The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1883-09-21
The Pestilenca Of Insects.

Either we are a very patient or long
suffering race of men in this age or the
auoients were very easily disturbed.
For it would be difficult to perceive
how the plague. of insects could be
much worse than it now is, and yet
farmers could live. Fully one-third of
the farmers time is now occupied in
fighting insects or, if not, one-third of
his crop is lost by ravages, which comes
in the end to the same thing. 1t is GER
tainly sore trial, and it is increasing
in its proportions, until the time must
soon arrive when something must be
done about it. 1t has already become
so serious matter as to set thoughtful
farmers considering if legislation should
not be evoked to help in its repression.
1t is quite useless for any one farmer to
make an effort to save his crops. 1t
would be equally useless for four out of
five, so long as the fifth makes his farm
a nursery for new generations. The
HeSsian fly is now disturbing our peace
of mind, and the farmer who sows wheat
does SO in fear lest his crop may be
destroyed Thousands of fields of
wheat were partially destroyed last
fall by this insect, and appeared dead
and bare in the Spring. The loss was
in many cases attributed to the effects
of the weather; too much snow here
too little snow there; too much rain, or
too little in other places, but it was this
little hidden pest which did the mis-
chief, and it promises to be very iniu-
rious this season, which has been favor
able for its increase. The most effect
i've remedy, viz, burning the stubble
and clearing away the grass from the
fences. is of no use so long as a neigh
Dor leaves this too late to be of use, or
leaves it undone altogether. One acre
will produce flies enoughfor hundred,
and there will be enough to 90 around
even then. 1t is not too late to take this
best of all preventive measures now, If
only every farmer could be induced or
forced to do it. eT
1t is the same with all other kinds. of
which we can mention but a few. The
potato beetle, the apple-worm, the web
worm, the curculio or plum weeyil, the
cut-worm, the white grub, the onion
fly, the canker-worm, the bent cater
pillar, the peach, apple and ounce
borer, and all the rest of the tribes of
noxious insects are true pestilence
which is beyond our power to cure, but
within our ability to prevent. 1t is pre-
cisely the same as the pestilencc of dis
ease, the yellow fever and the Asiatic
cholera of mankind, and the Contagious
disorders of cattle, which we are quite
helpless to control but of which we
may prevent the existence. And aslaws
are made for the purpose. of presenting
the existence of these pestileCces, so
we require law to meet this peSrilence
of insects. 1t is plain that the plague
cannot be staid any other way, or that
the loss, which is fully one-third of the
products of the farmers labor. and
which>is equivalent to puNlic calamity,
cannot be avoided by any other method.
In the meantime we would urge
own way. just now the potato beetles
are less numerous than they have been
for years, and it will be easy to make
and end of them. Ii only not one was
permitted to escape on the whitening
vines, now that the crop of tubers is
safe, and every larva and beetle were
killed, they would disappear. perhaps for
ever. The same applies to the cabbage
worm, which is just now playing havoc
with the late crop. If all the worms
were killed there would be no seed left
for another year, and so too with the
apple-worm, if all the fallen fruit were
destroyed. Europeans are wiser than
we. The French are in dread of
parasite weed known as dodder, plant
which twines about their clover and
lucern and destroys it. When infor-
nation is lodged before French mag
istrate, that farm or field IS infested
with dodder, he proceeds with his con-
stables to the place, spreads straw
over the infected spots and burns it
completely There is an end of it.
And so the Germans annihilated our
Colorado beetle when it appeared in
their fields. The farm was carefully
burned over, every beetle was killed,
and rigid search was kept up until it
was certain that net one had escaped.
Then only did the Germans rest in
peace. And these were not individual
efforts, but were made in accordance
with laws to that end, or tits most
probable they would have either not
been made at all or would have been
ineffective. Henry Stes0att, IN N. 7.
Times. ~ o3lia3 $50