New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-01-29
BUGS AND THEIR WORK.
ER HOWARD, THE ENTOMOLOGfST. RISES
IN DEFENCE OF SOME INSECTS.

Record
Dr. L. o. Howard. the eHtomologist OF bug
hunter" Of the Department Of Agriculture, IS
n true friend of the insect world and takes the
ground that they have their rights ana prWi-
leges as well their uses in the great pan OF
creation He believes that an insect which eats
our potatoes is only an enemy because We want
potatoes too and that the insect has as much
right to the potatoes "a we have. 1t Is pressed
by common necessity Of maintaining itself. and
there is every evidence that the potato was IN
tended as much for the insect Is for human
kind
Man is but one Of the forms Of life that are
struggling for existence" said DIR. Howard ana
BY virtue of his SURPRISING Intelligence attempts
to dominate all other species in nature. Inc
struggle OF ot1 r forms of life to accommodate
themselves to the conditions brought about by
his rapid development is one Of the most inter
esting subjects Of study for biologists and CON
sidering whether insects are injurious or bene-
fetal to man is one Of its most fascinating feat-
ures. The popular conception is that they are
wholly Injurious Everybody can observe the
damage they do to crops and their annoyance
to people and animals. but there are good
many things to be said in their favor that are
known only 10 scientists. We can summarize
their injuries and benefits AZ follows:
They are injurious;
l. As the destroyers of crops and other vauabl"
! As destroyers Of food. dwellings, clothing
B. As iniuring live stock and other useful animals.
I. As annoying mankind.
D. As carriers of disease.
On the other hand they are beneficial:
l. As destroyers of injurious insects.
2. As destroycrS OF noxious plants.
,. AS pollenizers of plants.
1. As ScayenSerS.
s. As food for man. poultry. birds. fishes and as
clothing and for use in the arts.
"One Of the chief functions of insect life is to
keep down superintendent vegetation con-
tined DR.. Howard. Almost every cultivated
crop has thousands upon thousands OF insect
enemies A tabuiatiOn Of the enemies Of the
apple already recognized in this country shows
PSI species. OF clover eiShty-two species, ana OF
so new a crop as the sugar beet seventy species.
The late Professor Riley estimated the average
annual damage to cultivated crops by in
furious insects in the United states as S3U-
OO00OO The loss from the chnchbug alone
during one year was estimated at SbtoOoVOO,
but the money value of the crops harvested Is
always so much greater than 1t would be other
wise that these estimates Of damage should he
expressed in some other measure than money
value. The damage done by insects to aSricult-
ure has given rise to new branch Of applied
science. known as economic entomology in
which America It ads the world.
There is hardly any product Of mans in
genuity which ia not damaged destroyed by
insects. even metal is not exempt since there
are instances of the destruction of lead pipes
by insect Larvae. and the perforaton Of the
metal Innings of water tanks by small beetles
"All species Of animals have their insect para
sites which make their lives burden to them
selves and trial and loss To their owners
Some years ago the Editor OF The Farmers Re
the Union Stockyards at Chicago from the at
tacks of "A single insect. the bot fly.
MARBLE. for a period OF six months was S3.336.
800
TROUBLESOME INSECTS EVERYWHERE
There are ftw places on the habitabe globe
whore is not more or less annoyed by in
sects. susceptible individual not long ago
wrote to the Department of Agriculture that
he had come over from the old country and set
tied i'll NewJcrsey, but the mosquitoes bothered
\. hat h. Cd Mont harm, N.,rly
There during a certain portion of the year the
black flies made life unendurable whereupon
he moved To North Carolina. where the red bugs.
or jiggers. were 50 bad that he feared he would
ash I'd the Secretary Of Agriculture whether
there existed IN the United States locality
where IA sensitive individual like himself could
find peace from the attacks Of insects.
1T has been well demonstrated that insects +,
are carriers of disease germs. and that is one
Of the most serious phases of insect injury.
I'm the eternal warfare of organism upon
the insect does not escape. There is I
not species that is without its natural enc
mics in the form Of other insects and scientists
have frequently introduced one kind Of bug To
destroy others that happen to be the enemies /
Of agriculture. The Hessian fly is no longer |
dreaded by wheat-grOwers in certain States. be-
cause they know parasite which will prevent /
it from committing great damage The intro |
duction Of insect enemies to destroy injurious
insects is an extremely complicated matter. but
il has come into great prominence during the /
last ten years. and could give you a large num-
Der OF instances where it has been a practical |
success. One Of the most important the
importation by Albert kOebele OF the Novius |
yedalia cardras. ladybird beetle, from Aus |
trala into California. which has saved millions |
Of dollars to the orange growers by destroying /
the cottony cushion scale. This insect has re
Gently been sent To Portugal from California |
through my agency and has saved many yalua
BILE orchards during the last year.
THEY DESTROY WEEDS
Insects have an important function in de-
stroying weeds and other noxious plants and IL |
is safe to say that the farmer derives great |
benefit from them in this respect, but the most !
ri If no IF i'm. 10 in