The Oklahoma miner. [volume] (Krebs, Okla.) 1912-192?, 1921-07-14
BY ROBERT H. MoULToN.


- n DISCOVERING America,
!. ....... !. : !. !. !. : 4 : !. /. { II. ! !. 1. I /. ! !
ri IT0 Columbus not only opened
LBl III up a vast new home for
L3Sj k3 man but for insect pests
kSS = Of cultivated crops and do
PSI 5S nestle animals as Wen. l'uI-
~ -SSCpSI ly one hundred of these
foreigners have made their
way TO American shores, and inciden-
tally to American gardens ana fields,
up to tine present. They have multi
piled SO that today their destruction
of orchards, gardens and crops is esti-
mated at approximately $JOOOO0,0OO
year. Their havoc would be much
more than this were it not for the
quarantines and control work con-
Quoted by the federal government and
activities of the states.
The group of federal horticultural
experts pictured herewith has Just
been discussing in Washington an eff
fective method of fighting the pink
bollworm which now threatens the cot
ton of the United States. 1t came
here from Mexico in 1917 and approx
mately $2,OO0,O00 has been spent to
stamp it out 1t is estimated that fall
ure to control this insect menace will
mean the annual loss of 20 to 40 per
cent Of the cotton crop-which means
Il loss Of hundreds of millions.
These specialists are Qeft to righO
DR.. X. +. Kellerman, plant physiolo-
gist, federal horticultural board :;
George b. SudwOrth dendrologist. for
est service; c. L. Marlatt, entomolo-
gist, bureau of entomology; w. d. Hun
ter, entomolOgist, federal horticultural
board, in charge of field work against
the pink boil weevil.
These imported pests Keep on COM
ing. The latest arrival has just been
detected at Mama, Fla. 1t is not un-
common in the tropics but according
to G. f. MoZnette, entOmOlOgist in
charge of the federal experiment sta
tion at Miami, one never before was
seen in the United States. 1t is the
XylostOdOris luteOlus and the visitor
has journeyed from Cuba to sample the
quality of the tender shoots of the roy
al palms here.
Because it is a sucking" insect and
feeds upon the leaflets of the trees,
Mr.. MoZnette considers the bug an
undesirable citizen and war already
has been declared. The defenders are
attempting to repel the invader with
a spray composed of one part Of uico-
tine sulphate and 1200 parts of water.
The insect is yellow and an adult specI-
men is about one-half inch in length.
This is the first record of a xylos-
todoris luteolus In this country" said
Mr.. MoZnette. THE insect was re-
Gently described in Cuba by Barber
with the host plant given as oreOdoXa
Its identity was determined by Hubert
Osborne Of the Ohio State university
OF all the insect pests and diseases
that attack cultivated crops and cut
into the profits of the American farm
ers severely there are relatively few
of tie more important ones that are
native to the United States. Like
many othet baneful things, insect pests
and diseases have followed the cOursy
of civilization. They are carried in
many ways from one country to an
other, and it is the work Of the Depart
ment OF Agriculture to guard the Uni
ted States against their entry and Il
prevent their spread.
While many Of the pests have come
from European countries, Asia has con
trlbuted its share of them. Promiueu
among these for It's destructive actiyi
ties is the San Jose scale, which mad,
its first appearance in the Unite'
States forty or fifty years ago, havini
made its way here from China. /