The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1877-04-11
What Il Costs to Feed Insects.

What It Costs to Feed Insects.
There are about thousand species Of
insects in this country, says the Sciers-
tgac american, which are injurious to
our grian, forage, and field crops, our
garden vegetables, fruit crops, and for
est and fruit trees. Among them few
are specially destructive. In 1875, it is
said, as many as ten thousand settlers
were driven out Of Kansas by grasshop-
pers. In Missouri, according to State
Entomologist Riley, the damage done by
these insects in 1874 exceeded $15, ,OOO,-
600, and he estimates the losses in other
parts of the West as twice as much
more, in all, $45, 900, 900 for one years
support of these pests. During the
same year, the destruction of growing
crops by the chinch bug amounted to
1000, 900 in Missouri alone, Just ten
years before, in Illinois, the same insect
occasioned loss of over $73, 900, 600 in
single season. The average annual dam
age to the cotton crop Of the country by
the cotton army worm is estimated at
$50, 100000 The devastating potato
beetle is capable of deducting other mil
| lions from the annual profits of our agri-
culture, and the thousand other insect
plaques are easily competent to swell
the aggregate annual board bill Of their
kind to something Like $500, 900, ,0O0, ac-
cording to the estimates of Professor
Packard, whose conclusions on subject
like this are well worthy of respect.
| If this enormous sum, or even hall pt
it, could be saved, it would soon amount
to enough to pay the national debt.
The question whether it can be saved, or
any portion of it, is certainly worth con-
sidering. Professor Packard is confident
that, with care and forethought, based
on the observation of facts by scientific
men, from fifty to hundred million
dollars of this annual loss could easily
be preve, ted by a little cooperation be.
tween the several States and the general
government. He would have the former
emulate the practical good sense OF Mis-
souri, and each appoint salaried ento-
mologist. Then these gentlemen, acting
| in connection with United States COM
missioner Of entomologists, might issue
weekly bulletins, perhaps in combination
with the weather signal bureau, report
ing the condition Of the insect world,
forewarning farmers and gardeners from
| week to week of the insect enemies to
be guarded against, and suggesting the
preventive and remediable means tina
should be adopted. The cost would be
comparatively slight; the possible good
| immense. ..-
Take for illustration the grasshoppers,
or, more properly, locusts, of the West.
They breed chiefly on the great plains
beyond the Mississippi, from Minnesota
to Texas. In summers Of unusual drouth
they multiply enormously, and the sup.
ply of food being short they are forced
to migrate.
Professor Packard tells, Of swarm of
locusts, first observed at Boulder city,
Colorado, which Travelled six hundred
niles to devastate Eastern Kansas and
Missouri. It's original home was some
where in Wyoming, perhaps two or three
hundred miles northward Of Boulder city.
The locusts fly with the wind; and as the
general direction of the wind i'll those
parts during the summer season is pretty
well known, the movements OF the locust
armies can already be predicted with
tolerable accuracy. But more knowledge
is needed, particularly with regard to the
meteorological features of the western
country, and the relation of locust mi
grations to wind and weather. In the
pursuit of those investigations, Professor
Packard Justly urges that the meteorolo-
gists and entomologists must go hand In
hand. The..government has provided
well organized corps Of weather observ-
ers, and the addition of q few competent
entomologists would increase the outlay
but little, while the resultant good would,
in all probability, be very great. 1t
would certainly be so if, as seems by no
means unreasonable, the service should
be able to master the conditions OF 10
Gust years." and be able to tell with
good degree of certainty when locust in
vasions are likely to occur, and how they
may be prevented.
In his plea forsuch observations IN the
West, Professor Packard observes that
"not only should the border States, es-
pecially Texas, Kansas, Nebraska, Min
nesota. and Iowa, employ entomologists,
following the liberal policy OF Missouri,
which for eight years has had State en-
tomolopist, whose reports have proved
of incalculable practical value to the peo-
pie of that State; but the habits OF the
locust need first of all to be thoroughly
studied in the Territories, particularly In
those of Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Da-
kota, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, and in
the new State of Colorado. A commits
sion of entomplogists should be appoint
ed to make thorough study OF the TO-
Gusts in the Territories mentioned. 1t
would seem that the recommendation
made at the recent meeting of Western
governors, at Omaha, to the effect that
an appropriation be passed by Congress,
and q commission be attached to the ex-
isting United States geological survey of
the Territories (Hayden's), is the most
feasible and economical method of secur-
ing the speediest and best results.
This is but one feature of the work
that might be done with profit toward
forsstalling the depredations OF insects,
regular and periodical; work which
must, sooner or later, be undertaken,
and may ultimately prove as beneficial
to the country as the weather predictions
have been.
Hurrying to the Store.
During the last dull season a we'll
known Chicago merchant was observed