Milford chronicle., 1923-08-31
FIGHT THE JAPANESE BEETLE

Our readers will recall that yester
day we printed local story to the eff
feet that the Bookers, commission
men in East Fourth street, had dis
covered a Japanese beetle in a pack
age of produce received at their place
They promptly impounded it in IN en-
VelOpe and sent it to our office for in
spection. Afterward, it was killed.
Coincidently the New York Herald
was putting in type, for publication to.
day the following editorial on the
Japanese beetle and it's ravages
which should be read by every Della
ware farmer, fruit grower and gar
dener:
Seven years ago, concealed in i'm
ported azalea roots, an unsuspecte6
grub reached this country from Japan
The destination of the roots was Bur-
lingtOn county, New Jersey. They got
there and the grub came with them.
1t burrowed in the ground and hatch
ed the Japanese beetle that already
has done much damage and threatens
to do much more.
The newcomer from the Orient is a
beautiful copper bronze insect, and its
appetite is as voracious as it's taste is
1nd1scriminate. 1t eats every growing
thing in the vegetable world. Fruit
trees, flowers, ornamental shrubbery,
Weeds-whateVer green thing that
comes in its way is grist for it's in
satiable, devouring mill. 1t is estimat-
ed that over 200 species of plants al
ready have been victims of its powers
of destruction.
Charles H. Hadley, Government en-
tomologist, is quoted as saying that at
the time of the beetles first identifi-
cation in a nurseryman's garden re-
fuse at Cinnaminson, Burlington coun-
ty, in 1916, only dozen of the beetles
were found. In the summer of 1920
close to 1000 quarts of them were COL
lected from a small area centering
about the spot where the original bee
tie was deposited. The infested area in
New Jersey then covered only about
half a square mile. Two years later it
had spread to six and a half SQUARE
miles. Then it increased to forty-eight
square miles, and the insect was
across the Delaware River and in
pennsylvania, where it soon covered
an area of eleven square miles. By
That time ninety-twO square miles of
New Jersey territory had been inVad-
ed. In the summer of 1922 the infest-
ed regions were estimated at 27O
square miles, while now they are
placed at over 700 square miles.
The United States Department of
Agriculture as well as those of New
Jersey and Pennsylvania soon became
aware of the beetles crop destroying
power. Various destroying sprays were
tentatively applied. Rigid quarantine
measures were adopted. Produce lad
en- trucks were seized at segregated
district boundaries, their contents
dumped and left to go to waste at a
loss of thousands of dollars. Children
were offered go cents for every quart
of the beetles they would collect. Lit
tie headway was made. The area of
beetle devastation continued to widen.
In Japan, where this pest is known
as the bean beetle, there are para
sites which destroy it, or at least keep
its marvellous reproductive powers
within bounds. To Japan as well as to
Hawaii, China and Korea the Federal |
of Agriculture sent ex-
perts to investigate and ship here aa
many of these parasites as were found |
to be efficient. The first shipment, |
coming by the way of Seattle, reached !
Mr.. Hadley's laboratory in Riverton,
New Jersey, a few days ago. Among |
these new arrivals is a particularly
vicious little wasp that has to be
handled with care, for it stings at |
ouch. But it burrows swiftly in the
ground and instinctively goes for the
nearest Japanese beetle within reach
which it instantly attacks and de-
jtroys.
This specimen with others are being
urned loose as rapidly as possible.
And none too soon. With farmers in
hree counties of New Jersey and in
i've counties of Pennsylvania report
ng total crop losses from the beetle
he urgency Of drastic action of some
ort is sufficiently demonstrated.
The experience in New Jersey should
to Delawareans the inn
,ortance of beginning the battle
gainst the beetle just as soon as the
insect appears anywhere in our
tate. It should not be permitted to get
fair start anywhere. 1t should be
eported Immediately and the war of
against it should be be-
un at once. The agriculturists, the
orticulturists and the floriculturists
l our State have enough to contend
18th already without having the Jap
nese beetle added to the list Of de-
tructive pests.-Wilmington Evening
Ournal.