The Daily Missoulian., 1913-01-10

~ SsueSo' ldT dS pUSSIDlS lHlS
stock sent to the different states has
been followed, examined and the in
sects removed or destroyed. This has
incurred expense which might well
have been avoided, and 1t is, of course,
impossible to trace all of the points of
contact through which the contagion
may have spread to other localities.
The gypsy moth is most frequently
found upon coniferous trees. The in
sect destroys the leaves of the tree,
and it dies in few months. Scat
tered over New England are acres of
dead pine trees or of unsightly stumps
of trees which have been cut down
or removed, and many parks and pine
groves which, a few years ago. were
T the delight of villages are now places
of utter desolation. The brown tail
moth attacks the deciduous trees, but
does not always kill them the first
year. because a new leaf crop Is, more
readily formed. This pest extends its
ravages to many kinds of trees, in
Guiding those bearing fruit.
Besides these pests, for which quar-
antine already have been declared, the
United States is ravaged by many
other pests of almost equal destruc-
tive qualities. 1t is estimated that the
loss due to insect pests of farm prod
ucts, including fruit and livestock,
now exceeds the sum of $1,000, ,00O, 900
annually. The larger percent of this is
due to imported insects, which this
quarantine law will materially lessen.
The San Jose scale, the codd1ing moth
or apple worm, the cotton boil weevil,
the Hessian fly and the wheat plant
louise are only a few of the most inn
portant of these. The San Jose scale
attacks orchards and destroys millions
of dollars worth of fruit each year.
At least $10,000.00O are expended an
nually in the preparation and appli-
cation of the sprays for it's extermi-
nation. ~
The apple worm occasions a less in
cost of spraying trees and the injury
to fruit amounting to $4,000, 900 each.
year. 1t is believed that the Hessian
fly causes an average annual loss of
$50.OO0,O00 in destruction of wheat,
and In some years it has reached $780,
100000, while, according to w. D.
Hunters estimate, regarded as conser-
Vative by the department of agricul-
ture, the loss from the cotton boil
weevil amounts to s25,OO0,OOO a year.
All of these pests could have been
greatly lessened, if not altogether
avoided, if proper precaution for
quarantine had been taken years ago.
AS the intercourse with other nations
increases and new plant products ara
being discovered, the importations are
naturally larger. There are a number
of pests hitherto unknown in thi.
country which have been discovered
recently in other countries, which NAV
bring to us quite as great a loss as
that caused by the chestnut canker
which was brought in from Japan only
a few years ago. This has already
caused the loss of hundreds of millions
of dollars worth of chestnut timber,
and is now threatening the entire
chestnut timber supply of this coun-
try.
The provision made for the enforce
ment of the Quarantine law includes
inspectors in every state, who will
work under the orders of the depart
ment of agriculture and report any
new development. These inspection
officials are all expert entomologists
who can give scientific knowledge to
the work they have undertaken In
some states they are connected with
the state agricultural colleges, and
they receive the fullest co-operation of
the state authorities in the enforce
ment of any new measures which NAV
be found necessary
(Tomorrow Impeachment Trials,
1.-The Archibald Case.)