214 THE ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE OF ANIMALS 



institutions of learning cost less than $50,000,000, making the 

 total cost of education in the United States considerably less than 

 the farmers lost from insect ravages. 



'' Furthermore, the yearly losses from insect ravages aggregate 

 nearly twice as much as it costs to maintain our army and navy ; 

 more than twice the loss by fire ; twice the capital invested in 

 manufacturing agricultural implements ; and nearly three times 

 the estimated value of the products of all the fruit orchards, vine- 

 yards, and small fruit farms in the country." — Slingerland. 



The total 3^early value of all farm and forest products in New 

 York is perhaps $150,000,000, and the one tenth that the insects 

 get is worth $15,000,000. 



Insects which damage Garden and Other Crops. — The grass- 

 hoppers and the larviB of various moths do considerable harm 



here, especially the ^' cab- 

 bage worm," the cutworm, 

 a feeder on all kinds of 

 garden truck, and the corn 

 worm, a pest on corn, cot- 

 ton, tomatoes, peas, and 

 beans. 



Among the beetles which 

 are found in gardens is 

 the potato beetle, which 

 destroys the potato plant. 

 This beetle formerly lived 

 in Mexico upon a wild 

 plant of the same family 

 as the potato, and came 

 north upon the introduc- 

 tion of the potato into 



Cott(Mi-l)oll weevil, a, larva ; h, pupa ; c, adult. 

 Enlarged about four times. (Photographed 

 by Davison.) 



Colorado, evidently preferring cultivated forms to wild forms of 

 this family. 



• 



The one beetle doing by far the greatest harm in this country is 

 the cotton-boll weevil. Imported from Mexico, since 1892 it has 

 spread over eastern Texas and into Louisiana. The beetle lays 

 its eggs in the young cotton fruit or boll, and the larvae feed upon 



