Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1920-11-02
Insect Pests Brought from Abroad
DESTROY FULLY $500. 600. 900 WORTH OF
CULTIVATED CROPS HERE YEARLY.

4
In discovering America, Columbus NO
only opened up q vast new homo To-
man, but for insect pests OF cultivated
crops and domestic animals 90 we'll
Fully 100 of these foreigners have mad,
their way to American shores, and Incl
dentally to American gardens and fields
up to the present. They have multiplied
80 that to-day their destruction OF or
chards, garden, and farm crops 10 est.
mated approximately at $500, 900, 900 {
year-more than el ,000, 900 day. Their
havoc would be much more than thii
were 1t not for the quarantine and CON
trel work conducted by the United
States Department Of Agriculture
through its Bureau OF Entomology and
its Federal Horticultural Board.
ONLY FEW NATIVE PESTS.
OF all the insect pests and diseases that
attack cultivated crops and cut into the
profits of the American farmers severely,
there are relatively few of the more Inn
portant ones that are native to the United
States. Like many other baneful things,
insect pests and diseases have followed
the course of civilization. They are car
ried In many ways from one country to
another, and it is the work of the De-
partment of Agriculture to guard the
United States against their entry and to
prevent their spread onoe they make
their appearance here.
While many of the pests have come
from European countries, Asia has con-
tributedits share OF them. Prominent
among these for its destructive activities
is the San Jose scale, which made its
first appearance In the United States 40
or 30 years ago, having made it's way
here from China. It became widespread
throughout the United States In the late
nineties, and at the present time there is
practically not q commercial deciduous
orchard 10 this country that does not
have to be sprayed once year to control
this pest.
Some idea of the burden which this In.
sect puts upon the orchardists of the
United States can be had when 1t is real
lied that the expenditures for apparatus
and spraying amount to approximately
SIC, 600, 900 annually. In addition to this
are the losses that the insect causes In
spite of this control treatment, and they
are very large, especially in small or.
chsrds and household paintings, where
spraying is not commonly practiced.
This insect alone undoubtedly has cost
this country during its presence here up
wards OF 800, ,OO0, 900.
The oriental peach moth, which gained
entry In 1912 with imported oriental
cherry trees from Japan, has Just begun
its spread and depreciation. It affects
practically all deciduous fruits and bids
fair to be as destructive as the we'll
known codling moth, the cause of wormy
apples.
The Japanese beetle, brought in about
the same time as the peach moth, has
already gained such firm foothold that,
In view Of Its habits and prolonged flight,
it Is probably incapable Of extermination
and may ultimately overspresd the
United States. It attacks not only prac
tically all fruits, but also many garden
vegetables and corn. Attempts to check
the spread of this pest are being made
by means of Federal and local quaran-
tines, particularly In New Jersey. Un.
der this quarantine the government main,
tains supervision over the movement OF
articles likely to carry the pest from in
fected areas to other sections of the
country. Another foreign pest in com.
parstively recent years which has made
its appearance In this country Is the Eu-
ropean corn borer. Infestations have
been discovered In several eastern states
and local guarantees by the Federal
Horticultural Board have been Instituted
to prevent Its spread to the corn belt.
Recently heavy infeststions were discov.
cred In Canada, presenting q more i'm
mediate menace to the corn belt. Spe.
cialists of the department are now con.
sidering steps for guarding against this
new source Of danger.
PESTS FROM MEXICO.
Mexico has contributed its share of In
scot pests that are now established In
this country to the destruction of Amer
can crops. Chief among these are the