The sun., 1918-07-21
ROAST BUGS TO
FEED CHICKENS
Pest Of Switzerland Being Pre-
served by the Car
load.
BEAT ADDING MACHINES
Multiplied So Fast Stats
ticians Could Not Keep
Pace.
BEAT ADDING MACHINES
Special correspondence to The Sun.


ZURICH, July They used to brag
about milk fed chickens. They have no
standing since the new variety arrived
in Euorpe-the May bug fed chicken.
May bugs are plentiful in Europe this
summer. There were 80 many of them.
why they had to send to insane asy-
lums several arithmetlcians who tried
to figure out the population OF bugdom.
The May bug is quite a big bird. The
'arger ones are almost an inch long He
does not appear every year In great
numbers. This was his good year. ex-
traordinarily so. Everywhere the home
defence leagues had to be niobilized
against the bugs. The children were
sent out to collect them. municipalities
and village trustees paid a certain price
for every liter collected.
The more the children, the home de-
tenders and other patriots collected the
more the May bugs multiplied. Then
some great mind thought OF the chickens.
The poultry was modified and did Its
very best. but this arm of the service
too was unable to cope with the emer-
gency. 1t was then suggested to can
the bugs and serve them as chicken feed
In winter. but there was not enough tin
to make the necessary number of cans.
Roast Them Like Coffee.
Finally great genius brought forth
the idea OF roasting the bugs They
were to be dried by heat and then
roasted like coffee beans The Swiss
Government took UP the matter. Three
factories were coon turned into May bug
roasting plants
The Government then appealed to all
patriots in valleys and mountains to
collect May bugs Collecting patriots
would not only remove pest that was
destroying the leaves Of trees, valuable
in themselves. but would also store
nutritive food for the hen family. which
would in the end put a chicken into each
Swiss cooking pot every Sunday, and at
a low price too.
This patriotic idea worked like a
charm. May bugs began to arrive in
carloads. The roasting factories had to
work overtime. There is one factory in
the beautiful valley of the Limmat. One
of the visitors who saw and smelled the
spot writes thus to Swiss newspaper:
THE factory that roasts. the May
bugs is connected with the railroad by
siding. When We arrived there were
thirty freight cars on this siding. all
filled with May bugs All the bugs were
supposed to be dead. but they weren't.
They are supposed to be killed with
sulphur fumes, but some OF them must
have been resErrected.
Factory Looks Like Fort.
1.-THE factory looks like fort It Is
barricaded on all sides by heaps OF boxes
and barrels. From every crack bugs
were crawling forth. They were filing
the air, buzzlns and flapping their
wings. They covered the ground. COM
polling you to kill a dozen or more with
every step.
And the smell OF II all, You are
tempted to put your handkerchief to
your nose, but you desst when you see
the laborers. true patriots indeed, shovel
| the bugs into the chutes leading to the
drying room. II any one deserves a
medal these heroes 90. One OF these
heroes told me:
1--WE never expected anything like
this. We thought we should get a few
carloads. And row every day whole
| trains are coming in. 1t is simply fierce.
We dry twelve carloads a day
I'm the factory Office we listened to a
! telephone conversation running like this !:
| What? Car empty--all escaped-we
| can't help 1t. Send your complaint to
| Be-ne. That Is UP to the Government
| ~ don't scald tuem; give them sui
phur. What? sulphur does not kill the
! bugs? Can't help that. The Govern
ment wants sulphur - be used. What?
! You want to send few more carloads?
For heavens sake stop! Have no more
,cars-more than we can attend to-
I'VE LEFT the place, but I had to spend
| fortune for perfume to remove an all
| too pervasive reminder OF the trip"