Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1909-02-09
One Ordinary House Fly Can Increase
Over 5000, 0,000, 900.

1--WE are the army Of the great
God: we produce 80 eggs. If we pro-
duced a hundred we should consume
the whole earth, and all that Is In it.
Thus, say the Arab, the locust ad-
dressed Mahomet. And although the
locust actually lays many more than a
hundred eggs, there are many other
creatures whose power Of multiplica-
ton vastly exceeds that Of this terri
BILE insect plague.
The common house fly Is an In
stance in point, says the Baltimore
Sun. It has been computed that one
fly on the 29th of March is represent
ed by 800 on the oath Of April. The
800 become 100000 by May 2S, and
by August the number has been
squared twice more, making the total
progeny amount to the appalling
and incalculable number Of S,1OO,OOO,-
900.
The house fly lays eggs, the flesh
fly or blue bottle produces living lar
vac. Supposing a female to produce
so young, a very small estimate, and
half of these to be females, single
season would see one bluebottle turn
into 5OS,OOO,00O of fiesh-destroying
insects.
What a merciful thing it Is that we
have so many allies in the shape OF
birds and wasps and fiy-eating insects
who combine to keep down our enc
my, the fly.
Nearly all insects increase rapidly.
The queen bee will lay eggs at the
rate of 800 an hour, but even she can
not compete with the termite, the So
called white ant. The queen termlte
has been known to lay $4,000 eggs
day, and to keep up an average OF
$4,000 a day for the whole OF the lay
ing season, which lasts about a
month.
The life of the queen bee Is, how
ever, longer than that of the termlte.
She lives and goes on laying for -FOUR
or five summers, and in her lifetime
laws at least a million and a half OF
eggs.
All who have gardens know what
pest the green fly, or aphis becomes
It seems to cover rose trees ike
magic.
The aphis Is, in one way, the most
startling Of all forms Of insect life, Tor
although the females can and DO lay
eggs, it's usual method Of increase Is
| by a sort Of budding process, the
young growing on the bodies OF the
parents exactly as brussels sprouts
grow out of the stalk Of the plant.
The old produce young at the rate
of twenty-five q day, and as the young
are at once mature, each can prouuce
its twenty-five on the following day.
1t positively frightens one to work
| this multiplication out TO cohciu-
sion, for it means this: Supposlhs
that the aphis could increase ana null
tiply without interference, the tWeh-
| ty-five generations would De d nuliioe,
| too long to quote here. Put down
and follow it with twenty-elgnt
naught and you will be within few
millions of it.
But fish are the champion egg lay
ers. The average number or eggs III
a halibut is 3,5O0,O00, while good
sized cod may contain as many as ~
| 600, 900. A small one-pound sole has
been found to have $4,000 eggs:
OF land animals the rabbit holds
the record for rapid increase. A rap
bit breeds eight times year, produc-
ing about eight young at a time:
1t will be seen, therefore, that the
bird as an egg layer comes last OF all
| Indeed, the poor, common garaen
| hen, whose eggs are those we most
esteem, is left hopelessly out Of ma
lures egg-laying race.