The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1904-10-14

worms. army worms, caterpiiiafs'
Gypsy moths, brown-tail moths, May |
beetles, rose cbafers, wircworms, GU
camber and tomato beetles also shaiis'
acknowledged worms and SOW bugs. !
rhe quantity of Injurious species de-
stroyed forms sixty-two per cent. OF
its total food. Should ants be included !
as injurious, as many housekeepefS
would think proper, this figure would
be increased to eighty-one per cent
These figures, derived from careful en-
aminationS. show the toad to be
highly beneficial animal, and well en-
titled to mans protection in every pos
sble way.
The amount of food consleled by the
toad is remarkable. Records have been
given of finding seventy seven thou
sand-legged worms i'll one stomach
thirty seven tent caterpilars i'll an
other, sixty-tive gypsy-moth caterpll-
lars in third. and fifty-fve army
worms in fourth. Under the writer
direction twenty -four medium-sHed
gypsy-moth caterpillars were fed TO 4
toad under observation before It's APP
petite was appeased, while Mr.. H. ii.
Moshcr fed over thirty full grown Gel
ery caterpillars to another in less than
three hours. Dr.. Dodge has seen
toad snap up eighty-siX house f1les III
less than ten minutes" while he mas
also published an interesting observa-
ton by Ellen NJ Foskett. worcester,
Mass, who fed ninety rose-bugs TO
toad without satisfying its appetite.
The number Of insects toad CON
sumes in a season is c0njectural. The
writer is satisfied that the amount OF
| food taken IN twenty-fOur hours
amounts to about four times the stom-
/ ach capacity. In cold weather this
\ figure would be lower. While in mid
| summer. when insect life is at its
1 height. The quantity would probably
! be larger.
In ninety days "a period selected be-
| cause May, June and July represent
the time of the toad's greatest activity
! it would destroy 800 beneficial insects
(ground >bectles) and 1920 injurious OF
noxious insects. Take the single item
of cut-worms. These insects are preyed
upon by ground beetles Let us as
sumo that the ground beetles, If spared,
would have succeeded in capturing
ton per cent. Of the cut-wOrms. This
would leave a net balance of 1914 cut
worms TO the toad's credit. Many
gardeners give their children one cent
apjece for each cut-worm found and
DESTROYED. considering this n low esti-
mate Of the damage caused by the IN
sects. Even at this nominal inquire,
without considering the importance OF
the destruction of other injurious in
sects. The toads services on this one
item would figure $1944.
The toad suffers from enemies both
NATURAL and unnatural. OF those pro
vidcd by nature n few internal para
sites are sometimes found, while
hawks. owls. crows, snakes and skunkS
yearly destroy large numbers. The
marsh hawk kills great many toads
during the spawning season, while
hens, ducks, geese and guinea fowls
feed on the young toads as they mi
crate from the breeding pools.
1t is, perhaps, the irony of fate tha
large numbers of the toad should bt
killed by man, the one most benefited
by its life. Lawn mowers work grea
slaughter among them. while the prac
tice of burning over lawns and fields
kills more. The killing of toads in thi'
: way is largely unnecessary, and thr
extra labor involved in protecting thel
lives will be more than repaid by thei
services.
The heaviest charge of wrong doin'
must be entered against the small boy
ubiquitous, inquisitive and Offer
thoughtlessly cruel. IN case comin'
under the writer's notice two boys il
one afternoon established the disrepu
: table record of seventeen dead ant
> mutilated toads captured at breeding
pool. Such q wanton and eXpensiv
{ exhibition Of cruelty may be unique
. but it is certain that thousands of toad
l are killed in this way annually an
Q this practice will continue until on
|, boys are taught to recognize the valu
: of the toad and to respect Its rights
+ Laws protect our insectivorous birds
: as well as others whose worth TO ma
i is, to say the least, a debatable que:
tion. The toad's worth is an estat
e lished fact Should It not receive
similar protection?
IT is said that English gardener
often pay as high as $25 hundred fo
toads for colonizing purposes. Tia
such procedure is sometimes success
= full is shown by the experience of th
,unll-Snnun nnthnreSs Celia ThaXte