The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1911-09-27
Are A HEAVY TAX
INSECTS COSTS FARMERS MIL,
LIONS OF DOLLARS.

: However Science. Through the Prae
: tical Work Of Entomologists, Save
Much to the Country.
, Entomology means the study
: insects. Not many years ago an en-
tonologist was looked upon as
harmless non-utilitarian, and tn
world called to mind the picture o
spectacled and bearded lunatic
wildly waving an iRsect net and pur
suing q fitting butterfly over felt
and bog. Even now amongst many o
our people the word Is synonymous
with bug hunter" an individual
who collects. kills, pins. Classics ans
labels what the public broadly char
acterizes as bugs" said individual
adding not jot or title to the In
come Of the world, ditettante who
In no way benefits mankind.
OF late years the science Of ento'
mology is being everywhere recogniz,
ed aszof great practical importance
We need only to refer to few facts
70 emphasize the terrible destruction
caused by insect pests alone, havoc
which is rated by the millions OF
dollars and to mention certain appro-
priations made of late years to for
ward the work Of entomology, to
show the important part played in
our economics by insects, and the
appreciation Of the work OF entomol-
ogists as shown by substantial assist
ance@ rendered them by congress,
state legislatures, and the various
states:institutions where the science
is made an important feature OF the
work.:
The average total monetary value
of all 3of the farm products of the
United States each year. based upon
government reports, is approximately
six billion, seven hundred and ninety
four millions Of dollars. Our for
estry products will average about six
billions annually. This added to our
agricultural products, makes grand
total Of seven billions. three hun
dred and ninety-tour millions.
Loss through insect ravages for
one year in the United States has
been found to be represented by the
enormous sum of eight hundred mill
lions of dollars, nearly one-ninth
of the total output. In other words,
eight hundred million dollars might
be added yearly to our agricultural
and forestry output If we could elm
lnate= the work of injurious insects.
This 2does not include the annual
loss OF human life through the agen-
cy. of insects.
Although we. estimate our aver
age wheat crop as worth s45o,000,-
600, we lose yearly from ravages
caused by insects, s1,oo0,0o0,oo0, or
more than 20 per cent of the total
output. OF this, the Hessian fly is
yearly responsible for more than
Y2o,0o0,o0e, the cinch bug gets away
with $4,000, 900, and the balance IS
sacrificed to locusts, grasshoppers,
cut worms, army worms, etc.
The corn root form, the cinch bug
and other insects destroy SSo,oo0,"
900 of corn each year.
At least 10 per cent Of the hay
crop, or s60,O0o,00o worth OF hay,
is levied on annually by locusts,
grasshoppers, etc.
San Jose scale; codling moths, cur
culos and other pests. rob us of 20
Der cent OF our annual S135,O00,e00
truit crop.
We produce annually potatoes
worth in the aggregate s15o,Ooo,Oo,
but lose by inescts each year $780,
100000 on this crop alone.
Of our annual products. which cas-
lily represent 75O,o00,Oo0, 10 per
cent goes each year to satisfy insect
parasites, and we might go On enuna-
Grating through a long list, the dam
age wrought by insect pests.
However, the triumph OF science
IN recent years, through the practical
work of entomologists to the agri-
cultural classes each year part of the
loss occasioned by insects, has been
one Of the most notable achievements
OF modern times.
The South has loss annually S12,-
100000 In it's cotton raising area,
through the work Of the cotton boil
Ieevil, and in 1904 in Texas alone
about s22,Oo0,O0o was sacrificed to
this insect. Field work by trained
entomologists has shown means OF
preventing a large portion Of this
loss.
The Hessian fly has, at times, un-
til made a special study, levied an
annual tax upon our wheat OF from
one to two hundred million dollars,
while the codling moth. until rene
dies we're found for it by e1tomolo-
gists, destroyed each year at least
s1O,OO0,0O0 worth of apples in the
United States. The corn root worm
took nearly or quite s100,o00,o00
each year out of the Mississippi val
ley, until entomologists found the
proper means to combat it.
The value of stored products, such
as mill stuffs, fruit, cotton, wooden
and other manufactured goods, has,
ir the past, deprecated annually
$1,000, 100000 by inspect attack, but
entomologists have found that expert
fumigation with hydrocyanic acid gas
or bisulphide of carbon, will reduce
that nearly or quite one-half. With
in the last few years, state and gov
ernment entomologists have learned
practical methods of combating our
most destructive fruit insect, the San
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