The Washington herald., 1907-03-03

year TO practical work in the weeviI in
Tested districts Several stations for the
study Of the wesvil and its ways have
been established, all located upon plan
tations owned and operated by planters
OF responsibility, generally selected by
their neighbOrs. A patch Of cotton land
is separated from the main plantation for
treatment according 10 Hunters direc-
tons. It is screened in carefully 10 insure
proper conditions The planter is guar
anteed against loss. and the services OF
Mr.. Hunter or an assistant are furnished
free. but the planter pays the expense Of
seed and cultivation. II the course adopt
ed by Mr. Hunter results in smaller
yield upon the experimental patch than
upon the remaining cotton land on the
plantation the government makes good
the deficit This happens sometimes, but
not often.
The department does not cOnfine its in
sect fighting to the cotton boil weevil by
any means. Il has farm-bred, college
trained scientists who are constantly
watching and combating the chinch bugs,
the various moths, and all the others
which are as dangerous to the crops Of
the North as the weevil is 10 the South's
greatest crop.
San Jose ScHIe-LOcusts.
DR. L. o. Howard. the head Of the En-
genealogical Bureau. and c. L. MarIatt,
next in command, are both devoted TO
the practical side of insect study. It was
Marlatt who Travelled through a large Dor
tfon OF the'Orient to find a parasite that
would destroy or keep in check the So
called San Jose scale, that has done such
enormous damage in the twenty-four
years since il was introduced In Califor-
MIA by James Lick on some ornamental
plants imported from The Orient.
Mariatt found no native parasite. but
his achievement was one OF the most
brilliant Of its sort ever recorded. never
theless. He found a "predaCious'' lady
bird-a neat-fOOted bug much ike the
American ladybird. but black, and carry
ing two red spOts-which. in the part OF
China surrounding Pe6in. its home. feeds
on the scale as the mahogany ant feeds
on the boil weevil In Central America.
The story Of the importation of a large
number Of these bugs, only single pair
of which survived the voyage. has been
told, and so has the story Of Marlatt's
travels in search of a scale DESTROYER
They were largely undertaken as a labor
Of love, the government paying only about
one-seventh of his expenses. and for some
time after the Asiatic ladybirds had been
established here they did great work.
Neither IN Asia Tor America. however.
can they ever exterminate the scale. since
if the scale Is exterminated or kept be-
low certain limit the ladybirds die also.
as Il is their sole food
It was found some time ago that a
spray Of lime, sulphur. and salt wash is
worse than the ladybird for the scale, and
the use OF the wash has reduced the scale
to such numbers that the ladybirds have
probably starved to death: at all events.
although the pair brought here in 1892
multiplied many fold in many parts Of
the country. a few of their descendants
are now to be seen in the United States
Mr.. MaTlatt. like most of the Agricul-
tural Department scientists, was born on
a farm and became interested in insects
as a farmers boy. He lived in Kansas
when young and has witnessed two or
three Of the devastating grasshopper Wis
itations there. He knows as much about
the grasshopper and all other !ocusts as
any man alive. His monograph on the
periodical cicada, issued as a bulletin by
the department, is the final authority
upon that insect.
Copyright, 1907. by Dexter MirshaIl