The Worthington advance., 1900-04-06
THE STUDY OF + BUGS. $
Pursued for the Benefit Of Farmers
3, as Well as Consumers.
Our Warrington Correspondent De.
erlbes q Visit to the Most Inter.
estinE Branch OF the Asri-
cultural Department.
Especial Washington Letter.1

~ ~ AAAEI gu0 1ASSSG4CAOcS, VcTQ1le
" cides, germicides and microbe
killers are diligently engaged
n efforts to destroy certain forms of
life, there are scientists in. government
employment who are making strenu-
Gus efforts to hatch obnoxious insects
and their parasites.
Under the direction of the depart
ment of agriculture, in a building
erected specifically for that purpose,
insects are bred and reared in large
glass conservatory which serves as
hothouse for the propagation of bugs
of scores of species. They are as care
fully cared for as the eggs in chicken
incubators, and are given plenty of
light and warm, moist air all through
the winter and during the damp or
chilly days and nights of spring and
autulnn.
Although it is conceded that the
greatest study of man is man, there are
scientists who seem to have accom-
plished all that they desire in that di-
rection, and they devote their waking
hours to the study of bugs, beetles and
all of the forms of minute animal life.
In all sorts of jars, from a small jelly
glass to large glass globe of kettle
form, they have insects in various
stages of development. The daily his
tory OF each insect is carefully noted,
and all of its transformations are his
torically treated for several genera
tions.
|, In one of these jars there are two
sunfower heads infested with the
larvae of beetles. These larvae have
buried themselves in the sand with
which the vessel is partly filled, and
there they have been alternating for
four months. Very soon they will be
set out in the sunlight. They will then
emerge as perfect beetles, will lay eggs
in the sunflowers and new generation
will be watched with solicitude and in
terest.
The careful study of these things
has been fostered by the department
OF agriculture in order that ultimate
ly the best methods of destroying the
pests, and preventing their propaga-
tion, may be discovered by those who
make specific study of these subjects.
Some time this spring the department
will issue bulletins for farmers, giving
all of the information which has been
acquired during the past IL months in
these studies.
One of the officials, upon being COM
plimented upon the value of the work
which is being done, said: 1--WE are
doing some good, but of course it is
very little. You must understand that
there are about $1,000, 900 species of in
sects, and we are treating them by
scores instead of by millions. Human
knowledge is exceedingly small, and
our Investigations are circumscribed.
But if we can help our agriculturists
even little bit we are doing a good
work. Men who give their lives to sci
entific inquiry naturally become moral
philosophers. We realize the vastness
of the forms and qualities of creation
and are lost in awe. Many generations
of mankind must come and go before
we have anything like comprehensive
scientific cyclopedia of these things.
"We see death and life here together.
We see insects die, and out of their
death we see new life arise. The ordi-
nary illustration of the butterfly
emerging from The death form of it's
predecessor we see multiplied indefi-
nitely in these studies. Here in this
jar is twig infested with little worms.