INSECTS ON THE FARM 311 



Wild birds depend very largely on insects for food, and con- 

 stitute one of the most valuable means of insect control. Were 

 it not for our birds the depredations of insects would be much 

 greater. America is fortunate in having a large number of 

 birds, and of these very few indeed are destructive to farm 

 and orchard crops. 



QUESTIONS AND PROBLEMS 



1. What are the stages in the development of insects? 



2. How are the mouth parts of insects related to their food habits? 



3. Name at least a dozen insects which are injurious in your locality 

 and describe where and how each kind lives. 



4. In what ways are insects beneficial? 



5. How much injury is estimated to be done by insects in the United 

 States ? 



6. Why is it important to know the life history and habits of an insect? 



7. Tell briefly the life history of the chinch bug, of the codling moth, 

 and of the cotton-boll weevil, and the best methods of prevention of each. 



8. How will clean farming, rotation of crops, and good farming control 

 many of the serious insect pests ? 



9. In what ways are birds important in the growing of crops? What 

 local native birds are of most importance to your crops ? 



10. What are your state laws relating to the protection of birds which 

 have agricultural importance ? 



EXERCISES 



1. Insect study. A school collection showing the life history of 

 injurious and of beneficial insects should consist not only of speci- 

 mens showing the different stages of development of the insects but 

 of samples of their work. 



2. Collecting. Select bright, still, warm days and with the net sweep 

 the plants along the roadsides and in meadows. Collect insects in 

 wheat, corn, and in orchards, woods, and fields ; look under stones, in 

 woodpiles, and in rubbish ; skim the surface and scrape the bottom 

 of ponds and streams ; visit electric lights at night. 



3. Preserving insects. Preserve eggs, larvae, and soft-bodied in- 

 sects in a 3-per-cent solution of formalin or in a yo-per-cent solution 



