The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1901-01-15
WAR ON FARMERS PESTS
THEIR DISEASES NOW THE SUB.
JECT OF SCIENTIFIC STUDY.

How 81 fSacterloio,sist Can Win Fortune.
The use of diseased bugs to produce
wholesale pestilence among their kind
and ultimately effect determination
thereof is an ingenious scheme lately
devised by Uncle Sans scientists.
The idea of enlisting the dread dis
ease germ into useful service is. in
deed. novel one. Our medico-legal
authorities have considered its dan
ger as a factor I'M deliberately plotting
homicide. But who has dreamed OF
It's possible value as an agency of in
secticide?
The entomologlsts of the Agrlcultur-
nj Department lately learned how TO
concoct several deadly and malignant
bug diseases, how to bottle them for
shipment how to spread them among
the vast insect fraternity and how -
make infected bugs carry the scourge
to their unsuspecting kind. The pccu-
liar diseases in question are not com
municable to man; otherwise they
would not be employed. of course
The discovery Of malarial germs I'm
the mosquito has directed scientific at.
tention to bugs as II means of trans
hitting contagion. 1t is being dlscov.
cred that these minute disturbers of
the farmers and householders peace
and happiness have their character.
istic distempers, some of them highly
contagious. To artifcially propagate
their baneful germs in incubators.
where the latter are fed and multi
piled. is found to be an easy matter.
CHRISTOPHER DISEASE IN BOTTLES.
Mr.. Grasshopper is one OF the chief
victims prescribed by the conspiring
bugologlst. He has been cutting unbe.
coming capers i'm our farm lands since
10, these many years. annually tlching
thousands of dollars from the indus
trious tillCr of the soil. Did willy Mr.
Grasshopper but guess the CHASTITY
fate awaiting him he would hasten his
kihsmen to pack up, bag and baggage.
and to seek asylums where bugs en-
joy their natural rights and privileges.
The American grasshopper has always
been healthy bug. In Australia and
South Africa, however. have been dis
covered cousin species which suffer n
hideous disease compared to which hu.
man leprOsy is n means toward plens.
ure and adOrnment. The unsparing
bugologists are importing from the
meteorological institute OF Cape Town
phials filed with the pestilence. and
eighteen such vessels have lately been
shipped to flouriShing grasshopper
colonies in Mississippi, Nebraska and
Minnesota. And this is how the new
grasshopper disease is prepared:
GraSshoppers killed by the disease
are collected in large quantities. dried
and ground into meal. This meal is
mixed with gelatinous substance and
put mp i'm the glass phials for ship
ment. In these vessels the disease ele
ments multiply until capable of kill
ing manifoldly more transformers
than originally used i'm the preparation
OF the deadly connection. On receiv-
ing the phials the Yankee farmer is
instructed to thoroughly mix the con.
tents of each with two tcaspoonfuls of
sugar. He adds this dose TO tbree.
iourths of "A tumbler of water, prevl.
ously boiled and allowed to cool. Into
the tumbler he places several pieces
of cork.
SCATTERING THE GERMS.
After allowing the mixture to stand
day. during which time the disease
mas attacked the cork and thoroughly
contaminated the fluid. he dips various
and sundry grasshoppers. alive and
kicking into the liquid, the more thus
doused being the mcrrier for the prom.
ised result. After being vigorously
ducked and thereby terrified the pro.
testing victims are imprisoned I'm
box and fed on green plants well
moistened with the same fatal liauld
having been fed OH this poisonous diet
Tor twenty-fOur hours. the prisoners
are liberated. generally i'm the evening
hours. Then they hop gleefully AWAY
to mingle once more with their anxious
friends. Returning to their baunts
they innocently disseminate their CON
tagion far and wide. among all Of their
KIND which approach to rejoice at their
safe escape and marvel at the accounts
OF their terrible experiences. And ne
result Of repeated hoppings and cal.
lvantings here and there. from ono
green field 10 another. the scourge is
spread Then other transformers big
ana little, soon begin to feel ipdie.
posed and as each surveys himself me
Is Mortified to discover that he is he.
coming covered with n furry. mouse.
colorcd crust This increases until
eating into his very vitals. Then no
gives up his ghost to the realm whore
the dead grasshoppcrs 20.
Mr. Farmer soon appears ON tho
scene bears away the corpse together
with all others be can find. dries them
all into state Of mummincation. pripds
them into powder and concocts many
moro tumbcrsful Of the LIQUID pos
thence. The contacion is thus sown
TO multiply over and over again. m
greater harvest of death being reapod
each time until determination is com
pletc
Ground fairly covered with dead
erasshoppers thus Killed was seen i'm
Bcchuonoland South Africa. after nm
experimental distribution of the dis.
ease there. But the black natives of
his territory who eat erasshoppcrs
objected To- such wholesale CONTAINING.
tion OF their diet
FATAL 10 CHINCHHUGs.
Mr.. f'NfurNIuu fa tiglff o.. . ....