The Chronicle-star combined with the Moss Point advertiser., 1947-04-18
By R.I.sCOH

so per cent wettable DOT
powder. He has asked. feed and
seed stores in the county to
stock it, he. said and it can
be used for insects of all kinds
around the barn.
A three or four pound pack
age should supply the average
farm and a five per cent solu-
ton should be used in the
house.
l.. c. Murphree, extension
entomologist, recommends buy
ing only the so percent powder
because of its economy and eff
fectiveness. Directions for mix
ing it with water and for spray
ing are on the package. II can
be sprayed right on the ami
mails, and kills horse flies and
yellow flies, as we'll as the
knatS. Spraying it around the
barn will keep down blow fiji
es and house flies also, accord
ing to the authorities.
No one seems to know WHY
the Buffalo knats showed up
this year, although it has been
blamed on the wet spring. They
are common in parts of Tex
as, Arkansas, and Louisiana.
we arc told, and sometime lit
orally smother animals to death
by filling their nose and mouth.
They worry work stock in
to nervous fits and drive the
cattle into the hammocks and
generally prove themselves
pests with no known reason
for existence.
Thinking about the knats,
and how to get rid of them,
reminded us of our early stud
les in the Mt. Pleasant Sun
day School when we were
taught that everything the
Lord had made had a purpose
on the earth.
Even mosquitoes, we ask
ed.
Even mosquitoes, we were
told.
That one stumped us for a
while.
1t seemed to is on summer
nights that mosquitoes were
surely the creation of the devil
and could have no connection
with a kind and loving Heav-
emily Father. We often wonder
ed, as children will, why the
Lord didn't strike all the mos
quitoes dead, particularly in
a community like ours where
folks went to church and strove
to live the Christian life.
We learned later, of course,
that mosquitoes were created
to give folks something to tell
harmless lies about. There has
probably been more lies told
about the size of mosquitoes
than any other subject, the
size of the fish that got away
being the only close contender.
After the tales were told from
generation to generation for
several hundred years, the
radio comedians got hold of
them and have been kicking
them around the air waves for
the past twenty years. A lot of
folks have laughed at the jok-
es and no one has been hurt
by a mosquito yarn yet, as far
as VIC know.
Mosquitoes are fairly decent
anyway, as insects go, giving
you fair warning of their in
tentions. We always thought
they were blowing their horns
or sounding their siren when
they came humming around,
but thew tell us row that they
make all hat racket by flap
ping their wings.
Anyway. they warn you. And
they come at you like a dive
bomber with a purposefulness
of action that we humans can
understand. Amy old patch of
exposed skin looks good to
hungry mosquito and he wades
in with a will on ankles, legs,
arms, and head alike.
Not so those pesky knats. If
there is ten million of them
around you. they all try to get
up your nose or in your eyes .
and mouth. And you can't get
one of them cornered, like you
can a mosquito. and have the
satisfaction of smacking him
into oblivion with the same force
you would use to fell an OK.
l guess we'll have to 60 back
to Sunday School to learn why
AZ rod 7 81 arn.4oI lr.oKr