The Negro world., 1892-09-03
rnE WONDERFUL ApHls.
An Insect that Lives SIR Weeks and Leaves
Billions of Deseenaantn.


The aphis is probably the most ex-
tensively spread and the most trouble
some pest we have 10 contend with.
Commonly known as plant lice, they
infect every green thing, from the sprig
Of geranium and the potted fuchsia in
the ladies' window gardens. and which
Brother John or Uncle Tom are APP
pealed 10 TO kill with tobacco smoke. TO
large orchards where the woolly aphis
attacks root and branch, and costs
the orchardist thousands Of dollars in
labor and loss of trees and crops.
The dreaded phylloxera which has de-
stroyed 50 many thousands OF acres Of
vines in Europe. including some Of the
most famous vineyards in the world.
which has almost DESTROYED one OF the
greatest industries In Spain, France
and Italy, and brought ruin 70 thou
sands Of people, Is only one species Of
this little pest
IL Is not known how many varieties
Of the aphis there are, but some author
tiles estimate them at one thousand.
A very large number have been named
and classified. But the lay reader cares
very little for the number Of varieties,
and the orchardist and faraser and
florist know that. small and insignif-
cant as It appears. there are enough
varieties and members Of each variety
70 nearly worry the life out Of him in
fighting
Look through the glass again. You
see that although just born our Young
aphis has already got her growth and
Is ready 10 begin feeding. The sharp
bealx yOu see IS It's suctien tube. This
is inserted in the bark Of the plant upon
which II settles, and its whole life is
then devoted 10 drawing the life from
the plant for its own benefit
The aphis furnishes the most inter-
esting study In the entire chronological
area. II lisa contradiction Of all known
laws In relation 10 propagation. The
first brood, which appears very early In
the spring. as soon as there is sufFi-
cient plant life TO sustain it, Is
Matched from eggs which have
been previously Deposited in the
crevices Of the bark These are
all females They commence the active
work Of their lives at Once, and suck
the plant juices and grow, casting their
skin, as they become too large for IL,
about four times, by which time they
have reached adult size and are ready
TO begin the second great object Of
their life, that Of propagation. These
females give birth 10 new broods,
all Of which are still females, and
only females are born. This
tass l.
throughout the summer. In the an-
tumn, however. when the weather
grows colder. the last births are both
male and female, and these last born
females only lay eggs which remain
dormant until the following spring,
when they hatch out females. and the
same process continues without end.
Some naturalists hold that II the con-
ditions are right the aphis wsl. continue
10 give birth 10 females indefinitely
without the presence of males Kyber
records having had rose aphis which
produced young for four years. and
from his careful experiments II has
teen asserted that under certain cir
cnmstanccs female aphis may. In the
entire absence Of males, continue prop
agating TO inhnity. provided that the
necessary conditions for the develop
ment Of the young g-food and heat ARE
not wanting.
The color Of the eggs of the aphis,
together with their rarity, makes them
difficult todiscover During the months
of February and March. when the
leaf buds Of the rose begin to swell,
then eggs OF the rose aphis may
be seen like grains of gunpowder fixed
within the crevices of the bark A
single insect hatched from one Of those
shining black eggs may be the progeni-
tor OF many billions Of young even dur
ing her lifetime. Latrielle, who IL an
authority ON this branch OF entomology,
makes curious calculation. lie says
that one female will produce young at
the rate Of about twenty-five day dur
ing the summer months, and one aphis
may be the mother OF the enormous
number OF I've billion nine hundred and
four millions nine hundred thousand
individuals during the month or six
weeks OF her existence.
Tongard and Morren. equa lily good
authorities, extend this number into
quintillions. as being within the capa-
bilities of single mothers efforts.
Prof. Huxley makes calculation
which affords an approximate
idea OF what quintillion of Rphides
might mean Assuming that an aphis
weighs as little as the one-thousandth
part of a grain, and that Il require
man to be very stout to weigh more
than two million grains, he shows that
the tenth brood Of aphides alone. with
out adding the products of all the gen
erations which prccede the tenth. Il all
the members survive the perils IN which
they are exposed, contains more pom
derabLe matter substance than i've hum
dred million stout men; that Is, more
than the whole population Of China
Fortunately there are large numbers of
carnivorous insects which prey upon
aphidcs and prevent their inordinate
increase. The variations ia tempera-
ture. winds and birds also have ten
dency 10 prevent their too ranld spread.
Another pccaliarlty Of the aphis h
that II gives milk. Not exactly like a
cows milk. hat answering the same
purpose. Out Of It's back project two
little horns These are hollcw ard con-
meet with ducts In the bod. ia which
is formed limpid saechASins hnia
which eNudes through thSse little
horns The newborn aphis &ads its
nonrishments here for the first few mo-
ments Of its existence, Ants take ad.
vantage of this, and by some means
a. a. l.