Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1904-09-02
TWELVE BUGS.
(F'r0m The American Farmer)

! tFr0m The 1merican Fdrmer)
1t is astonishing what deyiltrv on
be done by a little insect scarcel
e bigger. than a pm head. In th
: PhlIlppInes there is white ant.
/ minute creature, which will eat mn
: bridge, or warehouse or fortifica
} tlon, If he is given half a chance
Warehouses have been actually de
voured by these insects and packin,
cases stored in them crumbled I,
) dust when left unprotected. Ever
iron and steel beams are not saf
from these voracious pests, and as I,
books and manuscripts they afforC
only light lunch for them betweer
meals. It is safe to say that the in
sect life of the world is mans worst
enemy, the one that causes him
most loss and discomfort and the
agency most productive of disease
and famine. The United States has
It's 1uil share Of these torments but
out of all the millions that annoy
man, twelve are selected for their
prlmacy In the working of mischief
Promlnent among them all is the
chlnch6ug, which has earned an i'm.
mortality of infamy by it's devilish
destructlveness. 1t is only third of
an inch long but in proportion to
size causes more actual loss to farm
ers than any other living creature.
Originally it fed upon wild grasses.
but when civilized man planted
wheat the cereal suited its taste and
1T soon became the foe of breadpro-
duclng crops. 1t gets into the funnel.
shaped part of the leaf where it Joins
the stalk and sucks the sap until the
plant dies. These bugs, multiplying
at rate almost inconceivable, at.
tack a wheat field in armies which
carpet the ground aud when the
wheat has been harvested they fly to
the corn. 1t is estimated that this
one bug costs the farmers of this
country not less than SlOO,OOO.-
900 every year.
Second in the list for it's bad pre-
emlnence is the grasshopper which
has the faculty of behaving in some
places and "cutting up scandalous"
In others. In the east quite HARM
less, 1t becomes "holy terror" in
the west and worse than an army of
toughs who "shut up the town." 1t
Is serious menace to agriculture in
the Missouri river states and in "bad
years has been known to DESTROY
crops and other vegetation to the ex-
tent of scores of millions of dollars.
Scientists say this long-legged, to-
oacco-splttlng pest is the veritable
locust of the Bible story which was
used with such effect on the stiff
necked old Pharoah. Plaques of
lice, frogs and other nuissnces were
tried In vain, but when the hoppers
were turned loose on him, the Eeyp-
tlan tyrant was glad enough to "let
my people CO." Out west it has Of
ten made thousands of farmers "goD
hungry or into bankruptcy, and
is a foe much dreaded over extensive
areas. Droughts they may combat
by irrigation; from tornadoes they
may take refuge in cellars; but be-
fore the march of swarms of grass
hoppers they are helpless. After
the jumping plague arrives, the
crops, as if my magic, are swept
from the face of the earth.
The Hessian fly, which ranks third |
among our destructive insects, is
thought to have first landed on these
shores with the hirelings imported
from Hesse by old King George TO
light Americans during the Revolu-
tion. At any rate it got here and as
an enemy of wheat has no superior
and few equals. 1t appears as a tiny
maggot at the base of the Young
plant and kills by sucking the Juices.
Eventually the plant is weakened
and finally destroyed, the maggot
being transformed into dark-colored
gnat, closely resembling small
mosquito. Collectively these minia-
ture mischief-makers are good for
destruction amounting to an annual
$5O,O0O,O0O.
The army worm is another pest
whose mention is apt to make many
farmer have creeping feeling. II
is striped caterpillar which in early
summer destroys wheat, oats and
other grains aud grasses, 1t climbs
up the seed stalks and cuts off the
heads. With favorable succession
Of seasons it multiplies In geometrical
ratio and at last becomes so numer-
ous as to necessitate migration in
search of food. Then they travel
like an army feeding day and night
and intlicting enormous damage. A
fit companion in arms for this in
Vader is the potato bug, supposed to
have originated in Colorado and
New Mexico and to have first fed on {
various wild plants. But after it got
4 taste of potato it would have moth .
ng else aud in pursuit of its tidbit
began marching eastward and north I
ward until it Overspread the whole {
and. lnasmuch as single female '
may have as many as 3,2l6,0OO, 900 s
descendants III a season, it is easily
understood why the pest spreads so
'ast. Three worms that attack the
cotton plant will assess the farmers
or at least $l0,000,OOO a year, and
en- million dollars is moderate esti-
nate of the injury that will be done
~ the apple worm. The caterpillar
hat makes speciality of cabbage
will destroy $5,000,O00 worth of
risp green heads; and altogether, so
Iecide the experts, the twelve-bugs
'bove mathematical will get away
his year with $S5O,0OO, 900 in the
way of damage to farmers.
Communicated {
THE LOUISIANA PURCHASED 7
nv XRnATTINN