The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-01-28

tried this with success. so far as the
board shelters are concerned, but the
tO2ds in my garden refused to stay
under fat stones to any extent. l al
so tried the plan of making an inclos-
ure Of wire screen. a foot wide, two
feet long and foot high, the top of
which was left open or closed as pre-
ferred. ~ hen open it was only neceS-
sary to put in two or three toads, pro-
vide them with shelters, a dish OF water
in one corner. and then to keep the
toads, or, rather, their living place,
supplied with small bits Of raw meat
and any other refuse matter calculated
TO attract flies or other insects. I found
that sugar solutions should not be
used, or account of the danger of at
tracing honey bees, which a toad Will
eat in great numbers, let the bees sting
as viciously as they 'Till.
THE little toads that 1 raised I fed
on dog biscuit, putting in the water
where they lived pieces Of considerable
siZe-about the size of a Walnut-so
that l could easily remove any OF the
bits not eaten To raise them took
me practically no tine at all, and it
Was great tun TO watch them. both
while in the water, swarmlng in black
masses around each piece of dog bis
cult, and, after they left the water,
1t was amazing, however, how So many
toads could grow so fast and still the
place be so full Of insect life of all
sorts. Next summer l shall try to raise
twice as many toads as 1 did IN 1858.
For food l figure that they Will cost
me about l cent per thousand. .'he
actual value Of the toad, from the
standpoint Of both nature and man,
has been placed at $19.SS; that Ii, for
each individual member Of the load
family. Thus, my Embarrassing must
be a wonderfully profitable operation"
In saying that the value OF a toad is
$19.SS, DR.. Hodge was quoting . scien-
list named Kirkland, who declares that
toad who performs the functions for
which nature intended it, devouring
insects, ana in this way keeping plants,
etc, free from pests that would other
wise destroy them, does that dmC unit
Of valuable work each year. Just as
evidence OF his belief that the toad, in
stead Of being destroyed, should be al
lowed to increase and multiply. DR..
Hodge declares that if the children Cf
Massachusetts would stop killing tcads
it would be worth a million dollars a
year to the state.
There is no slug, worm or insect,
however hairy, or sDiny, or orickly,
poisonous, bad smelling, or so generally
disagreeable," DR.. Hodge continued
that . toad viii refuse to take il.
How many Of each kind can single
toad be depended upon to destroy?
Why. l have seen one toad snap up
house flies in less than ten
minutes. No doubt toad. with lis
home under the doorstep, will relieve &
family OF at least this number daily,
and possibly many more. This wis
make no small item in the comfort @.
a city family throughout the hot sum
mer. Let anybody who is inclined to /
sheer at q toad farm remember that in !
England the gardeners frequently lay |
SIS a hundred for toads. All objections |
to warts being caused are mere fig !
ments of imagination. Practically ,he /
same may be said about the suu-osed !
poisonous character of the animal. |
Professor Riley says that insects de- |
stroy property in this country annually |
to the amount of $500, 900, GEO. Why !
then, not cultivate a toad farm?"