The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-06-26
THE WAR AGAINST PESTS.

An agent of the United States De-
partmeut of Agriculture is said to have
saved the farmers of the Southwest
$l0,000,000 during the present season
by his incubation of destructive insects
with virus that brings their death,
Other agents of the department have
been fighting the boil weevil in Texas
with great deal of success. So far
the most effective way of fighting that
pest has been to procure seed from more
northerly climates that ripen the cot
ton earlier than the boil weevil Gus
tomariy gets into action. Other means
are also found, by poison and inocula
ton, which make the progress of this
pest one of difficulty, but still success
in fighting 1T has not been altogether
assured.
The war upon pestiferous insects that
destroy crops of various kinds has eu-
gagged the attention of chemists and
entomologists for a good many years,
and much success has attended these
efforts. We find in a paragraph IN the
New York Evening Post an account
of the efforts of over century ago to
destroy insects by the cultivation of
arseniferous plants. These were sue
cessful in the destruction of the vermin
and insects; but they were also de-
structive in other ways to stock and,
in some places, to children. The
spriukling of arsenic in fields and gar
dens undoubtedly has proved very sue
cessful in killing vermin, but the prac-
tice was stopped by law IN France by
reason of its danger. A substitute for
arsenic, however, has now been found
IN chloride of barIum This, when
used in proper amounts, does not hurt
either man or plants, a Russian
entomologist has recently discovered,
by his experiments, the proper proper
tion of this chloride 10 apply effective
ly. AS result ii is claimed that NOR
tality among all kinds of creeping
things has been enormous. The poison
acts very slowly, sometimes not taking
effect for ten days; upon which the
Post comments, lin view OF such dis.
covery and the success which has at
tended the modern anti.mosquito policy,
it is strange that the common house fly
should be let off so easily;' which cer-
tanly is true. The pestiferous fly does
seem to have escaped the attention Of
the chemists and insect-plotting ento-
mologists beyond all expectation. The
reason probably is that flies can be
barred out by extra diligence and care,
and, at the worst, are not absolutely
destructive,
There can be no question of the bene-
fetal results of the labors of the chem
lists and entomologists in destroying the
insects, pests, and vermin that other
wise would be so destructive to the
crops. In years past squirrels and
gophers have been sore Affections TO
the farmer, but the day of their depre-
dations has practically passed, thanks
to the chemists in devisiug means to
poison them and affict them with in
fectious disease. In spite of everything
that can be done, however, the possibili
ty Of wholly eradicating these pests
appears rs remote as ever, and new
forms of destruction and new forms of
insects and vermin are constantly APP
pearing. The experts who have in hand
the war upon these crop destroyers, so
troublesome to deal with and so inn
possible of attack, except by the subtle
ways Of the most expert scientists, are
doing great service; but the day will