The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1905-07-15
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
ISSUES CIRCULAR REGARD
IN "SMALL SNAKE"
Experiments Show All Sensational
Rumors Are False and They
May Be Eaten.

The cabbage hair worm is the sub
iect of a late circular Of the bureau
of entomology, department of agricul-
tire. the publication of which was
made necessary by numerous inquiries
in regard to the identity and alleged
poisonous nature of a minute worm
popularity known during the years 1903
and 1904 as the cabbage snake Dur
ing the former year the species. first
attracted attention, but was not con-
sidered seriously as 1t was well known
that hair worms are not in any degree
poisonous-in fact, they are per1ectly
harmless, and even, to a certain ex-
tent, beneficial, as they destroy by
parasitism the pernicious cooling motn
and several species of grasshoppers
and locusts. In 1904, however, the
subject increased in proportion, the
bureau of entomology frequently re-
ceiving five or six communications
daily in regard to this creature. In
most cases these were accompanied by
clippings cleaned from the daily press.
The object of the circular is mainly
to facilitate the correspondence OF the
department, to place the facts OF the
case on record and before the pubic
and to correct erroneous reports and
mere rumors which have been c1rcu-
lated in regard to cases of poisoning
of human beings. In only single case
was the name of the person or per-
sons who had been killed by eating
cabbage supposed to have been in
tested by this hair worm given, and
the postmaster of the city promptly de-
MED any knowledge of the facts, all
efforts that were made to locate the
origin of the account being without
success. 1t may be safely assumed
that all other reports were equally un-
true or exaggerated. In fact, the en-
tire matter was a hoax, save for the
fact that the rumors were placed in
such general circulation that the con-
sumption of cabbage was greatly cur
tailed, many persons believing in the
poisonousness of the hair worm.
There is no doubt, on the other
hand, that the majority Of the reports
of damage to the cabbage crop were
founded on fact. There is positive
knowledge of one of these in Tennes-
see, where fully IS per cent of the
states cabbage crop was lost in 1904.
Si,nil'r losses were reported in vari-
Gus parts of Missouri, Iowa, West Vir-
ginia and Virginia. From data at
hand it can truthfully be said that
thousands of cabbage growers incurred
severe losses on account of the I'M
fortunate scare due to the unwise
circulation of the veriest rumors.
In support of the statement which
has been made by letter by the de-
partment of agriculture for the past
two years, a DR.. Louis Leroy made
tests to determine whether the nair
worm or cabbage snake" possessed
any poisonous properties. The usual
laboratory animals, rabbits, guinea
pigs and domestic animals, were fed
with the worms. raw and cooked; ex-
tracts from the hair worms were pre-
pared and the animals fed with them,
and the substance was injected hypo-
dermacally, the final result being
reached, as none of the animals thus
treated was affected. that the cabbage
snake is entirely harmless, and the
public rumors and superstitions are
fallacies without semblance of founda-
ton.