The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1876-04-21

. 4
eft can come from the study of then
l have known parents to discourage thei
children from the stAldy of these littl
animals because it promised no practices
benefit. But the same argument woul
apply to the majority of the literary an
scientific pursuits that occupy intell
gent people; and, judged by this narro1
and material standard, most of that whic
is taught in our schools is valueles:
What does the butcher, or the grocer, o
the baker, or, indeed, the ordinary bus
ness man, intent on accumulating a fsI
tune, or engrossed with the cares an,
necessities of life, care about geography
or geology, or chemistry, or astronomy
or mathematics? What connection hav
these, or tie fine arts, OF philosophy
with his pursuit Does it help his busi
ness to know the source of the Nile o
the nature of the Polar seas; to soa
among the stars and conceive of tn,
| growth and death of worlds; to know
the age arb with " of this bail of mate
on which he treads? Will his coal burr
any better for the knowledge of its Origin
and nature? Does it help him, in driv
ing a bargain, to know how many king
| England has had, or when Washington
|
| important place in the civilized world
history, though l. has no connection witt
| any of the practical affairs of life. Yet
every person in my audience recognize:
the advantages of all 0such studies; anC
the child who is deferred from them be
cause they are not profitable, in the
money getting sense, is very apt to be
come a narrow-minded and mlserly man.
incapable of that large enjoyment of life
that follows the full development of his
faculties. Says Shakespeare, What is a
man, if his chief good and market for
his time be but to sleep and feed? A
beast-no more" There is no sadder
sight than a sordid and penurious child.
In short, as ] have elsewhere said, in
common with all the other sciences, en-
tomology, viewed solely as an educator,
enriches the human mind by adding
to its store of knowledge, and has few,
if any, equals as a means of developing
the observing faculties of the young.
The life-habits of insectS-their won
derful metamorphoses, their instructive
ndustries-furnish ample food for re-
Election, and for our natural love of the
curious and marvellous; and it is sur
prising that the fact has not been more
fully recognized in cur educational sys-
TENS. Botany has long since had her
place in our schools, and her import
ance as a means of mental training is
net ignored. Yet lessons in animal life
the histories of living; sentient, ac-
tive creatures-can certainly be made as
instructive and entertaining as lessons in
vegetative plant-life, and should receive
as much or more attention.
COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS OF INSECTS.
Insects play a most important role in
the economy of nature. 1st, as scaven-
gers, in removing offensive animal and
vegetable material which would other
wise poison the air we breathe; I'd, in
the fertilization of plants, many of which
would remain sterile, without their little
winged pollinizers; Sd, in furnishing
food to hosts of other animals. In all
these, and in other ways, they are indi-
Tectly beneficial to man-nay, essential
to his very existence, for if some of the
lower supports in the complicated struc
ture OF the living world which has man
fer it's apex and outcome were to be re-
moved, the whole structure would top
pie over and collapse. We receive some
direct benefits, also, from insects; and,
not to dwell on those which have been
and are yet being used as human food,
will briefly indicate some of the other
ways in which they benefit us, by an il
which have previously used.
1t is an imaginary case of a young lady
dressing for an evening party.
Her card of invitation is written with
ink, the principal ingredient in which
if it is good inks the gallic acid made
from the so-called "gall-nut" produced !
BY a little gall fly on the leaves of a
species of oak very common throughout !
yhe Levant. The sealing-wax which |
astens the envelope inclosing the invi-
5atiOn is made mainly of shellac, the pro- |
luct of species of bark-louse found on
various trees, such as the Juiube and In
If course, illumined with wax tapers,
md for these she is indebted to the COM
non honey-bee, a naturalized American
citizen. II she is fashionable young
adv, the very rouge on her cheeks is
he bark-louse above mentioned or from |
he cochineal. The silk that enter into
various portions of her dress comes from
he silk-worm. artificially prOpagated in
many parts of Europe and Asia and now
n some parts of our own country. Her
lress is probably dyed with cochineal, an
extract from the dead bodies of another
pecies of bark-louse artificially prOpa-
-ated on cacti in Mexico. Finally, if the
,oung lady contracts some infammatory
old, the chances are that her physician
will apply to her person blister pre-
jared from cantharides, the dried and
l. E Oh hoo 1
lie, of which we annually import large
Quantities at great expense, though we
AVE many indigenous species which
ave the same qualities.
All these articles have commercial
which few people suspect.
over 100000 human beings derive
heir sole support from the silk industry.
treat Britain alone pays annually over
i 200, 600 for cochineal insects and as
much more for shellac. The United
,tates produces annually nearly 10000
90 pounds of honey, and about 100000
ounds of wax.
.ELATIoNs OF INSECTS TO AGRICULTURE.
But these direct benefits are most
rihing compared to the injury that in
ects do us. Not to speak of domestic
ests, nor of those which spoil our silks
nd furs, nor of those which prey upon
ur timber and cause ships to sink and
to fall-the damage inflicted
n our agriculture by species that destroy
ur crops is so great as scarcely to be
reamed of except by those who have
iven the subject careful attention.
Torace Greeley, in "What l Know OF
'arming," wrote:
eft | were to estimate the average
lss per annum to the farmers of this
Ountry from insects at 800, 100000.
hould doubtless be far below the mark.
he loss of fruit alone by the devasta
ions of insects, within a radius of fifty
niles of this city, must amount in value
D millions. In my neighborhood the
each once fourished, but 1ourishes no
lore, and cherries have been all but an
Inflated. Apples were till lately our
1Ost profitable, and perhaps our most
product; but the worms have
AIKEN half our average crop, and sadly
amage what they do not utterly destroy.
'lums we have ceased to grow or expect;
ur pears are generally stung, and often
lighted even the currant has at last It's
worm. We must light
ur paltry adversaries more efficiently,