Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-05-30
WHY WE SHOULD EAT BUGS
: BY FREDERIC J. HAsKIN.

of his suuerior intelligence; and the valiant battle
which his department is wagng against the insect
enemies of American agriculture is an impressive
demonstration of his theory. But whether We are tci
conquer or not certain that the struggle Is really
desperate and it promises to become more so as man
extends his dominion the tropics. which are the
most productive part of the EARTH and have SO lar
been kept in state largely by the IN
sects which carry death to every intruder
Now in this struggle 1T is evident that
our enemies advantage over US In tnat
they live upon the spos of war, while we DO not A
pest grasshoppers descends upon Kansas and lays
the The farmers go forth with poison
and traps to destroy them. There is heavy loss ON
both sides the grasshoppers live upon the sub
stance the farmers while cent Of which the
farmer spends in destroying the insects Is compiece
loss. Now just suppose that roasted and salted
hopper staple food with civilized man as It is In
North Africa. Corporations would pay the farmers
large sums grasshopper rights of their lands
The insects would gathered by the ton in huge
designed for the purpose, and shipped to all
parts of the would be saved and the
farmers would make neat royalty to boot
This sounds bit Utopian yet something very like
being done in parts of Europe, where the cock
chafer very Children there employed
to gather insects which fed to the pigs.
recent traveller in Germany reports that frequently
the peasant children will this work 20 pull the
legs and wings of the luckless bugs and chew
up and abdomen with great relish just as
boy employed to pick cherries will fitch one now
and then. With the young generation thus learning
food value of insects and with Europe threatened
by shortage food there is reason believe that
insects may become staple before long
Insects have been used food by primitive and
savage peoples since very early times. and in .
instances they been used by the civilized Thus
DR.. Howard had excellent precedent for his worm
Aristotle is be relied for that writer
records that the ccada favorite food of the
most Greeks. both in the stage
and fully developed. The white grub Is simply
the larva of the American cicada June bug. This
is very rich food consisting largely of a very
delicate Most mature insects, the other hand
consist in an casing of a hard substance
called chtn which contains nutritive element
of muscle which is white lean and strfated, and
sembles the flesh of Holsters and shrmps. This
muscle the edible part and analysis would doubtless
reveal that-it is excellent proteid.
The Chinese and Japanese are about the only
ern civilized peoples that insects The Chinese are
fond the chrysas of the silk worm after the six
has been removed, ana also regard a delcacy a
certain species of hawk moth Locusts are the most
widely eaten insects. The Arabs fond OF them,
and they brought Fee in wagon loads. In SEINE
parts of Japan they candied The Australian
bushman finds them a delicacy, and 50 do the Moors
The locust is the common grasshopper II you should
desire prepare dish of these succulent insects,
here a recipe which has been tried by time and
various and found good:
Remove the legs and wings the insects. Boil
half hour; then drain. sprinkle with SALT
pepper and vinegar, and fry in butter The result
like very delicate omelette, according TO
liable reports
The Hottentots eat white ants both cooked and
raw. The favorite way prepare them is to roast
them fire. like coffee. In parts of Sweden,
according to old writer ants distilled along
with grain of the poorer grades OF
brandy. Hottentots and African tribes
eat lice gathering plentiful crop from their own
cranial preserves