The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1901-10-11
Mosquitoes and Whip.poOr-wil wills.


is likely to be more, for although thl
insect is what might be called silen
partner in the argument, he generally
makes his antagonist feel the point, i
not see 1t. The plain truth is thai
many parts of this country, not count
ing the Klondike and New Jersey, are
so infested with mosquitoes that sit
ting out of doors at night las become
a most impossible. In some places
ordinary screens are insufficient TO rem
der the windows and doors impossible
t. this annoying insect, aud cheese.
cloth has to be used instead, which re-
suits in an atmosphere far from agree.
able in very hot weather The design
of the Creator, as all sensible people are
convinced, is that people should spend
as much "a possible Of the summer sea-
son out Of doors, but the mosquito ap-
pears not to be in harmony with
Providence on that point. He regards
all human beings caught in the open
air after dark as his lawful prey.
The annoyance caused by the mos
quito is really one Of the most serious
among the small tribulations of life.
The nervousness and irritabiity pro-
duced by his bite, especially among
children and sensitive people, some
times amounts to illness, and at any
rate, his presence absolutely destroys
all the romance and delight of country
life. The question is what to do about
it?
The size Of the creature and his alb
normal breeding capacity are the most
important obstacles in the way of get
ting rid Of him. Wild animals can be
shot or trapped; flies can be discouraged
by screens and by cleanliness, for they
will not come where they cannot find
food; but the mosquito can always find
food where there is human being,
and the only way to escape him * to
put ones self inside wire cage. The
most popular remedy discovered 10y
those who have bestirred themselves in
search Of means to get rid Of the pest
is kerosene. 1t is asserted, with truth,
that if Il pool Of stagnant water is COW
cred With a thin film of kerosene the
larvae of the insect will be killed and
the breeding stopped. A still better
way is to drain the pool, but this can.
not always be done.
TO many people, however, the reme-
dy will seem worse than the disea 4,
for the scent of coal-oil is not exactly !
one Of the perfumes Of Araby the blest,
and it is uncomfortable that any one
should enjoy ii unless he has been |
brought up near an oil well and was |
home sick. There is, however, anoth-
er remedy much pleasanter aud more |
effective. A sharp eyed New York |
ornitologist has discovered that the
salt meadow lands Of the Great South |
Bay of Long Island probably breed
msre mosquitoes than any other place
in the world, yet the neighbors are not
troubled, simply because the purple
martin or swallow is bred i'm great
quantities in that region, and these
birds live on mosquitoes and other
insects. The night-hawk or whip poor
will is also fond of mosquitoes, and il
has been found that the bird police are
worth all the petroleum in the world
when it comes to getting rid Of insects
Kerosene destroys vegetation as well
as insects. The bird eats the latter and
leaves the former intact But of late
the immense demand for birds i'm mill-
merry has led to slaughter Of the in.
nocent which has almost depopulated
the woods and fields so far as the bird
population is concerned. Hence mos
quitOes. Hence rose bugs. Hence po-
tato- bugs. Hence all kinds Of insect
pests, which finding themselves un-
disturbed by their natural enemies,
proceed to multiply like compound in
terest.
The problem therefore reduces itself
to this form: DO the people Of this
prefer to see women's hats
adorned with dead birds, while
line owners fight mosquitoes aud the
farmer aud gardener fight insects, or
DO they prefer to see the hats decorated
with ribbons aud artificial flowers or
)strich plumes. while the bird, in his
natural state, ornaments the gardens
and rOadsides in tlfe intervals of cdtch'
ng nOxious insects? Is the artistic
Jbject produced by shooting and stuff
ng purple martin, and impaling
him with hat pin, upside down, In
he middle Of tangle of ribbons worth
.he trouble Of fighting a million mes
luitOes, more or less, in the course Of
lie summer? fit is not, ii is about
ime that the legislatures Of our several
States looked iutO this matter and
passed some laws against the destruc-
ion of insect-eating birds. Otherwise
he copse where once the garden smiled
; likely TO be given over to fragment
Try plants covered with bugs, and the
porch entwined with honeysuckles,
bout which poets love 10 write, will
,e rendered uninhabitabe to uuprO-
..t.I ,.,ot orp.a