The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1913-10-04
MOTH TRAIL A MYTH
Girl Sends Bureau Of Entomology
Experts on Fool Chase.
Scientists of the Government AIM TO
Stop the Destruction Of Countrys
Pear Trees-Pest Sought
to Eat Pest

Washington. D. C.-Her name Is
Mary. She wrote nice little note
from Haverford. Pa. to the bureau oil
entomology al the department Oh az
riculture
Il enclose three funny moths
caught the other day. wrote Mar!
VIII you kindly tell me what me!
are
WhereupOu the bureau OF entohioi'
ogy rose from its several chairs anu
began to move in circles. Mary hau
found the brown tail moth IN Penn
sylvania where the brown tan never
had been heard OF before. \ brown
tail moth is as destructive TO elm
trees as forest fire No one knows
how many millions of dollars nave
been spent in fighting II.
Go" said the Centurions OF the
bureau Beat ii To Pennsy wanna
and find out all about this dreadful
/ thing
| A squad of entomOlogists appeared
/ in Hayerford next morning. Other
bug connoisseurs heard the news ana
they went to HayerfOrd. For week
Young men stumbled through It's
| streets. their eyes fixed on the tops
| OF trees The pockets of the young
men bulged with butterfly nets ana
poison bottles, They hunted, Ou'
could find no moths. AT last they
looked up Mary
Quick" they gasped. Tell US
where you caught the brown tai
months
Oh" said Mary, Il brought then
home with me from Maine
The bureau of entomology is addin.
to our stock of bug lore every day
Lately il discovered that the ultravlo
let rays are powerless against IN
bacteria which inhabit milk. Ever,
one knows that X-rays have deadi
effect upon the human body if they ar
applied too often. But the clgarett
worm-which lives in made up toba'
co-not only is impregnable TO IN
X-rays. but it actually seems TO fiou
ish in proportion TO the amount c
X-rays it gets.
Just to prove that the pear ire
blight is caused by an animal o
ganism. the scientists are raising TN
bacteria in bottles. By and by the
will raise in the laboratory anotht
pest to eat this pest up.
They did that with the alfal
weevil. They imported some sort
bug which for lack of more intelli
ible name was called the alfal
weevil-weevil Anyhow, il Is wee'
which feeds on the weevil which 1ee'
on alfalfa. 1t is saving this valuab
crop in some parts of the west.
The oddly of the moment, howev'
is the sick nurse of the hairy veto
Vetch is a valuable forage plant. b
it isn't hustler When it finds a 81
;. that is deficient in nitrogen 1t lu
~ lies down and dies.
&c Whereupon the entomologists take
- bottle of bugs out to the vetch III
- and turn them loose. These bu
have Just one idea in life. apparent
They hurry to the roots OF the vet
and begin to feed it the nitrogen
lacks.
OF Conversation about frogs Is not
lp- couraged in the bureau of animal I
ne tory. Not long ago one OF its brig
tn est young men became enthusias
lg. over batarachians. He wouldn't I;
ne about anything else. He slipped II
ar ly green frogs into the hands of thu
eft he liked and was invariably shocl
and irritated by the effect. He sp
his spare hours in catching frogs
studying frogs or talking about fro
hit So they put him under the judicial
da glass.
of This man isn't crazy" said
d." Judge, after the frog connoisseur
es. concluded his defense. He Is gr
al. scientist. But ! think that some
lis his accusers are suffering from ech
in the garnet"