The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1907-04-19

AND HAWAII, AND TO TIL
The following published in the Brook
line Chronicle is of the highest interest
to every one who has in any degree
followed the wonderful scientific work
Of the Territorial Department of Ento-
mology and of the Hawaiian Sugar
Planters Experiment station:
Massachusetts and Federal authori-
ties at Washington may be exposed to
criticism by the nation for an unnec-
essary spread of the gypsy and the
browntail moth pests. Doubts have
stirred private citizens to action.
Years of attention and the expenditure
Of millions of dollars in Massachusetts,,
instead of bringing relief, now find
these pests in nearly all New England,
and threatening the country by natu-
raj and by suspected criminal means.
Science and sense appear to have been
in a costly conflict.
Insect pests are one of the most
powerful forces in nature. Mans in
ability to control that force, save by
turning nature against nature, is
truism with the worlds best experts
on this, and with those whose means
of support depend on holding insect
pests in check Our loss from insects
alone in the United States is said to
amount to four hundred millions Of
dollars annually, principally from i'm
ported insects
In about a month or two the moth
caterpillars will begin to appear again.
| At the Brooklyn town meeting of last
January the town did not approve Of
a $4,000 contract with California to in
! troduce the natural enemies of these
moths, payment to be conditioned up
on success. This was sound, for the
town did not understand the matter
fully and what has since been learned
Hereinafter summarized in part
shows that no such contract need be
made now.
1t has been a short interval between
the special town meeting of January
2Sth, and the annual meeting of March
IA; shorter than was anticipated. I'M
mediately after the January meeting
some public-spirited citizens of Massa-
chusetts decided that instant action be
taken to clear up doubts on this serious
] a for n
go forthwith to California and be
ready to report, before the annual town
meeting convened, on just what had
been done and could be done by that
state to combat insect pests by bene-
fetal insects
The journey and investigation were
completed in twenty-siX days, covering
about 5000 miles, and including per-
sonaI interviews with the most accom-
plshed specialists in science Of parasi-
tologia i'm California, who offered every
facility for inquiry for 500 miles from
the borders of Mexico to Sacramento,
the capital Of California. Investiga-
tons We're made with experts in the
$50 anu '''''.''''' anu GU '''e
by land owners and by their managing
foremen by horticulturalists, by quar-
anime 'Apel'S' OS '"e "oiLu sl'e'
"'''s''' VI p'',''' " ''u,lis' l1O'i'o' i'u'
2'''N anu 'S '''e ,'o' e'',oi u INC
'''''', ms was SuIi'iel''e'''eu ny an
7N'''i''il'' 'on oI lnouS''iuS Oh pages u
r'll''e" matter rom 'i''ois the i'ioSI
'''uaD'e co''eeO'onS lhat the "orIu
perhaps oIIers on TINS speclaIty' as Wen
as nun'reos OF pages OF contempora-
"eouS Correspondence work that was
pursued o7''y ooth In crossing and re-
crossing 'he continent
10 me II is no" very clear mat Mas
SachuSel'S men nave erred IN not Keep
lhs' during these recent precious
years IN closer louch with a section oil