National Republican., 1883-03-21

OF the vsrmint-How 20 Prevent its De-
structive Work.
The season is approaching when the careful
housewife will be again subjected to not q
little anxiety as 60 how best to guard against
the small but expensive ravages of this pestif-
erous little insect There is perhaps no
other subject pertaining to the season which
stirs the mind of the feminine community so
much in unison as this one, when the moth
is about toprepare for its yearly evolutionary
progress, and its unusual though not unex-
ceptionable method of reproduction. IL is
just at this critical time IN the insects life
too that we are reminded of newspaper
effusion entitled the "Song Of the Moth,"
which begins as follows:
With my elegant face and my wings OF lace
How lightly the notes of the evening chase, &c.
But to those in care this subject may not
seem quite so poetical, and the second lines
would read much more to the purpose
How lightly the texture of cloth dlsplaco
Where seek in its folds my hiding pluce.
But in order to be more practical we shall
proceed to inform the reader that moth is
the popular name Of q large number and u
great and beautiful variety of Insects included
under the section Nocturna and the order
LepidOpterd. In this order there are three
groups or families-the first two including all
the larger and moro snowy. as well as more
useful varieties. The third group or family,
known to scientists as 7iaed, is the smallest
Of the moth family, but perhaps the number
aud varitios are equally large. The first two
groups present great deal of interesting
study for the naturalist, and the third, last,
and smallest of this insect family is the one
now under consideration.
As the name nOctuyHd indicates, thcy are
night moths. They generally appear late in
tho day or early evening, flying about In n
rather sluggish manner, at which time they
may be easily caught and disposed Of before
they have reached their destination or found
place wherein to deposit their tiny eggs for
it is at this time that they are seeking rich fab
rics-carpets, clothing, furs &c.-wherein to
lay them. The season for incubating is tho
months of May and June.
1t is said that they often exhibit great rich
ness and beauty of coloring, though in bril-
liancy tho butterfly, which belongs to tho
same family, as Is well known, is its superior.
They lay great number of eggs, which also
exhibit varieties of form and color as great as
that Of the insects themselves.
The groups of larger moths, commonly
known as butterflies and hawk moths, also
include, especially In the last group, great
number Of nocturnal insects called night
butterflies and millers, and include all
that can be arranged under those heads
Among these is tho Atlas moth of China,
which covers q space of nino by five and D
half inches with its extended wings, and the
owl moth of Brazil, which expands to eleven
inches These are peculiar to the tropics. In
tho first and second volumes of work just
published by X. & w. Chambers, entitled
British Moths and their Transformation, =
you will find these insects faithfully repre-
sented in all varieties and colors; also the
| chrysalis and the worm as we'll Some of the
plates are very beautiful, as tho worm and
butterfly Is seen associated with the plant ol
flower which it inhabits-all in native colors.
| The silk worm moths are those which arc
useful to mankind, although moths in gen
crlll are considered, and justly 80, as very in
| furious. Nevertheless tho habit which
the insect has Of eating its way ou
| of the silken cocoon which IL hai
spun for itself, is after all the same as thai
which prompts the moth to eat its way
through garments Of costly material with
this difference that while the larvar of many
feed on leaves of various kinds, often destroy
ing valuable crops, the larvar of somo smal
species prove very destructive to clothes, fur
niture, books, furs, &c.
The latter, though among the smallest, il
| tho most destructive. 1t is alluded TO in tn,
scriptures and by the old writer's. In th
species there are several varieties known by
their common names as the bee or wax moth
clothes moth, carpet moth, fur mothH hai
|
structive to wool and its fabrics.
The moth family is, it will ore bethere
seen, a very numerous one. The group Tine
has also three lesser divisions, the first o
which has twenty-four species, the secont
five and the third twenty-eight, and each o
these has its numerous varieties mention
this to show how great is the number an,
variety of this comparatively jnsignifican
creature.
So much for the scientific information
gained on this point but when in searching
we came upon what practical information
there was to be had, we thought that tn
veriest tyro of young housewife could hav
told us quite as much, perhaps more
than we found in books of ancien
the exact phraseology. The best metho,
of protection is to put away everything whicl
moths can destroy before they deposit thei
eggs, which is in May and June to expos
them to sun and air for hours after a goo,
beating to dislodge any insects or eggs; +
brush over their retreats Gf you can fin,
them) with turpentine; to strew camphoI
black pepper, tobacco, or shavings of Russi,
leather among carpets, woolens, furs, or feath
ers when they are put away for the summer
cedar and camphor wood trunks, corrosiv
sublimate, wastings of tobacco, and sulphu
fumigation, and the action of heat or steam
This Is the sum and substance of practical in
formation which is to be obtained about moth
from scientific works US applied to protection
from them for the household.
We might add that printers ink, o
old newspapers wrapped about clothing o
placed under carpets, is also convenient AM
effective means Of prevention. Any stron
scented herb, or the fragrance of any of th
essential oils is offensive to the delicate seen
of the mdth-mother. For, after all, il is tn
female, as is usual, who is responsible for al
the mischief and this is so very funny tina
we like to cater to this view of things.
Tho American Encyclopedia" says Will
speaking in general terms of this order, tina
the antennas are usually tapering, eithe
naked or feathcred, varying according to sex
and amplest in the males Some females hay
very small rings, OF none at all, and the hin,
legs have two pairs of spurs. But the En-
cyclOpedia" does not tell us whether male
have two pairs, or one, or none at all
Reasoning from analogy we might tax
it for granted that spurs wer
common to both sexes, since mill
tary duty in general is confined to th
males in the human species For IL spur
were not common 10 the male moth, it wouI
necessarily be understood that the femal
moth, being by nature armed with weapon
of defense, and in some cases stripped of he
wings, must necessarily become common
drudge aud fighter. y
Thus far we have talked only of the thir
order, Tinea LepMQpterd but the two other
| .aaI - .l.,-a u. L.