The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-06-14
M E N w o M E N
 A ND T H N G $

Lejidoptera, which Is but giving in big words the information that moths are bad at my house.
 Now if you are not interested in that branch of the moth family which is named by the insect sharks or entomoligsts. Tinea, the genus which breeds in fur, clothes. etc, then you can we'll afford to skip this little story of how they have nearly eaten the clothes off my back. A mans whole life is spent in fighting some species of insect. 1t is certainly an insectorous world, and all honor to tho noble men and wom- en who give their lives to protecting mankind against the injurious var ieties which poison our bodies, taint our food, spoil our water, lay waste our crops, and devour our clothes.
 Talk about spring cleaning as much as you please, but 1t hasn't half the fear for the housewife that packing up my winter clothes has for me each summer. You may say that 1t is not mans job and shift 1t on to the woman of the house: or you may have 8 valet to do such offices for you, but it falls to my lot each season to tackle it. and oh, how I do dread and 1oathe 1t.
  wardrobes, closets, drawers and chests have to be ransacked. Then comes the stunning, for the one thing moth hates above all else is fresh air. If you are not living in too we'll a mel ighborhood you can line the top of your front porch with your winter apparel; or decorate the lower floor with them; but if you have critical neighbors it may be necessary to make a concession and take them out in the back yard or garden.
 If it is lovely thing to have to tote them down stairs in the morn ing and up in the evening, 1t is much more 1oyelier to have to dust them carefully with a whisk broom, and then go over them with scrub brush, all the while looking closely for grease spots, which need to be we'll sponged and soaped for the Ilcvely little "critturs" just consider that grease is better for moths appetite than patie de foi gras Is for that of an epicure.
 am not writing for the rich man, who can send, his clothes to the clean CT, have his serving man do them up in bags and hang them in 8 cedar lined closet, and forget all about them. My story is just for the aver ago fellow who does his own valet ing" and is not above saving a few pennies here and there, and is not at all worried about making out his in- come tax schedule, or bothered at the thought of a sur-tax of any kind whatsoever.
 do my own dusting and packing. but to tell the truth I do 1t without any joy, for somehow I am never sure that my pains and work is going to outwit the hungry cloth eating moths who are so depraved and lost to shame that they will not even spare a preachers Prince Albert, a thing which ought to be sufficiently sacred to be let alone by any self respecting Lepidopterian. (The name sounds very much like one of the great evangelical denominations.)
 have tried wrapping up my coats, trousers and vests in newspapers, but evidently the Tineidae. that branch of the moth family which special izes in woolen clothes, count them selves among the educated and seem very fond of at least looking through the covering to see if there be any item on the inside which is worth digesting. I have never been able to stop their hunger for information by packing my articles of wear in liter ary wrappings.
 
 I have tried tobacco, but am con- vinced that both the male and fe- male moth are deyotees of Lady Nic- otine, and will go to any trouble to get a whiff of the fragrant weed, go- ing SO far as to make careful search in the pockets of every garment they run across. There is only one thing they seem to like better than the odor of tobacco and that is the smell of camphor. The latter seems to have a wonderful reviving effect on them for after a sleepless day they are enabled by its strengthening fragrance to devote the whole night to eating sundry tid bits of gentle mans wear.
 Furthermore, they seem to nave decided preference for cedar as material for their homes. for in spite of my indulgence in this regard they show no appreciation whatever hut seem to have the best time and do their best work in the chests which I went to so great expense to furnish them. They are an unthank- full lot.
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