﻿THE 
  INSECTS 
  OF 
  NEW 
  JERSEY. 
  31 
  

  

  CHAPTER 
  IV. 
  

  

  BENEFITS 
  AND 
  INJURIES 
  CAUSED 
  BY 
  INSECTS. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  universally 
  understood 
  that 
  insects 
  cause 
  greater 
  or 
  less 
  

   injury 
  each 
  year 
  to 
  farm 
  crops, 
  and 
  that 
  injury 
  has 
  been 
  con- 
  

   servatively 
  estimated 
  as 
  averaging 
  20 
  per 
  cent, 
  of 
  the 
  total 
  

   value. 
  For 
  the 
  year 
  1908 
  this 
  meant 
  a 
  loss 
  to 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  

   at 
  large 
  of 
  $1,500,000,000, 
  an 
  almost 
  incredible 
  sum! 
  In 
  the 
  

   State 
  of 
  New 
  Jersey 
  the 
  20 
  per 
  cent, 
  depreciation 
  in 
  value 
  is 
  

   fully 
  maintained 
  when 
  all 
  the 
  crops 
  are 
  jointly 
  considered, 
  and 
  

   it 
  means 
  an 
  annual 
  loss 
  to 
  the 
  State 
  running 
  well 
  into 
  the 
  mil- 
  

   lions. 
  Much 
  of 
  this 
  loss 
  is 
  avoidable 
  and 
  much 
  of 
  it 
  is 
  avoided 
  by 
  

   progressive 
  agriculturists 
  and 
  horticulturists, 
  leaving 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  

   burden 
  where 
  it 
  justly 
  belongs 
  — 
  the 
  ignorant, 
  careless 
  or 
  in- 
  

   different 
  farmer. 
  

  

  But 
  it 
  is 
  fair 
  to 
  present, 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  with- 
  

   out 
  insects 
  many 
  kinds 
  of 
  crops 
  could 
  not 
  be 
  raised 
  at 
  all, 
  and 
  it 
  

   is 
  a 
  serious 
  question 
  whether, 
  if 
  benefit 
  and 
  loss 
  could 
  be 
  bal- 
  

   anced, 
  the 
  benefit 
  would 
  not 
  far 
  outweigh 
  the 
  injury. 
  It 
  is 
  as 
  

   pollenizers 
  that 
  insects 
  are 
  chiefly 
  beneficial, 
  aside 
  from 
  bee- 
  

   products, 
  and 
  many 
  of 
  our 
  fruit 
  and 
  forage 
  plants 
  are 
  largely 
  

   or 
  altogether 
  dependent 
  upon 
  them 
  for 
  bountiful 
  crops. 
  Red- 
  

   clover 
  seed 
  depends 
  upon 
  bumble-bees 
  entirely 
  ; 
  small 
  fruits 
  like 
  

   strawberries, 
  raspberries, 
  &c., 
  would 
  be 
  only 
  a 
  scant 
  set 
  without 
  

   the 
  flies 
  and 
  bees 
  that 
  visit 
  the 
  flowers, 
  and 
  many 
  of 
  our 
  tree 
  

   fruits 
  are 
  similarly 
  served. 
  

  

  Cucurbs, 
  including 
  citrons, 
  melons, 
  squashes 
  and 
  the 
  like, 
  need 
  

   bees 
  of 
  definite 
  species 
  for 
  best 
  results, 
  and 
  there 
  are 
  few 
  

   cultivated 
  plants 
  on 
  which 
  some 
  insects 
  are 
  not 
  of 
  some 
  benefit. 
  

  

  Not 
  only 
  plant 
  life 
  is 
  affected; 
  indeed, 
  almost 
  all 
  farm 
  and 
  

   other 
  animals 
  have 
  insect 
  parasites 
  of 
  some 
  kind, 
  internal 
  or 
  

   external, 
  and 
  here 
  there 
  is 
  little 
  to 
  be 
  said 
  in 
  favor 
  of 
  insects. 
  

   To 
  be 
  sure, 
  many 
  of 
  them 
  are 
  scavengers, 
  removing 
  animal 
  and 
  

   other 
  decay, 
  and 
  thus 
  they 
  are 
  indirectly 
  beneficial, 
  but 
  the 
  bene- 
  

   fits 
  so 
  derived 
  are 
  in 
  no 
  proportion 
  to 
  the 
  injury 
  caused 
  by 
  the 
  

   direct 
  attack. 
  Everv 
  dairvman 
  knows 
  that 
  when 
  cattle 
  have 
  to 
  

  

  