Evening star., 1926-04-03

and has eaten the South almost our
of house and home. so far as cotton
growing is concerned.
Today. our corn belt is confronted
with corn borer quite as terrurizinc
as the boil weevil. A short time ago
there was a conference of experiment
station directors and corn specialists
% consider the imminent danger of the
corn borer. Alongside of the confer
ence was a cornfield. in which the
boreT had invaded every stalk of corn.
One of the experts had box of corn
borer parasites. and in the presence
of the group of scientists the pandora
box was opened. a few minutes later
the scientists cut open numerous corn
stalks and discovered that the para
sitical insects had Immediately bored
through the hard. thick stalks and
laid their eggs under the skin of the
next year. or the next. will be al the
mercy Of those parasites fighting the
borers.
There is no crop, no ma nner of fruit,
which does not owe it's life to the suo.
cess of fighting some insect pest or to
the presence and cooperation of bene-
fetal insects. The fight NAV he car
ried on by a microscopic parasite. or
by bird. or man may aid the fight
with poisons sprayed from airpla mes
or from air guns. but the chief com
bat force is the live insect or bird.
We have certain "undesira bic cit.
izens" among the birds-aliens i'm.
ported from Europe or Asia-but NOT
one of them assists in fighting our
pests. They don't earn their board.
Everybody has ready condemna-
nF t1A Grrl.
or what good is il? But there is the
tramp starting. 1t was only after
four attempts TO introduce the starting
that he stayed put after being turn
ed loose in Central Park, New York,
in 1890. He has spread as far West as
Wisconsin. Now he is a greater pesd
than the English sparrow. and threat
ems TO starve out other birds by his
rapid multiplication and Unsuitable ap-
petite.
We have imported more than I 500
kinds of birds. but not one will eat a
bug or. rid us of a pest. We are still
importing an average of more than
/ 200 individual birds a day, including
game birds, such as pheasants, quails
and doves. All pay duty at from 25 to
90 cents apiece. The skies are paths
for migratory birds which know no
national boundaries. and. in view Of
the demonstration that no imported
species aids in lighting insect nests
while native and migratory birds are
invaluable for sach services. DR..
Howard points OUT the vast impor-
tance of further study of how 10 de.
velOp control of the pests through
birds and parasites.
Modern modes of travel have greatly
ma gnified the means Of spreading in
sects and other pests. They ride
trains and automobiles: q dav or two
ago an aviator was nearly wrecked
when in midair, mile above earth. a
rat jumped upon his lap and so star.
tied him that ne lost control of his ma
chine for a moment. Such an Incl.
dent illustrates the fact that while
economic entomology utilizes the most
advanced means of combating the
pests. the very same modern improve.
ments are also used by the pests to eX-
tend their fields OF activity.
Fifty years ago, the graSshoppers
spread over the Northwest causing i'm
one season a loss estimated at $780,
600, 900: they flew. some days. ! 900
miles. eating all green vegetation en-
route. Science has no means to pre-
vent a repetition OF such a visitation.
Advance of knowledge there has been.
formidabiiity, at least with equal
speed. Perhaps a method will he
found for breeding the praying man
It's which preys upon the Grasshop-
per and may be capable Of keeping the
pest i'm check. But will the praying
mantis prove harmless after he has
eaten up the grasshoppers?
The mongoose would kill all OF our
snakes and rats. but he would also kill
poultry and all creeping things. Who
would then kill the mongOose?
There are many animals abroad
which might be introduced to fight
pests here, but the scientists refuse 10
name them lest the very fact that
they are forbidden might tempt some
one to smuggle them in. The gypsy
moth was brought in by scientist
for experiment purposes: a wind
spilled the specimens and within
few years they had almost ruined the
Eastern orchards.
There is no field IN which il istruer
that knowledge is power" than the
field of entomology.
When economic entomologists learn
what insects will fight injurious in.
sects, they will control the pests with
mans friendly aids. That is why
great expeditions traverse the earth
to study: even dead flies and other
creatures about which we know 90
little. 80 - =. ~ -sss-s.
ecopsrisht 1925. hy Psuloy, cpiisnal