INSECT PESTS OF FARM, GARDEN AND ORCHARD 



Entomological Commission made an investigation of the cotton 

 worm and valued its ravages at $30,000,000, but with the 

 extensive use of Paris green and arsenical poisons its injury has 

 been greatly reduced and now amounts to from $5,000,000 to 

 $10,000,000 annually. Various minor pests of the cotton plant 

 inflict a considerable amount of local injury and with the above 

 pests damage the crop at least 10 per cent, worth $85,000,000 

 in 1909. 



Tobacco. Tobacco is attacked by insects, which form one 

 of the chief " bugbears " of tobacco growing, at all stages of its 

 existence. Ten per cent of the crop, worth $10,000,000, is cer- 

 tainly destroyed by them every year. 



Truck Crops. Truck crops are peculiarly susceptible to 

 insect attacks, and their control forms one of the chief items in 

 the cost of production. It is safe to say that truck crops suffer 

 from insect ravages fully twice as much as do the staples, or 20 

 per cent of their total value. Statistics are not available for 

 the present value of truck crops, but they were probably worth 

 $300,000,000 in 1909, making the insect tax for the trucker 

 fully $60,000,000. 



Fruits. Fruit trees are also much more seriously injured 

 by insects than are the staple crops, and their control involves 

 a large expense to the fruit-grower. Where it is not combated, 

 the codling moth, or apple worm, would cause a loss of from 

 30 to 50 per cent of the crop, and where it is controlled by 

 spraying a considerable expense is involved. The loss and cost 

 of treatment for this pest alone amount to $20,000,000 for the 

 United States, and were it not for the fact that it is now largely 

 controlled in the principal fruit-growing sections, the loss would 

 be double or treble this sum. The loss due to the San Jose scale 

 is difficult to estimate, but it is well known that it has destroyed 

 millions of trees and that in the principal fruit regions where this 

 pest is prevalent it is necessary to treat the trees annually 

 at a cost of from 10 to 25 cents per tree, so that $10,000,000 a 

 year would be a very conservative estimate of its annual cost. 

 Both deciduous and citrous fruits have a host of insect pests, 



