The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-11-08
A BOUNTY ON CATERPILLARs.
Incident in Worm-Infested New York
 Village.

| Village.
 For a number of springs past the for
 est caterpillar or tentless tent caterpl-
 lar, if you will allow the expression
 has done serious injury to the shade
 trees in many villages and larger towns
 of the state of New York. The larvae
 not only destroys the foliage, but at a
 certain period of existence scamper in
 worm style over the sidewalks, much to the annoyance of nervous people when they step on them For an abate-
 ment of this nuisance many towns have adopted the echildren treatment" as did the city of Rochester in the case
 of the tussock moth. A town noted for It's large hotels and as a. summer resort
 was among the number.
 to the school children that they would pay certain price a quart for the larvae, and the time of delivery was set for one Saturday afternoon, when school was not in session. The fact that worms would bring money like berries was a new idea to the children, and they began to plan how much they would have for pin money when they made a delivery of their goods on worm Saturday. Many of them spent their money in anticipation many times over. When the afternoon came the street commissioner was directed A. I& himself with small sum of money, and receive worms from the children. The story is current that at the time of the flood there were many people who thought the rain would not amount to much, and were therefore unprovided for the deluge that came. The village officials were equally unprepared for the deluge of worms that poured in on them that afternoon. Children came out of every street and alley. and some seemed to spring up out of the ground, and they all had worms Some brought them in battered fruit cans--others in old oil cans, rusty tin pails, slop buck cts and broken jugs. Three boys pool ed the result of their chase and brought in tin wash boiler found on a
  winter as target for a fusillade of stones. The sugar barrel was soon fill ed, and the boys were scurrying to the grocery for more. As the barrels filled up the finances ran down, until finally the bottom of the latter was reached ! and payment was suspended. The ef- | feet on the children was like the clos | ing of great bank to the men of Wall | street The village functionary became | bland and conciliatory in persuading | the children to measure up their worms | and trust the corporation until next | week. The youngsters were not inclin-. | sd to be persuaded. They had heard | things said about the lack of civic in- | egrity in this country-perhaps not | rom the point of view of a magazine lrticle, but they had the idea with such | orce as to lead them to fell that a | worm in the hand was better than the of money next week. During he barley one boy spiked to the stub if worn out broom the half of bar el head bearing these lines, 'We git no ! num- You git no Woorms." That set led it. No more worms were measured hat afternoon.
 What do you suppose the children did with the fuzzy squirming caterpillars hat were unpaid for? They took them ome and put them back on the trees rom whence they came. No doubt they pologized to the worms for the incon- enience they had received, and hoped hey still had their appetite and would esume eating until they should burst thautauuuan Magazine