Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-02-24
DEFENSE or issEcrs.
Professor Howard Tells Of Some Bugs and
Their Work.

\ Dr, III. ~. HOWARD, tuc CutOiosoSISA' ~
"bug hunter" OF the department Of agri
culture, is true friend OF the insec
world. and takes the ground That thef
have their rights and privileges as wei
as their uses in the great plan of crca
ton. He believes that an insect which
eats our potatoes Is only an enemy be
cause we want potatoes. too, ana tina
the insect has as mucn right 10 tne potia
common necessity OF maintaining itseli
and there is every evidence that the pc
tato was intended for the insect as 70
Man is but one of the forms of llf'
that are struggling for existence, sal
iDr. Howard. '.and by virtue OF his sur
passing intelligence attempts to dominat.
Of other forms of life to accommodate
themselves to the conditions brough
about by his rapid development IS one o.
the most interesting subjects of study fol
biologists, and considering whether IN
sects are injurious or beneficial to man Is
one of its most fascinating features. the
popular conception Is 1hat ,mey are w tho
| damage they do to crops and their an
noyance to people and animals. but there
| is a good many things to be said IN their
favor that are known only to scientists:
We can summarize their injuries and
benefits as folloWS
| They are injurious:
| l. As the deStrOyerS OF crops and other
valuable plant life
9. AS destroyers of food, dwellings.
clothing. books. etc.
3. As iniuring live stock and other use
| full animals.
| 4. As annoying mankind.
| 5. AS carriers of disease.
| On the other hand they are beneficial.
| !. AS destroyers Of Injurious insects.
3. AS pollenizers of plants.
4. As scavengers.
| S. As makers of soil
| &. AS food for man. poultry. birds.
! hos and rIpi hing md for the
| arts u
| zone of the chief functions of insect
| life is to keep down the ssuperabundant
vegetation" continued DIR. Howard. AL
| most every cultivated crop. has th"u-
| sands upon thousands of insect en-
emies A tabulation of the enemies
of the apple already recognized in
| this country shows 2Sl species. of clio
yer 81 species. and of so new crop as
| the sugar beet 70 species. The late Pro
| fessor Riley estimated the average an
| nual damage. to cultivated crops by inju-
rious insects in the United States as S3'D.-
00o.000. The loss from the chMchbug
| alone during one year was estimated a.
| $50, 0O0, 900. but the money value of the
crops harvested is always so much great
er than the balance that the value OF that
which is not damaged should be ex-
pressed in some other measure than
| money value. The damage done by in
| sccts to agriculture has given rise to a
| new branch of applied science. known as
| economic entomology in which America
| leads the world.
"There is hardly any product of man $
| ingenuity which is not damaged or de-
stroyed by insects; even metal Is not ex-
empt. since there are instances of the de-
struction of lead pipes by insect larvae.
| and the perforation of the metal Innings
of water tanks by small beetles.
"All species of animals have their In
sect parasites, which make their lives a
burden to themselves and trial and loss
| to their owners. Some years ago the edi-
tor of the Farmers Review estimated
that the loss to the animals in the Union
stockyards at Chicago from the attacks
of single insect. the OK bot fly. or OK
MARBLE, for period of six months was
s.. 1886 365.
There are few places on the habitable
globe where man is not more or less an
noyed by insects. a susceptible individ-
ual not long ago wrote to the depart
ment of agriculture that he had come
New Jersey. but the mosquitoes bothered
him SO that he moved to northern New
York. There. during a certain portion of
the year, the black flies made life unen-
Carolina, where the red bugs. or j;ggers,
were so bad that he feared he would go
crazy. and in that desperate condition
whether there existed in the United
States locality where a sensitive indi-
vidual like himself could find peace from
the attacks of insects.
ut has been well demonstrated that in
sects are carriers of disease germs, and
that is ono IF tho ynnSt corio,,S ,,baS,, ~
insect in iurv P""''' VI
"In the externaI warfare ,f orr,r;sr,
unon orpanism sthc ;nsa"t aoas ~, a.
cane There is not one snacia, M, =,
without its natural enemies in the form
nuentiv introdncsd ane LII 81 iI i,W,, re,
destrny The n,.I!ss " ne, hinu oi DUG 10
the ana,niaS ~ anr,o,,i,,,, ' III" ~ De
Nv is no Ion%nr frnadad H., ,,,ha. tie ss',a
ers in cortai5 e,ates hac -! "t ,h irow
narasita uh;nh Mi, ,ra'. my n INV
comp,n;tt;ng ILL.,, WI. p,uee"I III, ~ aIon'
duntin,, - ,at ;e ny int!o
iurio,Is insenfe is nn nw,ra az 49,, ~,
Gated matter hut IL h,. oo,,,, J.; oo irn,
nrominnmco iurinc ,hn has oUi"c ,.''o sied'
and I cn,,,d .;,n So ~ Ir,, tu 49,, ssa' .
inSt. ncas 49, - 80 LIS "uiioeT o,
smccass Ona nt H. ,'a 80, uet ~, q practncai
,%o ;,"orta ti " H., ,He miost L.nppr,aht was
Nn,i,P ,a tatnu" ~ iiur, NpepeS OF inc
ti fr "a, a.; . tduS DUu pee
hos on. Us; ,, my Naiornia, whicn
l,rs Sa.uu i,,,.vns w. uoiiars 10 t!e
tnn, .,,,.,i ~ "estloEIns the COZ
LILY eusa, ' sIae. ms insect mas re
,eorn;s ,Gr5.,,, IN. ~ Ioltusai from IaIi,
, ,,,a .niuuSn my aScucS. anu mas saver
nar |"'"'"ie US uu'ih6 the last
insects have an important function in
destroying weeds and other noxious
pants, ana. II is safe to say that the for
mer derives great benefit from them In
tins respect. but the most important of
the good offices OF insects is in cross fer
tlllzation, which is of incalcuable value
IN the progressive development of the
great majority of Towering plants. and