The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1922-09-12
BEAN BEETLE is
SPREADING RAPIDLY
ANNUAL LOSS OF $10o,OOO,OOO IS
PREDICTED. NOW INVESTS
SO GEORGIA COUNTIES.

When DR.. Kinds, Professor Starch
er, Professor Duggar, Agricultural
Commissioner Allgood and other au-
thorities went before the Alabama
legislature two years ago and warned
the lawmakers that the appearance of
| the Mexican bean beetle i'll the state
called for rigid measures of protection
and an adequate appropriation to con-
fine the pest within the territory of
the original outbreak, but the majority
of the members of both houses refused
to be guided by the scientists and
turned down the opportunity to con-
troll the beetle within the counties
where it was first observed, says the
Alabama Farm Facts.
The federal authorities offered to
meet the state appropriation dollar for
dollar and send men into the state to
help in the work of controlling the
pest their interest being to prevent the
spread of the insect into other states,
but the lawmakers considered the mat
ter too trihing for their serious atten-
ton, some even making a joke OF the
whole matter.
ALABAMA lIlNdOCQ.N
What the officials of the extension
service and the state and federal de-
partments OF agriculture then appre-
| hended has come to pass. Unchecked
| in Alabama because the state quaran-
tine board had no funds to carry on
the work of control the pest has
spread from thirteen to thirty-five
counties in Alabama, thirty-six coun-
titles in Georgia, thirty-four counties
in Tennessee, two in Kentucky two
in North Carolina and two in South
| Carolina The rapid spread and in
crease of the pest in these states caus-
ed very serious loss in 1921 and the
loss may be doubled this year.
Specialists of the federal department
expect the bean beetle to spread south
and west to the Missippi river, besides
continuing its main spread northWard
to the extensive bean areas OF New
! York and Michigan. Cold weather does
not check the pest, as IT has been
! known to live for weeks covered with
snow and to survive a temperature OF
thirty degrees below zero. From five
! to seven generations each season are
! known in the southwest, while only
! two generations occur each season IN
the bean growing sections OF the cold
er states. The federal authorities pre-
dict an annual loss of $100,O00O00
through the ravages of the pest. This
loss is in actual crops, but does not
take into consideration the forced
Abandonment of certain crops for soil
building in the states affected. The in
sect attacks garden beans, soy beans
and cowpeas and has made inroads
! in alfalfa and sweet clover in places.
! Absolute quarantine of an infested
area and the growing Of resistent legu-
minous crops, such as velvet beans,
were formerly found effective meas
urcs, but the pest is snow out OF all
ordinary control and quarantine is i'm
possible. When it first appeared in
+ Alabama in a few counties it probably
could have been held in this state and
eventually exterminated, if the Alaba-
ma legislature had appreciated the Sc
robustness OF the situation and sup
ported the measures requested by the
state authorities.
Laboratory at Birmingham.
The federal bureau of entomology
is maintaining a laboratory in BTm-
ingham for studying the bean beetle
problem, and it is hoped will be able
TO work out some practical system OF
field control which will give relief to
! farmers within the infested areas and
prevent the pest spreading to other