Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1909-02-26
LOSS FROM INSECT PESTS.
Annually Damage Soil Products
Many Millions OF Dollars.

Many MILLIONS OK oAllE
1t VIII probably startle the average
American citizen to learn that every
year insect pests damage our live stock
and the agricultural products OF our
soil TO an amount exceeding the ell
tire expenditures Of the national gov
eminent, including the pension roll and
the maintenance OF the army and navy.
In no other country in the world do
insects impose 50 heavy Il tax Oh the
products OF the farm as in the United
states. A scientific agricultural writer
&C. l.. Marlatt, assistant entomologiSt
III the national bureau of entomology
estimated Il few years ago that Il total
OF more than 100000, 600 annual loss
due to insect pests i'll the United States
Is below rather than above the actual
| damage.
Despite the careful and thorough
work done to eradicate these pests
great damage is still inflicted by them.
Before the cotton worm was studied
and the method OF controlling it 10y the
use Of arsenic sprays had become conl-
mon knowledge this plague had levied
Il LIZA VI ycC,oOO,Ooo Ill DuN ySdIo oA Iho
cotton crop. This estimate and those
that follow are based on h official
figures Of the department OF asricul-
ture for the calendar year 19O4-the
latest statistics available. Much saving
has been effected since then by the
methods Of the bureau of entomology
and the State entomologists, but the
aggregate loss is still enormous. \
knowledge of the habits and the meth
DDS of controlling or avoiding the Hes
sian fly, including improved cultural
methods, las resulted in the saving of
wheat values to the farmer aggregat-
ing from 100000 600 to $2OO,OOO,OOO
annually. The apple crop of the coun-
try is worth from $6,0OO,OO to $S,O0O,-
600 more since the as yet incomplete
| control of h coddling moth has been
| generally understood. The root worm
was almost bafled by the principle Of
| rotation Of corn with oats, thus saving
the corn crop to the extent Of many
millions annually. The annual losses
occasioned to forests and forest prod
ucts by insect pests have been estimat-
ed at not less than $500, 900 900, of
which $7O,0O0,OOO is damage sustained
by the growing timber. The tobacco
crop suffers from insects to the extent
of more than $5,OOO,OO 0 The white
scale would have completely destroyed
the orange and lemon orchards Of Cali
| fornia but for the introduction of one
Of it's natural enemies from Australia,
While the control of the Mexican boil
weevil has already saved the farmers
of Texas an enormous sum, and has
really made the continuance of cotton
growing possible.
Besides these direct losses enormous
damage is lone by insects to cattle
and in the transmission of disease to
man. The loss in the value of horse,
sheep and cattle products directly
chaGgeahle to insects 1.-THE OK MARBLE,
the Buffalo gnat. and the various bit
ing flies and ticks) would aggregate,
government statisticians figure, not
less than 900 annually. To this
must be added the cost of protection
from insect damage TO stores products
and from the noXious mosquito, fly
and other disease-bearing insects. I'm
doubtedly mosquitoes as carriers Of
malaria and yellow fever, and flies as
transmitters of typhoid, occasion the
loss of another S5O,O00,O00 or S6O,OOO,-
600 in the form Of lessened economic
neutrality-suspicious. Review of Re