Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1913-10-24
MOTH TRAIL A MYTH
Girl Sends Bureau of EntomoIouv
Experts on Fool Chase.
Scientists Of the Government Aim :.
Stop the Destruction Of coun,rv,.
Pear Trees-Pest Sought
to Eat Pest.

Washington, d. Cher name 4.
Mary. She wrote a nice little no,s
from Haverford. Pa. to the bureau !,
entomology at the department OF 40.
riculture.
Il enclose three funny moths
caught the other day." wrote Mar
will you kindly tell me what thew
are?"
Whereupon the bureau of entomol.
ogy rose from its several chairs ana
began to move in circles. Mary has
found the brown tail moth In Penn
sylvania. where the brown tail never
had been heard of before. A brown
tail moth 10 as destructive to elm
trees as a forest fire. No one knows
how many millions of dollars have
been spent in fighting 1t.
Col" said the centurions Of tha
bureau. Beat it to Pennsylvania
and find out all about this dreadful
thing"
A squad of entomologists appeares
in Haverford next morning. Other
bug connoisseurs heard the news and
they went to Haverford. For a week
young men stumbled through he
streets, their eyes fixed on the toua
of trees. The pockets of the young
men bulged with butterfly nets and
poison bottles, They hunted, but
could find no moths. At last they
looked up Mary.
"Quick!" they gasped. TEL "a
where you caught the brown tail
months"
oh" said Mary. Il brought them
home with me from Maine"
The bureau of entomology is adding
to our stock of bug lore every day.
Lately it discovered that the ultravS
let rays are powerless against the
bacteria which inhabit milk. Every
one knows that X-rays have deadly
effect upon the human body II they are
applied too often. But the Cigarette
worm-which lives in made up tobac.
co-not only is impregnable to the
X-rays. but it actually seems to flour.
ish in proportion to the amount Of
X-rays it gets.
Just to prove that the pear tree
blight is caused by an animal or
ganism. the scientists are raising this
bacteria in bottles. By and by they
will raise in the laboratory another
pest to eat this pest up.
They did that with the alfalfa
weevil. They imported some sort Of
a bug which for lack OF more intelllg-
ible name was called the alfalfa
weevil-weevil Anyhow, 1t is weevll
which feeds on the weevil which feeds
on alfalfa. 1t is saving this valuabls
crop in some parts Of the west
The oddity of the moment. however.
is the sick nurse of the hairy vetch.
Vetch is a valuable forage plant, but
1t isn't a hustler. When 1t finds a soil
that is deficient in nitrogen II just
lies down and dies.
Whereupon the entomologists take q
bottle of bugs out to the veteh field
and turn them loose. These bugs
have just one idea in life, apparently.
They hurry to. the roots OF the vetch
and begin to feed it the nitrogen y
lacks.
Conversation about frogs Is not en-
couraged in the bureau of animal bis
tory. Not long ago one Of its bright
est young men became enthusiastic
over batarachians. He wouldn't tax
about anything else He slipped live
ly green frogs into the hands OF those
he liked and was invariably shocked
and irritated by the effect He spent
his spare hours In catching frogs or
studying frogs or talking about frogs.
So they put him under the Judicial bed
glass.
This man isn't crazy" said the
Judge. after the frog connoisseur had
concluded his defense. He is a greal
scientist. But | think that some o.
his accusers are suffering from echoes
in the garnet"