PARASITE 



H'.MI 



PARCEL POST 



f** and rapid-. including i)i mag;. 

 Victoria Falls of the Iguazu. See map, SOUTH 

 AMKHJCA. 



PARASITE, pair 'a site, a plant or animal 



that lives upon or within the body of another 



plant or animal called the AON/, from which it 



nourishment. Kxamples are fleas 



Mil plant lice. Tho- - which livo 



upon the body of the ho>t are railed <\rtt run/ . 

 and tho-e which live within the body, internal. 

 p.ira.-ites. The para-ite- mentioned above and 

 many others are large enough to he seen with- 

 out the aid of a magnifying glass, but there are 

 many others so small that it requires a power- 

 ful microscope to reveal their structure. Some 



M tiny creatures are "fearfully and won- 

 derfully made," and could they grow to the 

 size of a dog or a sheep they would be more 

 hideous than were the monster- who.-e fossils 

 are found in the rocks of a past geologic age. 

 The smallest of the aphides are good examples 

 nf thi< sort of parasite. Others, such as fungi 

 and the San Jose scale, are of simpler structure. 

 Parasites are always injurious to the host, 

 since they take from its body more or less 

 noun-hment. In some instances only one or 

 more organs are directly injured, but in most 

 cases the entire body of the host is so drained 

 of its nourishment that growth is prevented 

 and death sometimes results. Such parasites as 

 aphid-.<. phylloxera, the San Jose scale and the 

 potato scab are among the farmers' and fruit- 

 af most dreaded pests. The various forms 

 of rust, smut and mildew are also very injuri- 

 ous. 



Tapeworm, trichina and smut on corn are 

 good examples of internal parasites. Mistletoe, 

 which infests fon-t trees in the southwestern 

 part of the United States, and dodder, found 

 .n clover and alfalfa, are among the largest 



>\<- para-ite- in the temperate regions.. 

 In tropical forest* are found many parasites 

 which grow to I Md kill the tree< upon 



which they li\ , 



ill {{faun's Animal I'nrasites of Man; 

 l-'antliam .i I'arasitea. 



">iiijM>tN. Tl if following articles con 

 nected with this topic t*d in these vol 



umes: 



Aphides 

 Bacteria 



Disease, subtitle Dis- 

 eases of Plants 

 Dodder 

 Plea 

 Fungi 

 LOOM 

 Mildew 



Mistletoe 

 Phylloxera 



I Justs 



S;MI Jose Scale 



Smuts 



T.ip'-worm 



Ticks 



Trichina 



Yeast 



PARASITIC, iM'rutit'il;, DISEASES an 

 > caused by parasites (which -ee). They 

 may attack plants, animals or human beings. 

 For a full discussion of the subject see the arti- 

 < '.- - BACTERIA AND BACTKRIOLOCY ; DISKVSK. and 

 li-t.- of related .-ii!>j' 



PARCEL POST. In receni year.- t he lead- 

 in" nation- of I he woild have -ought new ways 

 in which to reali/e for the people additional 

 benefit.- from iheir po.-tal system. In no direc- 

 tion have they HUM with greater -access, than 

 through the transportation of package^ by mail, 

 a business which has come to be known through- 

 out the world as the parcel post . 



In the United States. Prior to the year 191 1! 

 it was permissible to ship merchandise by mail. 

 but the weight of the package was limited to 

 four pounds and the price charged was high 

 -ixteen cents a pound. What the people needed 

 was a means of sending merchandise of tin 

 most varied description, in parcel lots, with a 

 weight limit much greater than the old regula- 

 tions allowed, and at far lower Bates. 



As the experience of other nations had shown 

 that such requirements were not unreasonable, 

 Congress passed a bill, August 24, 1912, the 

 same to become effective January 1, 191 :\. au- 

 thorizing the Postmaster-General to work out 

 the details necessary to establish a parcel post, 

 system, at the same time giving him the right 

 to make modifications of regulations in the fu- 

 ture, as to weight, rates, classification,' etc. 



According to the regulations in force May 1, 

 1918, packages containing merchandise of the 

 most varied description all forms of factory, 

 farm and dairy products, such as butter, cheese, 

 eggs, meats and vegetables, and articles of 

 all kinds, are admitted to the mails, pro- 

 vided they are properly packed, and do not 

 fall under the heading of unmailable article.-, 

 such as explosives. A collect-on-delivery plan 

 ha- also been added, so the government not 

 only carries the package, but it collects tin- 

 money due for the same and remits it to the 

 shipper. For a small additional fee insurance 

 against loss can be purchased, or the package 

 can be registered, or if time is an object tin- 

 shipper can have the benefit of special delivery. 



A package weighing seventy pounds can be 

 sent any distance up to and including a distance 

 of 300 miles from the sending office ; a package 

 weighing fifty pounds may be sent any dis- 

 tance within the United States, one of eleven 

 pounds to most of the leading nations of the 

 world. But the limit of weight has been changed 

 several times, and doubtless further changes 



