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Show TRIUMPH OF THE LADY BUO. One ot ths most serious criticisms made of the department ot ogrlculture toveral years ago by eastern newspapers newspa-pers concerned the money It bad spent In bringing "lady bugs" from Austral-la Austral-la to "Infest" California and Florida orchards. or-chards. But tho lady bug (Kovlus car-dlnalla) car-dlnalla) turned out to bo one ot the most satisfactory Importations ever mado from tho Antipodes, Its habit ot preying on the scale that was blighting blight-ing fruit trees being the means ot saving sav-ing to this stato and Florida their principal landed Industries. Now It appears that the little Iniect has performed a like oITico for the citrus cit-rus groves ot Portugal. Specimens sent to Lisbon from this itnte In 18911 liavo taken hold ot tho scale nnd aro exterminating It. Though hut fow ot tho po-asttes survived tho long jour- ' ney by rail and sea, their Immense fecundity enabled them In tho courso ot two years to populate the groves I with millions ot their kind. As a re- ) suit Portugal will be able toon to again , compete with flpaln and Sicily for the ; orange and lemon trade ot Europe. tho scale pest ought to bo the means ot keeping the department of agriculture agricul-ture flush In funds for parasitical research. re-search. It would be worth millions ot dollars every year to this country to find a natural too nt the potato bug, ot the curious pests that afflict growing grow-ing hops and ot Iniccts that make a patturo of tho bodies of domestlo animals ani-mals and poultry. It every bane has Its antldota and every flea "has smaller small-er fleas to bite 'cm," tho bringing ot 1 the two together Is o proper function of government The way It has work- I ed In the matter of scale pests, and the I distance to which the search tor the means of exterminating them has gone, " . certainly tends to encourage efforts, however costly, along related line. Hut It Is n quest In which all govern- i ments may properly hear a part, with special refcrenco to their own ento- i mologlcal resources. |