Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-05-29
would be saved and the farmers would
make neat royalty to boot.
Eating CoCkchnfsrs I'm EuroDe

would be saved and the farmers would
| make Il neat royalty to boot.
Eating Cockchnfers In Europe.
This sounds n bit Utopian yet some-
| thing very like It Is being done In parts
or Europe. where the cockchafer Is very
abundant. Children are there employed
10 gather the insects which are fed
10 the pigs. recent traveller in Ger
many reports that frequently the pea
SAINT children VIII stop in this work to
Dull the legs and wings off ono Of the
iuckiess bugs and chew up his thorax
ana abdomen with great relish Just as
boy employed to pick cherries Will
ii!ch one now and then. with the
young generation thus learning the
1000 value OF insects. and with Eu.
rope threatened by "A shortage Of food
'here Is reason to believe that insects
may hecome Il staple before long
insects nave been used as foo by
pliih'ti'e and savage peoples since
very early times, ana in some Instances.
~ nave teen used by the civilized
nus Dr. Howard had an exceuen, nra
.e"eh' ior MS worm dinner IL Aristotle
ID 10 be relied upon: for that writer
Itcotds mat the Cicada Was n favo
re ioou OF the most cultured ancient
wrecks. both in the larval stage and
when fully developed The white ,rnh
IL simply the larva OF the A,nerican
Clcada or June bug This larya 20
IiCh 1000 consisting largely OF verv
delicate fat Most mature insec,s On
inc other hand consist in an outer
casing made Of hard substance called
chtin. which contains no nu,rI,iy.
element and OF muscle. which Is whi,e
lean and strinted and resembles the
nesh or lobster and shri,np This
muscle is the edibl. part. and analvs.a
would doubtless reveal that IL is an
excellent proteid.
The Chinese and japanese are about
the only modern clvilizc1
eat insects. The Chinese are fond ~
the chrysalis OF the silk worm after
the silk has been removed. and also
regard as de!icacy a certain species
OF ha~k moth l.ocusts are the mos,
widely eaten insects. The Arabs are
fond OF them and they are brought 70
Fee in wagon loads In Eomc parts OF
Japan they are eaten candied. Tho
! Australian bushman finds them deli
cacy, and so do the Moors
Grnsshoppers Make Good Soup.
Dr.. Howard's adventure with the
PURGE au Worms was not the nrst time
Insects have been eaten In this coun-
try. VIXEN Kansas and Colorado were
devastated by frasshoppers in 1871
one OF the state entomologists induced
the owner OF n large restaurant In St
Louis to make thick soup or bisque
out OF Erasshoppers This was served
| under French name to several hun
VI ana VAS eaten with aD-
parent PLEASURE and without unfavor-
able comment.
Scientists have urged the eating OF
! insects for n long time. Half a CEN
! fury ago an Englishman wrote a book
on the subject and added an appendix
containing number OF insectivorous
menus, In which were such dishes as
wasp grubs fried in the comb. new
carrots with wircworm sauce, stag
beetle larva on toast. and caul!flower
garnished with Caterpillars.
These things sound all right per-
haps they taste all right: hut for some
reason they fall 20 arouse enthusis sm
Prejudice is always stronger than
! logic, and II will probably take much
| time and experiment to overcome the
prejudice OF civilized man against In
sect food.