The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1895-12-26
AN EXPENSIVE BUG.
The Gypsy Moth Cost the Gov.
ernment 100000.
II Was Hunted for Months by an Expedi-
tion Throughout the Whole Country
The Insect Cost Massachusetts
Fortune.

Every once in two or three months the |
secretary makes progress through his
domain, which extends as far as the ex-
perimental station at Bennings, near
Washington, D. c., and about four miles
from what might be called his head
quarters in the Mall. AS we stepped
out of the door of the agricultural build
ing Secretary Morton pointed to
small brick structure to the east.
"That's where we keep our insects"
he said, "and no one need laugh at our
collection. / regard It as fine an array
of bugs as any on earth. Yes, sir" re-
marked the secretary, while his eyes
twinkled, for be it known the secretary
doesn't think much of bug investiga-
tions. I've got bug in there that cost
the government $4,000; he doesn't
look it, but he did. It's fact. One day
an outfit of scientists started in pur-
suit of this bug. They ranged all over
the hemisphere and stuck to his trail
like bloodhounds. They ransacked
North America all the way from the
isthmus to Alaska. After the most re-
markable adventures by flood and field.
they treed their bug and took him
| prisoner. He was then brought captive
to Washington and he's right there
| now, in that brick house, the highest
| priced bug on earth. A roundup Of the
| total expense of that one bug hunt
| came to over $4,000. But we got the
bug.
"There's nothing like science" re-
marked the secretary, cor scientists to
bring some bald detail of government
properly to bay.
"For instance, there was Prof. Har-
rington. at one time chief of the wealth
er bureau. He was a scientist, and
good one, and used only scientific meth
DDS in everything to which he turned
his hand. For example, one day our
weather fellow at Baker City, Ore,
failed to send in a report for four
straight days. We didn't know whether
he was in the midst of storms or calms;
we couldn't hear from him. This Baker
City silence grew tedious. My first no.
tice of it, however, was one morning
when received a communication from
Prof. Harrington, wherein he set forth
the deathlike stiffness which prevailed
in the case of our Baker City man and
wound up by recommending that gen.
tleman named Smith in San Francisco
be instructed to proceed to Baker City
at an expenditure not to exceed $1OO,
and explore the observatory, as well as
the man in charge, and discover the
reasons of his silence. 1t struck me as
a scientific case of going all about
Robin Hoods barn, and I remarked to
/ h;e ,>oo0rv,.
mendation:
"I guess we'll follow your recon-
mendation after 1 have wired him
that is, if it should then be necessary.
"Thereupon / took telegraph blank
and wired my tongue-tied friend at
Baker City, and briefly asked why he
had failed to send the weather report fol
the last four days. In about an hour
his reply came in.
."'Because the wires were down until
this morning. They have just been re-
paired
"That was all he said, but it was full
enough for our purpose. OF course, we
didn't get the information scientifical
ly, but we got it just the same, and II
only cost rs cents instead of 500.
"Still, there is nothing like science,
continued the secretary" only one
should be mighty careful how he fool:
with it. A scientific mishap is apt t<
broaden into disaster rapidly. twas
only recently that some earnest French
scientist imported from Europe an in
sect called the gypsy moth He in
tended to cross this foreign moth will
| /: Lii fao har nd
while I'm not clear as to his ultimate
: expectations, my impression is that h'
thought that this mule moth which h
was after would take some importan
q part in silk culture.
, $50 he brought a family of gyps,
moths and established himself will
, these interesting insects in some tow
a in Massachusetts. He had them al
, locked up in n sort of mosquito-net
), ting cage This was hanging near al
, open window, in order to give the cap
! tives chance at the fresh air, and
;. wind came along, when the French
a mans scientific back was turned, ant
blew the whole business out of doors
- The gypsy moths got away and sine
: then they and their descendants hav
, nearly eaten up every green thing Il
I Massachusetts, except Congressman
y Morse. I hear the moths missed him
q It's the truth; the moths simply lai
4 waste the state, and the legislature ha
e already been driven to appropriate owe
: $4OO,OOO toward their determination
}. That happened as the result OF tina
q scientific experiment. Oh, no! l ar
n not saying anything against science
r only wish to emphasize the fact tina
s. people who fool with it ought to have
" care."-N. Y. journal.
:, Vitality OF Disease Germs.