Show ABOUT BUGS FLIES MOTHS AND SNAKES professor kirtland in the columns of the ohio farmer says the present prospects are discouraging to the horticulturist yet they should not prevent his efforts at rearing fruit destructive insects may often be e destroyed or counteracted int in their air prom progress ess b by means either natural or artificial it beems seems to be an established law in nature that when any species of the animal kingdom becomes inconveniently or inordinately numerous providence pr provides ovidea a check or balance usually in the form of a devouring enemy the hessian essian Il fly threatened to exterminate the wheat plant fifty years since yet it is not only kept in check by not less than three or or four minute parasites but they may ultimately extinguish the whole race the bee moth has nearly ruined our stocks of bees five rive years since we discovered the small house wren engaged in picking out the larva of that insect from a crevice in the beehive from that hint we proceeded to encourage the visits and increase of this bird by calling into requisition re I 1 s old oyster cans and empty boxes mull zuli and placing acing them in position to invite the wrens at this time the injurious moth is evidently reduced in numbers while our grounds are cheered by many of these inquisitive and active birds man is prone to destroy most of the agents which superior wisdom has provided to counteract the de predating insects birds and reptiles are often among amons our best means of defence yet the crow blackbird black bird and woodpecker wood jecker are mercilessly destroyed the hardress harm barm tess ress garter snake devours daily hundreds of insects A large toad has taken his position under a myrtle border to my verbena bed and each evening sallies forth and captures from twelve to twenty of the sphinxes or lady bird millera illera m which at that hour visits the verbena flowers the millers lay the eggs from which the tomato or potato worm ig is produced this despised reptile probably destroys each evening evening the rudiments of some thousand of worms that injure two important esculent plants we should study the history of these humble parts of creation and learn to protect encourage and apply to use such as were provided for that purpose an enemy to the cur culio and the codling moth may yet be discovered among them encouragement is 13 also to be taken from the fact that when any species of 0 the animal kirl kingdom dom gom becomes thus numerous they are apt to rapidly eidly disappear from the operation of causes not always discovered or understood A few years since a species of grasshopper began to increase beyond its usual number at the end of the third season it was so numerous in many localities in in this county that it first devoured every kind of green vegetation next it eat off the down from the surface of old rails and at length lenah each individual kilkenny kilkenny itkes likey attacked the legs and wings of its neighbor igi in this predicament they all died and at this day very limited numbers are to be found the rose bug potato bug and slug have each had its periods of increase excess and disappearance pe arance in in this vicinity during the last ten years the wheat weevil is is now increasing and spreading over this country yet it is is probable some counteracting counteraction t agent will sooner or later appear to arrest it its 5 progress |