Show P- P t f J V I I f 1 A- A k 1 INSECT DEPREDATIONS The Annual Loss Occasioned by Destructive Insects In the United St States GUY ELLIOTT MITCHELL I. I I farmers or oZ the United States In addition ad ad- to county State and national taxes probably pay a much heavier toll than they do to all three of ot the above The tax collector In this latter case Is one which is merciless and and overbearing paying no attention what ever to the necessities or obligations of the agriculturist each year calling for his d dues s un unremittingly and gloating over ino LilO misfortunes or ot his nis tenant tenant The tax collector in Ia this case however is the Insect The Tho losses resulting from the depredations of Insects on all plant products of the soil both In their growing and in their stored state together with those on livestock exceed exceed cx- cx ex ex- the entire expenditures of the National National Na Na- Government Including the pension pension pension pen pen- sion roll and the maintenance nance of the army and the navy Enormous as is the total value of all farm products of I i this country It often would be much I greater were it not for the Injurious work of Insects According to fibres compiled complIed by the Department of Agriculture Agriculture Agri Agri- culture the estimate is mJe that total value of farm form products during tho the last year amounted to The Bureau of Entomology of the Department of Agriculture being famUlar familiar in- in fa fa- with the work of the important Insect pests estimates the probable shortage due to insect damage at a minimum of 10 per cent while inn In n years or of excessive insect damage the tile shortage may amount t to 50 60 per cent The TLe annual sh shortage e of 10 per cent Is Isa Isa isa a low estimate which is more often exceeded than fallen and arid below Indicates Indicates Indi Indi- cates at current farm prices a money noney loss of the the minimum yearly tax which Insects lay on the products of the farm This estimate however does not Include the damage caused to farm products In storage such as cereals and forage crops and to to natural forests and forest products assigning g I at ot least two tw vo t-vo items Up Tile The total annual tax then chargeable to Insects Is IsI I l annually The Item of loss from Insect damage not only Includes the actual destruction destruction destruction tion or Injury to crops but the estimate estimate estimate esti esti- mate must also Include a very Important Import import- ant Item the item the amount of money de devoted de I devoted voted to Insect control This amounts I to a avery very ery ery considerable percentage of the value of the crop In the case of or orchard hard fruits truck crops and such field crops as cotton and tobacco For Instance in estimating the losses losses' due to the codling moth it has been shown by figures of the Department of Agriculture Agriculture I ture that over a year Is expended expended expended ex ex- ex- ex in spraying apple trees allowIng allowing allow allow- ing lag a a. cost of only 5 cents per tree The cost of gassing ana and spraying citrus fruit trees ranges from 5 cents to l per er tree Another source of loss is that occasioned by diminution of a o certain tam tain crops such as wheat or cotton I TilE THE HESSIAN FLY Magnified Shortage may EO so Increase values as to tc I fcc occasion ion the shutting i down own of mills A shortage or of a a. finished product such suca as flour cotton or fabrics may mean meana a corresponding loss to transportation companies and to shippers In other words shortage In Ia an important product product product pro pro- duct starts a train of losses to the end of the chapter the total amount of which Is quite beyond calculation or estimate Cereals Dama Damaged ed Most l The cereals suffer most from Insect damage the yearly amount of loss ag ag aggregating aggregating aggregating ag- ag The leading cereal crop of the United States of course is king corn with a value last year of While corn Is less subject to Insect damage and I wheat next the most Important cereal which Is th the corn product would be Considerably greater were it not for important insect pests The corn root- root worm causes an annual average loss S of at least 2 per cent of the crop or orsome some The next most Important important important im Im- im- im Insect pest of this cereal Is the bollworm or oro earworm This in ins In- In s ct according to the Bureau of Entomology Ento Ento- mol gy probably attacks from 90 to per cent of the ears of sweet corn throughout the country and the damage damage damage dam dam- age caused by this pest Is probably nearly a as as- great as that caused by th tile the ther ri r- r i i corn Tile The chinch worm causes predations depredations nearly as severe a as I Ithe the tho above mentioned insects making making another toss lOSS of annually Every Cry year the Department receives reports from different rent sections of th the country describing injury to corn b by such Insects as the various wireworms cutworms a army anny ny worms THE TIlE CO LI G MOTH Ma cd stalk borers var ous species of locusts locust or corn con plant lice and other i Insects sects This undoubtedly causes cause a less of an ad additional o or with a total annual anImal loss to the corn crop of Of a large number of ot insects which depredate wheat crops the three important im im- im species are arc the Hessian fly the chinch b bg and ad t the e r grain plant louse the tho chinch t pest its dam damage e to o o. o r r cereals anc and varied crops is la very considerable The PREPARING TO FUMIGATE AN ORANGE TREE losses losse's from depredations depredation of this insect on wheat in single States have ranged between and in one year A very reasonable average annual estimate of loss taking the country as a whole would indicate about a year chargeable to this insect While in some years the damage caused by Hessian fly is en enor enormous r- r taking the average of ten years the loss to the tho wheat crop caused b by this thin bug has a value of 40 and SO no on numerous other insects and o-nH i o t ll y l crop ot the trie farmer Were Yere It not for their destructive destructive tive the work the wheat crop of the country country coun coun- try this year would be 20 per peg cent greater Insect Damage to Hay flay Hay and forage crops are damaged by numerous Insects to an extent of about 10 per cent The cotton crop is reduced through the agency of pf the cotton otton weevil boll-weevil the bollworm and I I 0 0 0 COP cor CORN IMP IMPAIRED BY GRAIN GRAL MOTH the l while many other Insects in insects insects In- In sects Inflict minor damage Without counting the losses d due e to the latter class of we have a total loss of more than chargeable chargeable chargeable charge charge- able to the three imp important insect pests of cotton Vegetable and other truck crops are especially subject to insect Injury and furthermore in the case of these crops there is always a large expenditure for the control of insects The orchard and smaller fruits suffer heavier loss from insect pests both directly and because because because be be- cause of the expensive methods of treatment necessary to prevent still greater losses There are several hundred hundred hundred hun hun- dred insects which depredate on the roots trunk foliage and fruit of the apple The important pests are Tare the woolly aphis injuring the roots the tru trunk and limb borers the worms anker a l r and tent caterpillars and the arlous various scale Insect pests In Including including in- in the San Jose scale Injuring the fruit are the tho codling moth the cucullo and ad the apple maggot The Thern insect losses to other deciduous fruits are lre quite as he heavy vy as in the case of ot the tae apple and especially when tho treatments for the San Jose scale and other scale pests are considered and in the casa 3 of citrus fruits the cost of treatment i much greater and the actual losses again heavier Forests Forests Forests-especially especially planted panted forests of artificially wooded areas on farms farms- pay toll to numerous borers which e COTTON BUD ATTACKED BY BOLL I WORM WOID often almost utterly destroy the trees as In the case of the black locust t to tc leaf defoliators and many other varieties varieties varie varle ties of depredating insects Cattle the Prey of Insects The losses due to biting and parasitic para pam insects of ot cattle are considerable The principal l culprits are tho the war ox ble and various biting flies files les and ticks Horses sheep and other farm animals animal are subject to attacks of similar parasites parasites para pam sites and other insect enemies If It a all these be bo considered including for example ex ex- ample the buffalo gnats often otten very ery destructive in the South the man many gadflies bot botflies les the tho worm screw-worm fly and such parasites as the ticks and lice a heavy percentage of loss must b be reckoned A conservative estimate o ol of the Department of Agriculture of these thes losses is a year Stored Products Preyed Upon While Whilo mention has been made of th the damage done to vegetable products during dur dux- Ing the growing and maturing season these crops after they have run th the the I gauntlet of of- insect enemies during the entire period of growth are still sub sub- feet bet to the inroads of ot Insect tors while in storage on the farm I 1 in elevators and mills or again while I in transit especially In the case of Ion long shipments by sea Food products I in the kitchen and storeroom house-storeroom sul suffer suffer suf- suf i fer from Insect damage Animal products products pro pro- ducts are attacked by larder beetles etc et fruits by various fruit and vinegar vinegar vine vine- gar flies files and the woolens and household household house house- hold furnishings by beetles moths sliver silver fish etc Cured tobacco is es especially es- es penally subject to insect attacks an and damage the most I important sour source e o of Injury b being a minute Insect known a as the cigarette beetle which not only eats into cigarettes but all ali other forms form of cured tobacco While an estimate of a year is placed upon the ho damage done to the store products this does not Include the destruction to products in the household or to tobacco A very considerable item which might be chargeable to insects and vet which cannot be estimated is th that t of i preventing insect damage No one can estimate how haw much Is expended on wire screens for the household to prevent prevent pre pre- vent the ingress of flies files mosquitoes and moths nor can an estimate be placed laced upon the amount of money expended expended ex ex- ex- ex tended to eradicate mosquitoes but it Is s believed that the estimate of made by the officials of the Department Apartment of Agriculture is far below the lie actual annual loss losa The problem the ic economic entomologist of the future future fu- fu ture ure must solve is the lessening or pre pre- of this loss |