The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-10-01
Insect Pests Cost
Millions a Year

~ TARTLlNG revelations Of the an
= nual losses caused by the ravages
y States s'a are mad made in the he advance e
sheets of the forthcoming year
book Of the department of agriculture.
Fourteen of the most destructive of
these insects destroy annually $780,
100000 of the value of crops.
The chinch bug occasions greater
loss than any of the other insects which
feed upon the better known agricrh
tural products. The minimum damage
done by it acc 4; to the de dep nan
600. Most of this falls on the wheat
raisers, as the bug, while it attacks
other plants, is particularly fond of
wheat. Wheat also has a very destruc-
tive enemy in the Hessian fly, which,
according to conservative, estimates, |
year. Worms which attack the roots
and later the ears Of the young corn
plant bring about a yearly loss Of
something like 100000 also.
The most important cereals, accord |
ing to c. L. Marlatt, assistant chief Of
the bureau Of entomology, lose not less
than $3o0,0o0,oo0 every year through
the operation Of bugs and worms of
various kinds. One insect alone-the
dreaded boil weevil-,cost tn the cotton
raisers Of Texas nearly $50,000,00O dur
ing the previous season, according to
report issued by the census bureau lit.
tie more than year ago. The boil
weevil, at present confined to Texas and
the neighboring parishes OF Louisiana,
Is no an So
not hesitate to say that the. chances Of
discriminating it or even of checking
it's advance are highly remote: A re-
cent official report expressed the opln-
ion that when the, weevil shall have
spread over the cotton growing area Of
the country, as it bids fair to, do in
eighteen or twenty years, Judging from
its past rate of progress, it will be 4
/ capable of inhicting an annual loss OF
$3.50, 100000, half the. total value eSof
a years crop OF cotton under normal
It is estimated that fruits of all
kinds sustain losses amounting to
nearly $30,O00,0O0 during the season.
The most dangerous enemy of fruits in
general Is the San Jose scale. In the
effort to prevent it's importation prac-
Importance has at one time or another
passed quarantine laws against the
United States. The annual damag e, re-
sulting from the scale is estimated at
$1O,O00,000. The codling moth has in
past seasons reduced the apple crop. 30
per cent, which means loss of $l5,-
100000. Co., " ~
Tobacco In the fields is not usually
damaged to any great extent, but after
it is stored it IS frequently attacked
by an insect known as the clgaret
b be ~4 %e Tta 9he an ann9sl osa
Of considerably over $5,000,00O. Stored
products Of ali kinds, according to the
DEPARTMENT. experts, sustain q total
loss Of Approximately, $780, 100000:
Cattle and other live stock 1,D ka7 suffer- T.
e yyef fES@ ns t the N ehg oaf s6e
yards between the months of January
and June of each year are infested with b
what is known as the OK MARBLE, which
not only perforates the hides of the
animals and makes them less valuable
but materially lnlures the qh ,ana .1 o.
ticks bring the total loss to cattle up
to $175 100000 annually.
!. + +
To these direct losses by reason OF
diminution in the volume OF crops must
fighting the various pests, and when
everything is taken into consideration
: it is clear that the damage done by al
kinds of injurious insects in the course
of a year is at least $3.50, 100000 Ii
most cases, of course, interests othell
+ than those of the growers are affected
and the public is compelled to pay
more for the manufactured products
The government spends thousands OF
dollars each year in conducting cam
paigns against various pests, and II
some cases, notably that OF the Dol
SIMS have been made by congress.
= The experts of the department. O.
agriculture make the following recap
ifnlation of the minimum annual dam
age caused by the fourteen most dan
/ gerous pests: