The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1924-05-04
Workers At National Capital
ny HERBERT COREY

WASHINGTON, ID. e., May A.
Small boys are usually taught by their
mothers to walk around bugs strolling
on brick walks. Don't squash !" is
mothers motto. She thinks it isn't
fair to the bug to pop him open while
he is taking his walk in the sun, and
it encourages the Errst traits of the
small boy. Besides, squashing is mussy.
But mother is wrong. Worse than
that, she is mid McKinly. Bugs should
be squashed.
"Sqush, Brothers, sqush with
care,
"Sqush whenever they take the
air"
At any rate, that is the kick 1 got
from a talk with DIR. L. o. Howard,
chief of the Uunited States bureau OF
entomology, and perhaps the foremost
entomologist in the world. Bugs ap-
peared in a new light. Instead of being
mere annoyances they are one of man.
kinds most dangerous enemies. In two
years the loss occasioned the American
farmer through bugs would equal
Frances debt to the United States.
If that loss could be stopped, in Is
years it would pay off our war costs.
Two years saving the loss through bugs
would settle the bill for our splurge
in shipbuilding. Two, years would pay
the bonus bill. For the bugs cost the
American farmer two billion dollars a
year.
Bugs Very Successful In U. s.
That isn't the worst of it. Bugs are
probably costing us a little more each
year. They cost us now more than
they cost any other people in the
world. Bugs are more successful in
their fight against man in the United
States than anywhere else in the world.
All the natural and artificial advan-
tages are on their side. The battle
here is unlike the struggle against bugs
anywhere else. If that sort of thing
keeps on-shades of arithmetical pro-
gression-what will become of US?
well win," says DR.. Howard.
Were winning now. Only not as
rapidly as we would like"
This was a comparatively bugless
country when the Puritans came. Oh
there were wasps and coolies and taran-
tulas and ants and spiders, of course,
to name but few of the four or five
hundred thousand different sorts Of
bugs that make up the bug census of
the world. But they were innocent,
SO far as man was concerned They
went their way and the Indian went
his way. They did no harm because
there was no harm they could do.
Foreign Bug A Gun-Man
Then the first corners began to tear
down the forests and break up the
ground and the bugs began multiplying.
That sort of thing is made to order
for them. Think of it! The Ameri-
can climate is perfection, from an in
sect's point of view. Long, hot sum-
mers and comparatively short winters.
Ploughed land offers them chances for
home-making that forest country does
not. An ordinary sophomore bug at
the beginning of season is dodder-
ing old grandpap by the time the sea-
son is half way through. But at first
the bugs were all of the homegrown
sorts.
Then we began to have unrestricted
immigration Of European bugs. There
is such thing as the balance of ma
ture." Over in Europe they were held
in check by climatic conditions, inten-
sive cultivation, other bugs, and vari-
Gus things that were not present in
America. Consequently no European
country suffers greatly from insect