The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-09-02


The onward march Of weeds is frightful.
says the American Agriculturist. A series
of maps illustrating how the principal
weeds have spread from year to
year would be an eye-opener. 1t would
doubtless show that the ox-eye daisy
starting in a small way. had spread each
year over great tracts Of land hitherto
uninfested with it, until its complete Grad
ication was well nigh impossible. So
of the Canada thistle and its cousin, the
Russian thistle. wild mustard and wild
carrot, the various burr and dock weeds
and a host of others.
The same is true of the spread of black
knot, peach yellows. fungus pests. blights,
etc. 1t is true. however, that certain fungi
are Of such nature that under peculiarly
favorable climatic conditions they may
sweep in waves across vast areas. as is
the case with black rot Of the grape potato
blight, etc; yet even in such cases, science
has provided methods of insurance by
spraying in advance with appropriate
mixtures. Insect pests also spread, like
weeds and fungi beause the few who COM
bat their ravages are as naught to those
who let them ply their work and null
tiply their species. The San Jose scale is
one Of the latest instances in point. for
the indications now are that this most
serious pest has obtained a foothold in
spots over large arsas.
The trouble is that no concerted action
is made to stamp out these pests when
they first appear. individuals spend in
the aggregate millions of dollars yearly
trying TO hold in subsection weeds, insects
and fungi, yet their efforts are of COM
paratively little avail because others in
both town and country permit the pests
to mature and spread their seeds and
eggs or spores, which are also distributed
in nursery stock, Seeds etc, until there
seems to be a natural conspiracy to ex-
tend the pest
Is this to last forever? Is this terrible
waste and loss to continue year after year
simply because the American idea of per-
sonal independence stands in the way of
enforcing the duties of the individuals to
the community? There is certainly a big
chance here for cooperative effort-both
private and under the administration of
township, county or state. California hor-
ticulture would have been ruined but
for her laws for the inspection of vine
yards and orchards and the destruction of
all pests, in the rigorous enforcement of
which the officials have had the earnest
cooperation of individuals. But for
ssachusetts' plucky efforts to keep the
gypsy moth within bounds that most Sc
rious of all insect pests might to-day be
denuding the entire foliage In whole
states. Other states have made more or
less spasmodic efforts to control these
pests New York's black knot law has
just been made more stringent Michi-
gan's new law for compulsory spraying we
have recently referred to. Several states
have peach yellows laws that have done
good.
What is needed is a grand crusade all
along the lne-a concerted movement on
the part of the individual, school district
township, borough, city, county and ma
to combat these plaques is now quite well
understood, thanks to the efforts of our
scientists, EXPERIMENT stations and the de-
partment of agriculture. All indications
point to further progress and simpler and
still more effective methods of dealing
with these nuisances. What is needed is
to impart this information to the people
and means of enforcing the widespread
application of tried remedies and safe
guards, not excepting the protection of
birds and other animals so useful in de-
stroying insects.
a system must be devised that, while
Offering every inducement to the individ-
ual to keep his premises clear of these
pests, shall provide for its being done if
he fails to attend to it, the cost to be
added to the taxes on such premises and
collected in like manner. The ingenuity
of the American people and their capaci-
ty for self-government ought to enable
them to perfect such a system without in
fringing unnecessarily on individual rights
and without erecting a cumbrous Official
ism that would be more bother than ii is
worth A practicable scheme for a concen-
trated crusade against these pests, with
the farmers cooperation, would be worth
far more to them than nine-tenths of the
much-agitated political reforms" And
such a scheme can be worked out without
interfering with these other reforms. With
the proper plan we venture to declare that
the millions of dollars and untold work
and energy now spent yearly in trying to
hold in subsection the pests named, would
accomplish the job. Certainly the in
creased expense would be slight.