Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-07-19
WAR ON TREE PESTS
Breeding of Parasite That
Preys on CaterpilIars.
ENEMY OF GYPSY MOTH
Object of DR.. L. o. Towards Visit
to Europe.
SEARCH FOR INSECT KILLERS
Cooperation of Spain and Portugal
With the United States in
the Crusade.
SEARCH FOR INSECT KILLERS

the Crusade.
France has just put In force a plant
inspection law that will largely take
the place OF the law that was urged by
the Department of Agriculture, but
was not passed at the last session OF
Congress. for the inspection of import
ed nursery stock for noxious insects
and plant diseases. DR.. l.. o. Howard,
chief of the bureau of entomology, has
just returned to Washington from a trip
to Europe. where he has gone for sew
eral summers looking after more eff
fective insect enemies Of the gypsy and
brOwn-tailed moths.
On his recent trip he visited Spain
and Portugal, where he had not had a
chance to go before. His first place Of call
Was Rome, where the minister of agri-
culture promised that he would have
his field agents collect and send a big
consignment of moth parasites to this
country.
Glad to Give Aid.
| Both in Spain and Portugal the agri-
cultural authorities were very glad to
aid in the war that is being carried on
against the moths in New England.
Portugal was particularly anxious to
cooperate, as it was chance to return
a favor the United States conferred
upon that country some time ago. In
| that case the Department Of Agricul
ture had been studying the lady bug
that destroys the white orange scale.
1t madee a large shipment of lady bugs
to Portugal. and was largely instru-
mental in cleaning scale from the
orchards there. Naturally the Portu-
guese minister of agriculture was very
willing to be Of use to this country.
| There Is new parasite in Spain that
| promises to prove effective against the
gypsy moth. and there is to be large
| shipment made to this country.
There has been a curious diminution
| of caterpillar pests in the forests of
northern Europe this Year. DR.. Howard
| said there was one piece of extensive
| woodland i'm the north Of France that had
| been completely stripped by the gypsy
moth when he visited it last year. Some
! of the photographs taken of the forest
| in midsummer resembled winter scenes.
| except that there was no snow On the
! ground. All the trees were denuGed ana
| even the ground was largely bare.
Forest Now in Full Leaf.
| Pictures taken the corresponding week
this year showed the same forest in full
| leaf. There was not caterpillar, though
| where they had gone was a mystery.
| The trees were very much weakened,
however, by the attack last year. and
many of them were being cut down.
One of the regions whence there had
| been a great deal of moth-infected stock
sent to the United States. it Is stated,
| was the district of Anglers. In fact, the
| United States through lack of pre-
| inc
| ing widespread moth epidemic two
| years ago. Winter nests Of the moth were
| found in plants that had been lnaerted
to New York state. and it was learned
| also that many other shipments from the
| same region in France had been sent 10
| all sections of this country.
| The Department of Agriculture got busy
| at once and traced about 500 individual
shipments to thirty-hve dinefent STATES. ties
| Through the cooperation OF the rali-
| roads, the express companies and the
| state inspectors it is thought that all OF
! the shipments were intercepted ana
| cleaned up before they had a chance 10
| get the moth distributed, but 1t was on
| the ground of this narrow escape that the
| Department Of Agriculture urged the en-
actment of a federal inspection law
An Old Law Enforced.
This year. however. the district of An
gers was entirely cleaned up. The mayor
of the town assured DIR. Howard that
he had put into effect an old law that
had not previously been enforced, COM
pelling growers of nursery stock to kill
| all winter nests Of the moth. In this
| way, it Is believed, the United States
| will be saved the danger OF repetition
| of the invasion from that quarter. There
are so many other sources of foreign in
| fection however, that the department IS
| still anxious to secure the passage OF
| the federal inspection law.
There is special laboratory IN New
| England where the moth parasites are
| bred They are collected with the cater
| pillars in whatever country they are TO
! be shipped from. In France, the agent
who collects them calls on the children,
| the peasants and even the garrison SOL
diers who are off duty at the time a
shipment is to be made. They collect
| the caterpillars in small boxes with a
sufficient supply Of leaves and twigs
| showed under cleats so as not 10 ne
| iostled around in transit.
| Exercise of Haste.
| These boxes are put together for ship
ment and are turned over to the rail-
| roads, which rush them in refrigerator
| cars to the American liner at Southamp-
ton. 1t is aimed for them to arrive there
| Friday night. They are at once taken
aboard and put in cold storage till they
| reach New York, whence they are sent
| to the breeding laboratory.
| When enough of them have been reared
| a colony is let out in some moth-infested
area where there is not going to be
! any other work done. 1t has been FOUND
| that colony of less than 1000 will not
| take hold satisfactorily. Sometimes as
many as 100000 are liberated at once.
| The importation of new parasites ana
| new individuals of old species will be
| continued till the ravages of the moth
In this country are checked. So FAR the
| work has been promising.
FOURTEEN BALLOONS ENTER.
| g.. "a IA pAnrnaAnfad in