The Portland daily press., 1881-07-27
The Household.
Let not the Moth Corrupt

Let not the Moth Corrupt.
This is the season when good housekeepers
will not forget the dark corners of the house
where the cloth and fur moths carry on their
work of destruction. How many thought
less persons have hung up, or laid away
choice robes, blankets, or other goods of fur
or wooden to be forgotten till destroyed by
the work of these tiny Insects. Many per-
sons who consider themselves good, careful
housekeepers of property, who always make
point OF packing away furs and blankets i'll
the spring, in moth tight chests or bags,
sometimes do forget that these little insects
which were not created without a purpose,
will find other material in which to live and
propagate their kind beside the costly furs
and woolens. 1t is the cast-oH clothing, the
bundle of patches and fragments, that are
seldom oyerhauled that make the most Sc
cure harbor for cloth moths, and which al
lows them to continue the propagation of
the species on our premises. 1t is not the
STEEL that is constantly used, but the tool
that is laid away that gathers rust. SO it is
not the coat that is worn which needs
watching, but the one that is hung up for
special occasions.
People are both ignorant and careless con-
corning the work and habits-of insects, and
were not mankind aided by other forces out
side himself, the insect tribes would soon so
overrun the world, as to make our lives
here no longer endurable. 1t has been cal
culated that single pair of one kind of
grasshoppers, if allowed TO breed unrestrict-
ed for twelve years, would multiply in such
numbers that the progeny would outweigh
the earth. Every form of animal life has
some important part to play in the great
ocean of life. Nature aims to keep every
thing busy, doing some kind of useful work.
The living plant is slowly decomposing
the mineral elements of the earth and rocks,
and building up leaf and wood. The dead
plant is not allowed to remain to incumber
the ground, but is attacked by some form of
insect life which sooner or later reduces the
solid timber to the finest dust. 1t is said
that, were it not for the carpet moth, the
world would be i'll danger of becoming
clogged with the accumulation of fur, wool
and hair, substances which are almost in
dstructable by ordinary means of decompo
sition.
While smarting under the pain, we are
sometimes tempted to wish that the mosqui-
toes were eXterminated from off the face of
the earth, but until mankind learns how to
keep the waters of the earth sweet and pure
by other means and without. help of the lit
tie wigglers, he had better not curse the
mosquito.
When a WOODEN garment is past its days OF
usefulness, it had better be burned, buried,
or If ones conscience will allow, sold to the
shoddy manufacturers, for good shoddy is
far better in its place, than moth eaten old
rags. At any rate, do not let the house, the
barn, or any of the outbuildings become the
catch-all and receptacle for all the cast off
old wooden and fur of the household.
Would the moths confne their operations to
the old material, no harm would be done,
but life aims to provide for all her children,
and when the old material is all consumed,
the moth has no conscientious scruples that
will prevent her from dep0siting her eggs in
the new carpet, or in the folds of the Sun
day wardrobe.
Be it known, however, that instinct or
something else teaches the parent moth to
lay her eggs where they will be least liable
to be disturbed. The blanket that is spread
every day, and the garment that is worn, is
comparatively safe from her depredations.
The danger lies in dark corners, in clothes
rooms, in garrets that are seldom visited,
and whenever moth food is left without
suitable care and protection. Perfectly
tight chests, drawers, or fine cotton bags,
make secure places Of deposit for articles
we would protect, and apartments that are
often visited, and goods frequently handled
or worn are comparatively safe. The nice
ly upholstered family carriage, if used every
week, and busted and washed as often as it
needs it, will rarely be injured by these little
pests, but if kept, ''to keep" and especially,
if stored in dark apartment, will pref
ty surely sooner or later be found badly
moth eaten. Church organs, where wooden
is used for packing the valves, depreeia'e
much more rapidly during vacations" than
when the house is occupied continuously.
We allude to this subject, at this time, be-
cause we are sure there are thousands of
cases at this moment that should receive
immediate attention. Shake, sweep, bury
or burn is the order now for good many
housekeepers.-N.E E. Farmer.