The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1912-05-16

Senator George p. Mclean of Con
necticut has introduced into congress
bill supplementary to the one which
he introduced some time ago to pro-
tect the birds of America. II is not
known what action congress will take,
but there are evidences at hand that
the agriculturists of the country are
taking a deep interest in the matter
for they are adding their word of sup
port to the words of the bird protec-
tors generally and to those of the
sportsmen and the people who are
humanitarians without having any
greater interest in birds than they
have in other forms Of animal life
which they thing should be protected
In the year 1904 DR.. c. l.. Bartlett,
basing his estimate on the crop re-
ports of. the department of agriculture.
asserted that the loss to the agricul
tural industries that year, caused by
insects alone, could be conservatively
placed at $795 100000, and this does
not include a dollar used for insecti-
cides. State Ornithologist Forbush Of
Massachusetts, in his comprehensive
book entitled useful Birds" main
tains that insect pests destroy agri-
cultural products to the value Of
$500, 100000 a year.
The details whereby such enor-
nous totals are reached are available
and indicate that the scientists are not
guessing wildly. For example, the
Au IN h.
growing states $50000,0 900. Cinch
bugs cost the Mississippi valley $780,
100000 in one year. Rocky Mountain
locusts, in their years OF greatest
activity. cost the northwest more than
$50, 100000. Cut-worms have caused
loss of 500, 900, 900 at one time. Thus
1t Is seen that the terrible loss of
$500, 100000 In one year is fairly easy
of proof
Their Marvellous Fecundity.
The fecundity of many insects Is
beyond imagination. The green Leaf
louise or aphis, so destructive of the
hop industry. and many other Of our
most valuable fruits and vegetables,
reproduces its kind at rate Of ten
sextillion to the pair In one season.
These inconceivable figures mean 40.
600 for every square inch of land that
Is above water Placed in the Indian
file, ten to the inch, 1t would take light
per second $500 years to reach the
file leader. The potato bug is less
fecund. One pair will reproduce from
fifty to sixty millions only in one sea.
son. The unchecked natural increase
Of one pair Of gypsy moths would de.
foliate the United States in eight
years.
Insects live to eat Some insects In.
crease their size at birth ten thousand
times in thirty days. No less than
176 species of insects attack the ap.
pie, plum. peach and cherry trees; 400
species are found upon the oak
Fortunately for the protection OF
birds are among the most important
agencies in staying the inroads of in.
sect devastation. Most birds eat most
of the time and eat insects and little
else Mr.. Treadwell of the Boston So.
ciety of Natural History fed a young
robin siXty-eight angleworms in one
day. A young crow will eat twice its
weight day of almost anything set
before it, Mr.. Forbush has seen two
parent grosbeaks in eleven hours
make $50 trips TO their nest, carrying
two or three larvae at time.
Old Wabash to Be Broken Up.
The old wooden frIgate Wabash,
which has been at the Boston
navy yard in service as re-
ceiving ship for long time. is to be
broken up and that which is metal
about her will be sold for junk. while
the woodwork will be burned on one
of the islands in Boston harbor. The
Wabash has been at the Boston navy
yard or, more properly speaking. the
Charlestown navy yard, for thirty.
seven years
There are not many stirring asso.
Citations connected with the Wabash.
She saw service during the Civil war,
but was in no wing and wing" sea
fights during that conflict She vas
present at the bombardments OF Hat.
teras Inlet, Port Royal and Fort Fish
er, but of encounters like that in
which the old Constitution engaged in
the war of 1872 the Wabash had none,
When it is learned that man-of'
war Is to be put out Of commission
and sold or broken up, and there
comes no protest from the people, II
can be pretty well understood that
little of sentiment attaches to the YES.
sci and that her career was not one
of pulse-stirring interest. If it were
suggested that the Oregon should be
given up or that the Olympia, which
was Dewey's ship in the Manila bay
fight, were to be sold for junk, 1t is
probable that there would be an III.
slant demand from the country that
they be saved.
The Wabash, now about to be brok
en- up, was preceded at the Charles
town navy yard as receiving ship by
the Ohio, a wooden full rugged ship
without steam auxiliary. Every man
on board the old Ohio was sailor or
fast on the way to become one. She
was slow ship, rot even as fast