Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1906-05-25
Insects Eat One. Tenth OF Crops.

cultural, horticultural, forestry and
live stock industries Of our country
aggregated S7O0,000,O00 for the
year 1905, yet the real facts are
under, rather than over, stated.
The value of the products of the
soil of the United States fer sever
al years has reached S., OOO,O 900
annually, while in 1905 it was So,
OOO.OOO,OOO. A less of 10 per cent
on all growing crops caused by IN
sect injuries is estimated by the
entomologist of the Department OF
Agriculture, with $200,00O,0 900
further damage to crops in storage
and to our forest interests.
Two chief insect enemies OF
wheat are the chinch bug and the
Hessian fly, and they have exter-
minated wheat-raising over a large
territory, The losses to individual
states ranging from $l0,O00,000 to
$2O,0OO,OO0.
Corn is another Of the great GER
eal crops which has run the gaunt-
let of a number of enemies, chief
among which is the corn root worm
This worm feeds upon the roots OF
the corn plants, and it caused a loss
of $10,000.000 in season to one
state alone-Illinois.
Another insect, the ear worm, at
tacks sweet corn, and in some Sec
tions has caused the crop to be a
total failure, seriously affecting
large canning industry.
Ear worms bore into the kernels
of the ears, making them unfit for
use. The same worms work in the
ears Of field corn in the South. The
added cost of canned corn to con-
SINNERS from this cause is not tax
en- into account by the authorities
Of the Department of Agriculture.
W S Hunter, special agen! OF the
Department of Agriculture in Tex
as, who has made an exhaustive
study of the insect attacking cot.
ton, aeseris that the damage to the
cotton crop Of Texas in 1904 from
the boil weevil, boil worms and
leaf worm was S20,000,0O0.
The annual loss of cattle in Tex
as from The tick that causes Texas
fey err is placed at S100,000,OOO.
Next to corn in value is the
country's hay crop. A large num-
Der Of grubs and worms work upon
the roots, as well as upon the stalks
and seed heads of the grasses, and
the losses from them run into fab
ulous millions.
Developed to a very large extent
have been the fruit interests OF the
United States, yet so destructive
are many insects to fruit trees and
fruit that many kinds are yet lux
uries not to be had by the masses,
so costly are they in price.
There are over 200 insects that
attack the root, body, branch, foil
age and fruit Of the apple tree.
The most serious of these are the
codling moth, Palmer worm, aphis,
borers and San Jose scale,
The codling moth causes wormy
apples. In some years from 60 to
10 per cent of the apples are blem-
by this insect.
Prof Slingerland, entomologlst
of Cornell University, estimates
the loss to New York state apple
growers at S2,500,O0O annually.
The late DR. Lintner, State Ento-
mologist Of New York, placed the
losses from insects to New York at
$4,000, 900 annually.
In many sections of the country
the old apple orchards that have
become infested by the San Jose
scale will become extinct within 10
years, and in the future fruit OF
most kinds viii be produced mainly
by specialists who make a careful
study of the life history and habits
Of insects, and who provide ample
equipment and facilities for their
control.
Were the losses of trees taken
fully into account in addition to
the fruit, the estimates of total
losses would be far greater.
After spending much money and
time on a pear orchard of 1000
trees, the writer lost the entire or.
chard from the persistent attacks
of very minute insect known as