The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1891-07-26
TROUBLE AHEAD FOR THEM.
vrrN0 OUT FOES OF THE CROPS WITH
ARTIFICIAL DIsEASEa
Esssts Now Naki.s 70 Iaeeai.ts Cabbage
csterpiiiars with Observation-Disclosures
Chinch bugs with Disease - Faneus
TreubIes to Order for Cut worns-Fiori-
a.. Newly Fsuua Phosphate BEDS.


TroubIes to Order for Gus worns-Fiori-
a.. Newly Fs..a Phosphate Bess.
WARRINGTON, July 25-When N. Pastsur. q
nv years ago proposed to kill OF the rabbits
Al Australia by Introducing among them .
Contagious disease OF . fatal character. hu-
.,nl,srians exclaimed OH" What will they
,hink Of similar plans, which bid fair to DO
vid.ly adopted before long. for wiping out
various bugs that attack the crops ? There Is
tho cabbage worm. for example, about an inch
and . half long. with special appetite
for the vegetable in question. 1t Is subject to
a singular AID very deadly disease. caused BY
bacteria, as consumption and TYPHOID lever
are in man. Does the latter sympathiAo with
tho unhappy caterpillar on that account On
tho contrary. scientists arc forming plan Tor
snrsadinr the complaint among cabbage
worms In general to such an extent that tho
species shall bs exterminnted. Prof Gallo.
WAY, who superintends the Government plant
hospital has Just received small con-
alignment OF germs Of the malady from Florida,
where tho insect commits groas havoc. and
he Is ptopAgatng them b. my.iads attilcially
in corLed tubes Ai!eI with Ge.atine 1t will DO
easy enough 10 prepare aduan'ity OF beei teA-
on that diet all bacteria Er.ed!ly feed and null
py-and transform 1t within lew hours. by
simply introducing q Few bacteria as an inSrsd-
lent into a solution. every drop OF which con.
tains thousands Of lively microbes. All that
remains theoretically will be to spray tho
LIQUID, Is II it wore any insccticide. upon the
iuics,ed cabbages. and any worm that Is
touched By particle Of 1t must die.
The manner IN which those bacteria attack
and consume the caterpillar Is astonishing. As
q rule, thsy begin By assailing the third seg-
nent o, the animal from tho tail. They
literally eat IL up. transforming its fisshy
substance into so much decomposed matter.
and 50 quickly do they do their work that the
victim is dead usually within twenty.four
hours after it Ia hrst troculated. 1t turns
gradually from bright green to brown. and
finally to b.ack-a loAthsome corpso. Within
four days the worm is SO completely ao-
sorbed By the morbid process that
nothing is lett OF 1t except. literally. .
grease spot. specimens sent to Prof Gallo
way In wooden pill boxes have disappeared
entirely within week. each worm leaving
only small stain to show hat once thsre had
been . caterpillar. Not only docs the sprink-
ling serve 10 disseminate the tai com plant,
but the latter Is spread also by every inf ected
worm wherever 1t goes. so that half q dozen
might distribute the epidemic through . whole
cabbage patch and 20 rid 1t OF every caterpillar
within few days. The bacteria arc readily
procured for propagation from the cadaver OF
the insects killed. which arc filed with
the germs. OF coursa A platinum wire intro
duced into tho substance Of one OF the black
and shrivelled bodies, and thereupon touched
10 some gelatins in atubs. will produce thriv.
ing colony oT-hand The truck gardener can
easily be taught to manufacture his own bac-
terra solution. half . barreliui a. a time. for
distribution with an atomizer. and tho natural
spread Of tho disease will clear whole districts
Of the worms moro or less permanently. Such.
1t oil events. 10 the theory.
Itremains to b seen what will result from
similar measures that are being taken against
The chinch bugs in the West, which do such
enormous damage to wheat. corn. and ether
grains. getting into tho tunnel-shaped part Of
the leaves where they Join tho stalks and
sucking tho sap OF the plants until they die.
Prof. Snow OF Kansas 10 trying. with the aid Of
. $1,000 appropriation. to introduce among
them TIVE different bacterial diseases Of . fatal
nature. and surprising accounts are given Of
the manner in which . few inocul.ted insects
their Kind. causing destruction to myrisds
Other bugs elsewhere in the United states
complaints As arc best Calculated to DESTROY
them. !, 1, thought that the ma'ady SO deadly to
ne cabbage worm may 20 equally fatal to
and at tn. present time experiment. are being
made With view to :nocuatins the boil " orm
tor secreting itself in the boil OF tn. plant, is
not e ssd,i Esasneth BY .dt ary iDSef;i:idss
ierred tn. the ruthless scientis OF Kansas arc
trying to tnoculate the chinch bugs wholesale
ib. +, ~ ln Wssn are very
~ stuck on n window pane and surrounded
with sort Of halo Of white. cooweoby sub
Stanc:, the latter Is a fungus BY which it has
van mi IND tpap
ficted in like manner. Abroad. for some years
past. ef1srts have boon made {" exterminate To-
bugs By spreading fungus diseases among
them. with partial success. creature
eoIssponding TO the June bug. OF this
Europe. and it is at present being attacked by
the snms means Germs are easily got by
ss.tsd ike the bacteria Tor sDrayina. 20 &o G
over. every insect infected distributes the
snores OF the fungus, corresponding to seeds.
trtl ut~d. Ths most remarkable bug eating
inngus 70 q fungus that grows out o. q cater
pI1si ias a snms p me
Nature 80 pro. id-s thai. whenevor An insect
sass fungus Or Sae.erai which b's. X out
s , Tss S the Ts.s
spr m. sss: AID
EIlIuk - IcT
sent cen o! them according t, the reckoning u
the Department o. Agriculture. and tho next
Ssir there wero hardly ans Tso
oao ehioch bug .yoars never come
toRs'heL As quickly as trey reach
snch numbers as to overset natures balance
o. ne epdemics wip. them out whoie.ale. IL
S'ne same way with ali snrts OF other bugs.
1ae inevitable epidemic each time reduces the
sfming tn . to few, which grow in num-
CS.s year alter year until tho season comes for
s9oth rlacuet 10 reduce them to the bottom
~ .ne scale again. and so ad infpitum. To
ilinsfrats the rapidity with which microbes
mutltiy. \ is stated On eminent scientific
antho.i.y that, II all tile oceans were comnosed
o. oeSi yea. aslngis baet<rium would I'LL them
Sps'i!o VIII It's progeny within thirty dsya
fLoRIpA's UNDERGROUND WEALTH.
An expedition OF the GEOLOGICAL Survey has
phats beds in That State. Which, arc undouSt-
$a!y The moot wonder ul deposits OF their kind
EiGe world. For period covering SO many
;h;.,ons o! years mat no ono would sver
,sak ~ frying TO- reckon tho tina.
,Sss beds were being formed under
u ne sea by billions OF gsnsrations Of
I,9,!asls and other shellhsh. big and
,' s, which died aud added their limy re-
Fms 10 thu steadily increasing deposits.
snns: Wien the ocean reiterated. banks Of lime
SpsAted. innumsrablo sea fowl occupe cd them
r,.oosiing purposes: and their manure in
enS,at.d tho shelly substance. This manure
svutaInod In large QuHntltlaS phoS phOrtC acid.