Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1879-06-18
For the Freeman.
A Chat with Farmers.
BY AGRICOLA.
ABOUT NoXIoUs INSECTS.

ABOUT NONlOUS INSECTS.
The insect world, like other races OF
animals, is made up Of the good and the
bad. The benefits which we derive from
the good are not very obvious, though they
are real. The injuries we suffer are be-
coming more and more apparent every
year. 1t is important, therefore, that we
have an introduction to our insect friends
and enemies, that we may know how to
treat them.
Destructive insects have their appointed
tasks in the economy of nature and are
limited as to what they can do. Like
mortals they are exposed to many acct
dents through the influence of the elements,
and they fall Il prey TO numerous animals
whose mission seems to be to check their
increase. Too often we defeat the natural
means contrived for our protection by
killing those birds or other animals that
destroy the noXious insects. Nature has
provided plant food for every tribe, but
civilization, by cutting away the forest
trees and shrubs and other plants that
once covered the soil, has DESTROYED the
balance between insect and plant life, and
driven the insects TO the cultivated field.
The destruction Of the sect-eatinC quad
ruped, bird and reptile has resulted in the
great increase of insects. Foreign insects
have been introduced into countries where
they were unknown before, through colo
nization and commerce. 1t has been by
such means that noXious insects have null
| tipled to an undue extent in our fields,
storehouses and dwellings. No new
species have been created, but old ones
| have been increased and introduced into
regions where they have never appeared
| before.
As already stated, the potato beetle,
formerly known only on his own table
lands, has found his way into every cult
waited potato field in the nation.
Before we proceed further in treating
our subject, it seems proper that our read
ers should have an introduction to some
Of the noxiOus insects. The subject i.
particularly important to all Interested il
agriculture and gardening. And who i:
not interested in these pursuits?
The word insect means "cut into OF
notched," and expresses the chief charac-
terstic of this group of animals whose
body is marked by several cross-li lines OF
missions. The segments between thes,
cross-lineS consist of IA number of iointet
) pieces which are movable on each other.
Insects have very small brain, ant
r hence very little if any intelligence. They
have no spinal marrow like other animals
but instead, knotted cord extendn!
from the brain to the hinder extremities
! and numerous nerves extend from thu
brain and the knots TO every part Of thu
body. They have no lungs, but as sub
! stitute two large air pipes, and Il larg
number of smaller ones within. thei
bodies through which the air circulates
Some species have special breathing hole
in their extremities, and others breath
through gils. The latter, of course, liv,
in the water. The heart of the insect is
long tube lying under the skin of tn
back "a curious place 10 locate the heart
This heart is furnished with little hole
which are capped with valves for the ad
> mission of the juices of the body. Tn
5 insect like mankind, has two hearts sep
t arated by partition in which there is
, hole closed by valve, 10 regulate the cir
culation of the blood. This blood is no
: red, but nearly colorless, and it does no
t circulate in arteries and veins, but is force
from one part of the heart to the other