St. Landry democrat., 1880-06-05
Insects and How to Fight Them.

Cut Worms.-Where cut worms are
troublesome in the field very old and
at the same time very good remedy is
to entrap them in holes made near the
plants, or hills, if in the cornfield. An
old rake handle, tapered at the end so as
to make a smooth hole five or six inches
deep, Or more will answer very well for
this purpose. In the morning the worms
| that have taken refugein these holes may
oe crushed by thrusting the rake handle
into them again, and the trap is set
for the next night. 1t is always well in
planting to make provision for the loss
Of stalk or two, by cut worms or other
| causes as it is easier to thin out than to
replant.
May Beetles.-These are the perfect
insects of the white grub so destructive
to lawns and sometimes to meadows A
French plan for destroying, or rather
catching, the cockchafer, very similar
insect, is to place in the center of the
orchard after sunset an old barrel, the
inside of which has been previously
tarred. At the bottom of the barrel is
placed a lighted lamp, and the insects
circling around to get at the light strike
their wings and legs against the tarred
sides of the barrel, and either get fast Or
are rendered so helpless that they fall to
the bottom. Ten gallons of beetles have
been captured in this way in single
night.
Slugs.-English gardeners place hand
fuls of bran at intervals of eight or ten
feet along&he border of garden walks
The slugs are attracted to the bran, and
in the morning each little heap is found
covered with them. The ground is then
gone over again, this time the operator
providing himself with dustpan and
small broom and an empty bucket, and it
is an easy matter to sweep up the little
heaps and empty them, slugs and all,
into the bucket, In this way many hun
1reds have been taken in single walk,
ind if little salt and water be placed on
the bottom of the bucket the slugs COM
ing in contact with it are almost instant
ly destroyed.
Ants.-When these insects are trouble
some in the garden fill small bottles two
thirds with water, and then add sweet
oil to within an inch of the top; plunge
these into the ground near the nest or
hills to within half an inch of the rim,
and the insects coming for sip will get
into the oil and perish, as it fills the
breathing pores. The writer once en-
trapped in a pantry myriads of red
ants in a shallow tin cover smeared with
lard, the vessel having accidentally been
left in their track. Another means of
entrapping them, suggested to me by
Professor Glover many years ago, is to
sprinkle sugar into a dampened sponge
near haunts to attract the insects. When
they have swarmed through the sponge
it is squeezed in hot water, and the trap
is reset until the majority of the insects
are killed.
Aphis.-A remedy fer plant lice upon
the terminal shoots of rose bushes Cor
similar hardy plants,) said to work like
a charm, is as follows: Take four ounces
of quassia chips and boil for ten minutes
in a gallon of soft water. Take out the
chips and add four ounces of soft soap,
which should be dissolved in it as it
cools. Stir well before using, and apply
with moderate sized paint brush, brush
ing upward. Ten minutes after syringe
the trees with clean water to wash off
the dead insects and the preparation,
which would otherwise disfigure the rose
trees.
Scale.-A French composition for de-
stroying scale insects, plant lice, etc. on
fru1t and other trees, is as follows: Boil