South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-08-08

only one Of them, the common house fly,
has the bad habit OF carrying filth TO our
food To certain insects which feed on
dead wood we are indebted for Kidding US
OF much refuse OF a sort that would other
wise seriously accumulate
In other times and under other condi-
tons men have not des pissed the insect as
a means Of subsistence. Even to-day va
riOus insects, as in the case Of locusts al
ready mentioned. are eaten and reIished BY
men. The locust has long been and is still
eaten in Arabia. Persia and Africa The
Moors fry the insect in butter making a
favorite and staple dish. LOcusts are used
extensively as food IN India A mixture OF
pulverized ants, grasshoppers and locusts
dried in the sun was a deiicacy with GER
tain Indian tribes while others preferred
grasshOppers and crickets combined. win
roasted ants as a variant Grasshoppers
were also used in soup and boiled into
paste
Among other insects which have been
and are considered OF gastronomic value
are caterpillars. moths, a favorite in some
parts Of Africa; tie pupae of the silkworm
in China ants. alive and roasted. are APP
preciated in Burmah. as we'll az by the
Indians of North and South America while
it is said the lumbermeu Of Maine enjoy
an occasional meal OF large wood ants
The beetle is eaten In the Nile Valley. in
Turkey. Lombardy. Java Peru, and is said
TO be nutritious and fatteniDg In Cen
trail America the eggs OF three aquatic
bugs are made into little cakes and
eaten. Mexicans make a strong drink by
infusing a tiger beetle in alcohol
AS most people know, many insects are
employed in medicine. and some % them
that might be harmful In their natural
activities are. when used as medicine
made 20 serve q good purpose A beetle
called the Spanish fly is fairly widely
used as a blistering agent and also forms
an ingredient of many hair washes The
oil beetle when handled elects from he
Joints Of the legs clear yellow oil which
has been used with success as a remedy
for hydrophobia In some parts OF the
world, and in Sweden it is used as an
ointment for rheumatic Inflammation
The gals Of the gall Fly furnish tannin
which has strong astringent properties.
while formic acid which IS now mads
artiAcialy used 10 be made from ants
In addition 10 the insects which helI
man by their warfare against his enc,
mics and those that are useful 70 him il
medicine. there are many others that serve
useful purposes in a commercial Uav.
Most familiar OF these are the honey and
wax obtained from the bee There IFS
Chinese bug which secretes & kind Of
grease on trees This nardens into val
and is collected melted and purified
when Il becomes white and glossy In ap
pearance and when mixed with oil 10 car
be made into candles
The cochineaI a scale insect living or
cacti in the American tropics. besides nav.
ing medicinal properties yields the two
dyes called carmine and lake. The natural
dye ~ the cOchineal IS used In COiOrlns
soldiers uniforms as IL stands the weather
better than commercial dyes
No enlargement is needed on the WOrk
Of the silhwOrm. q native OF China. which
Is now being raised in this country Com
meTcial shellac Is obtained by melting lac
the resin0us substance produced by ths
East Indian scale insect and deposited IN
a crust on tVigs 10 contain the insect ard
the eggs The export value OF she.lac f-oz
Indian ports in one year has risen as high
as SO 900 900 Lac has also been used u
make dyes and II also used stif--n -
for hats as g sealing WaX ingredient, -
part Of photographic ink. tn electrical worn
and in the manufacture OF phoEcErs7A
records
So. considering all phases o. tas see
ject fl viii be seen that insects fer tht
most part are serviceable 20 mai GEE mari
different ways-even the harmful .n5e9T
are made 20 serve a useful y1rs,s. .
ha a4H k.F Hrrl 49,. - L