Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1905-08-10
CABBAGE SNAKE FAKE.
Great Losses to Cabbage Growers
Through This scare.

Through This scare.
Washington. ID. C.--The cabbage hair
worm is the subject OF circular No.62 81
the bureau of entomology, United States
department of agriculture, the publi-
cation of which was made necessary
by numerous inquiries In regard To the
Identity and alleged poisonous nature
of minute worm popularity known
during the years 1903 and 1904 as the
cabbage snake" During the former
year the species first attracted atten-
ton, but was not considered seriously,
as 1t was well known that hair worms
are not In any degree poisonous-in
fact. they are perfectly harmless and
even TO a certain extent, beneficial, as
they destroy by parasltism the PERM
cious codling moth and several species
OF destructive grasshoppers or~ocusts.
In 1904, however, the subject increased
in proportion, the bureau of entomolo-
gy frequently receiving FIVE or six
communications daily in regard to this
creature. In most cases these were
accompanied by clippings CLEANED from
the daily press.
Poison stories Not Verified.
The object Of the circular is mainly
TO facilitate the correspondence Of the
department, to place the facts In the
case on record and before the public
and to correct erroneous reports and
mere rumors which have been circu-
lated in regard to cases Of poisoning
OF human beings. In only single
case was the name of the person or
persons who had been killed by eating
cabbage supposed to be infested by
this hair worm given, and the postmas-
ter of the city promptly denied 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 re-
ports were equally untrue OF eatly
exaggerated In fact. the entire mat
ter was a hoax save for the fact that
the rumors were placed In such gen
eral circulation that the consumption
OF cabbage was greatly curtailed,
many persons fully 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. We have positive
knowledge of one OF these In Tennes-
see, where fully IS per cent OF the
states cabbage crop was lost in 1904
Similar losses were reported in va
rious portions of Missouri, Iowa, West
Virginia and Virginia. From data at
hand 1t can truthfully be said that
thousands OF cabbage growers incurred
severe losses on account Of the unfor-
tunate "scare" due to the unwise cir
culation of the veriest rumors.
The Hair Worm Harmless.
In support of the statement which
has been made by letter by the depart
ment Of agriculture for the past two
years, DR. Louis Leroy made tests
In order to determine whether the hair
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 Extracts
from the hair worms were prepared
and the animals fed with them, and
the substance was injected hypoder-
mically, the final result being reached,
as none of the animals thus treated
was affected, that the cabbage snake"
IL entirely harmless, and the public ru-
mors and superstitions are fallacies
without semblance of foundation.