The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-06-07
BUG IS WORTH
 S1OO,OOO,OOO Green Aphis Now Nearly Exterminated. RIVAL NOW THE HESSIAN FLY Prompt Work by Scientists Furnish cd Deadly Enemy. Crop Damage Caused Spectators to Advance Wheat to Above a Dollar te Great Gain of Unhurt
 
RIVAL NOW THE HESSIAN FLY

Washington, June s.-(special )-- Exit the slOO.Ooo.ooO bug. The advent of the Hessian fly. which Is now de- youring the winter wheat crop and bringing terror to the hearts of the farmers in Kansas. marks the passing from the spotlight of what was prob ably in its hey-day the greatest wealth. producing insect in the records of com merce.
 This bug, the spring geen Aphis. was worth s100. 100000 to bank accounts of people in this country in 1907, who es- capped its call. At the same time 1t was so destructive that desperate ef- forts were made to externinate 1t. Men wise in bug-ology were on their knees in the field examining 1t with magnifying' glasses. The scientists dis covered other bugs or flies which took such a fancy to the little bug in ques- ton, that they actually began to feed on it. Then these scientists matched and turned loose millions of these par asites to devour or destroy the slOo.- 00o.0oo bug. They were partly suc- eessful and threatened calamity was averted.
 The green Aphis made sieepless nights for wheat raisers of Oklahoma. Texas, Kansas and Nebraska for pe- riod of sixty days last year. Before It was exterminated. the Department or Agriculture. the Bureau Of Entomology, and an army of scientists. were en- gagged in the fight, to save the Wh eat crop of the country. The green bugs were vanquished and their spread into the wheat States east of the Mississippi and the spring wheat States of the Northwest finally. checked on the prin- ciple of ''hghking the devil with nre. A small black fly in Oklahoma and Texas was found to be the natural enemy of the green bug. This fly was propagated by the millions under ad- vice of the scientists. Agents of the Bureau of Entomology were sent into the fields to direct the work of dis- 4ributinR the diminutive black para sites. Tn thirty days after the war on Che bugs'' began, the danger was de- dared over, but not until Texas, Okla hoFna and Kansas had suffered great injury and wheat raisers had great scare over what looked like a calamity for time. @
 Now for the s1oo, ,ooo. .ooo part of the story. When the first real scare over the green bugs began, wheat was sell ing on May contracts at "A 5-S cents. This was when the sun crossed the line March 2i and the growing season for }, the big winter wheat States fairly began. The country had a visible sup ply of 1906 wheat on hand amounting 10 nearly 4s,00O.000 bushels. Argen- line was shipping 3.00o.000 bdshels a week to Europe and underselling American exporters. Shipments from that quarter from January to May were 64.000,0o0 bushels. oficial hg- ures show that primary markets in this country were grooming under the re- ceipts of 30O,OO0 to 100000 bushels a day above normal movement of prevt- ous years. The earlier reports on the growing crop sent out from Secretary Wilson's crop bureau were nattering and caused g:eat depression in prices. It looked like 50 cents a bushel for the 1907 wheat crop to the farmers west of the river.
 Then came the green bug and the speculator.
 At the first serious mention of in- sect damage to wheat in Texas and Ok Iahoma, experts were despatched from Chicago, Minneapolis and St. Louis grain exchanges to learn the facts. The reports wired back to members of these exchanges first informed the press, the public and even the wheat raisers of the Southwest of the danger which threatened the crop. Buying of wheat in all the big markets began like a whirlwind. Experienced operators saw that any calamity to the 100000 GOO bushel crop of Kansas on top of ravages already established in Texas and Olxlah oma would mean high priced
 
 these operators made prices for produc- CTS while making profits for themselves.
 By April 1 the price on the Chicago Board of Trade was up from "A b-8 to 7s 5-s cents, by April IS it was al 7S 3-4 cents, May 1, 80 5-s cents IT May the green bug got in It's deadliest work in Kansas and even made much headway in Nebraska. The spread oi the pest was like a prairie fire. Int public saw the danger to the grea wheat States extending away north tt the Dakotas. Buying on the exchanges simply reflected the damage already done and the possibility of greate calamity. By May Il the Chicago urice was up to s9 IA cents. by May Il to s4 l-2 cents and on May IS the wav' of buying was so great as to advanc' the price cents. in one day and th' market landed at 99 Ia cents. Tel days later the May Ca cash month contracts reached a nlsn point , d S103 Ia, while prices for the new crol months deliverles-July and Septem ber-advanced to $1.04 1-2 and $l.O5 l. respectively.
 The best part of the story Is tha prices did not recede much after rh battle with the bugs was over. Con ditfons were unfavorable for the whea crop of Russia There was a very lat season in the Canadian Northwest.
 Every exchange in this countr. watched all these adverse signs and | anticipating the short yields for tn year held prices well up around Sl 10 inc entire harvest season in this coun try. The early rush of the marketini by farmers was at prices 30 cents
 bushel higher than expected sixty an ninety days earlier. Applying the in crease of 30 cents to the portion of tn years yield which left first hands, ga 800. .OO0, 900 bushels. and allowing tha other influences outside of the insec damage and scare caused one-third c the advance we have 20 cents a busht on 800 900 ,O00 bushels or $lOO,OO0 % additional mcpey secured by whea raisers of the United States as the al rect result of the green bugs invasion
 It does not require much skill to con Arast this condition of things with wha would exist were the making of price to be paid wheat growers in the hand Of a powerful buyers combine instea of broad competitive world market which have reached great perfection largely through the facilities furnishe by the exchanges.
 For the Umbrella stand.
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