Evening star., 1924-03-30

| of the world have been combed by
our national entomologists to find
beneficial bugs which may be intro
duced into the United States to aid
| in the annual salvage of our crops.
Many of the insects are almost micro
scopic in size.
Just visualize, If you can, the CO.
nundrums which constantly confront
the national scientists who have
headquarters in Washington and are
engaged in this perplexing work.
Think of the monumental tasks ever
before them of learning all about
the life secrets of tiny insects, some
of which are smaller than the head of a
pin. 1t is indeed a delicate detective
work to acquire intimate acquaintance
ship with the daily doings and habits of
these dimtnutive parasites. Notwith-
standing such handicaps, they achieve
valuable accomplishments for your
benefit and that of every other Amer
lean consumer.
X i; ::
ITO begin with, this extraordinary
control of parasites by the use
of other parasitic insects on those
first mentioned was carried on in a
modest, experimental way. 1t has
been only during comparatively re-
cent years, as result of multiple
experimental successes, that this con-
troll measure has been developed on
any large scale.
This scientific knowledge that para
sites are universally effective in the
destruction of obnoxious insects which
are their hosts offers immeasurable
potential possibilities. Uncle Sam may
be able to curtail very appreciably
the s2,000,000, 900 board bill which his
agriculture now pays annually to the
pests and pirates OF the crop world.
There is no telling what curious
capers farmers may indulge in during
the control of injurious insects as a
: result of these epochal exploits. 1t
may be that the farm pantry will
shortly have an annex that will be
prolific, not in culinary delicacies but
in neat and Systematically arranged
bottles and walls, filled with various
kinds of beneficial par 3sites and bugs.
If the farmer observes that his corn
is being damaged by the European
corn borers, he will make. trip to
the pantry annex, take a couple of
bottles of anticorn borer bugs and
liberate them in the infested cornfield.
The beneficial bugs will soon get busy
and put the corn borers to flight.
Such a method is much easier than
attempting to control the pestiferous
parasites by spraying, special seed
bed preparation, seed treatment or
other precautions which take much
more time and are not efficient.
The control not only of the Euro
pean corn borer but of many other
plant enemies that prey on our eco
nomic crops is the ambition of the
national agricultural expert. The
trick may be turned by the beneficial
parasites introduced from abroad
which are cannibalistic on other crea-
lures that ruin our crops.
The operations OF the government
scientists during the summer and fall
of 1923 have shown that the introduc-
tion of Japanese beetle parasites from
Japan is promising. Such of these
parasites as have become we'll estab-
lished have been propagated and lib
Grated in large numbers. They have
been recruited as, a possibly effective
means of combating the bothersome
beetles.
Parasites introduced from Japan,
Italy, France, Spain and Germany
have also proved very valuable in the
control of the gypsy moth, an insect