages of these two
insects and the loss to the southern planters
by the " cotton boil worm" the army worm
and the " "chlnch- bug is enormous every few
years. The wire worm alone consumed in
one Department of France nearly million dol
lars worth OF gram and was the cause OF de
heent harvests for successive years. In Ger
many whole forests were consumed bv the lar.
vac OF species OF worm, and thousands of fir
trees had to be cut down because the trees
were attacked by insects Such facts as these
make entomology an economic study The
agrlculturlSt, in the brOadest sense. as a grower
OF fruits as well as grain and other crops. clas.
>ihes insects into two categories the friends
and toes OF his crops, according as they are
cIrnivOrOus flesh eaters) or herbivorous (hor-
bage eaters, and it iS necessary to distinrui>h IA
carefully between them, This the entomalo-
glSt enables the agricuiturists to do. PROBES
sOr L,dy, of the University of PENNSYLVANIA.
has gained great reputation by his Flora and
Fauna with Living Animals; and the tho
rough and exhaustive study h. has given Ia
his work has gone far to put limits to the fear
of any excessive or unlimited growth of ami
NAL life at the cost of fruit and grain The
work of protection is always well done by birds
whose habits are well vouched for. In France
the Government solemnly extends its protec
ton to buzzards and rocks, because each Of the
former consume about six thousand field mice
yearly, and the latter eat an incalcutabIe NUN.
Der of white worms. In Hungary, and after
wards in Prussia, to the discontinue of Fred
erick the Great, who had ordered their exile
from his garden, the sparrOws were found TO
be the farmers best friend aud here, in Phil
adelphia, we have reason to be grateful for the
protection they give our trees from that ugly
enemy, the measuring worm.
Each fruit and shade tree, each garden
shrub and vegetable has a host of insects pc
culiar to it. which year after year renew their
attacks. Upwards of fifty species of insects
prey upon cereals and grapes; as many infest
our field crops thirty we'll known species raw
age our garden vegetables; there are nearly
fifty species which attack the grape vine, and
their number is increasing; about seventy five
species make their annual onset upon the apple
tree, and nearly an equal number may be
found upon the plum pear, peach and cherry.
Over City species infest the oak, twenty five
the elm, seventy-five the walnut, and over one
hundred prey upon the pine. A list Of the
snsect pests which gather about our flowers
rIa taxi Lob an1 -
trees would extend to several hundred. Every
year witnesses the attacks of new enemies, that
appear as the forests are cut down, and tEeir
natural food plants are destroyed. The wan
ton killing Of insect. eating birds tends to steady
increase in the number of noxious insects.
These remarks have been prompted by q
notice that Mr. A. s. Packard, Jr., one of OuI
highly meritOrious American naturasts, has
begun the publication of an illustrated seria
) work on the Insects of the Garden" in the
new monthly, Half Hour Recreatons in
} Natural History" In this he undertakes tC
supply in familiar way a fuller knowledge o
} entomology in its economical aspects, so thai
the farmers and gardeners may to some extent
be enabled to guard against the ravagss Of de-
: structive insects.
PITY FOR A LONELY YOUNG MAN.-O. w
Holmes, in the May atlantic, writes as fol
r lows: 81 know nothing in the world tendrel
than the pity that kind hearted young gir
! has for young man who feels lonely. 1t i,
true that these dear creatures are all compass