Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1881-04-07

and Tennessee growers, and their
testimony is unanimously in favor OF
its many advantages. IL is not an
expensive operation. Boards six in
ches high placed around the beds
and closely fitted at the corners are
sufficient. Over these the canvas
common brown domestic will answer
must be drawn tightly to prevent
sagging in the centre, and then tack
ed closely to the board frame. The
keen blasts Of spring are also kept
out and more uniform temperature
is preserved within. On one side of
the frame the covering should be so
| lightly fastened as TO admit of its
easy removal when the bed or plants
| require attention or when il is desira.
bic TO expose them more fully TO the
sun. Further on we will alludc to
what is said to be n sure protection
against lleas and bugs by the use of
plant frame or fence around the
seed bed, but where the canvas COW
cring is not necessary. or course
where the precaution Of burning the
seed bed is not adopted neither boards
nor canvas will afford protection
against bugs, as they are no doubt in
the soil and will make their way TO
the surface in due time.
INSECT PESTS.
The greatest enemies of the tobacco
crop are the hordcs of insects that
come to ravage it. They make their
appearance in the seed bed and cease
their deprcdations only when the to-
bacco is hung in the barn. How To
overcome them and secure the crop
in good marketable condition. there
fore, become the all-important qucs-
tlons. Last year no less than t,ccHty
different insect pests were found prey
ing upon the tobacco crop in Lancas-
ter county. Some Of them were such
as were never known to attack it be-
fore. They succeeded in damaging
the crop TO the amount Of hundreds
of thousands Of dollars. Their raw
ages extended into the adjoining
counties Of Dauphin, Lebanon. York.
Berks and Chester, but nowhere were
they so bad rs within a radius Of ten
miles around the city of Lancaster
itself Some years they destroy the
seed beds almost entirely, but at
other times their ravages are not so
bad.
The first destroyers that came
along last year were the members of
what entomologists call the Halticidg
/ family, or "Flca Beetle" The prin-
cipal ones were the "Cucumber Flea
| Beetle - Hdi'ica Cucmmcris, "The
Dowuy Flea Beetle" Haitio1 Pubes-
/ ccHs, and the "Snow Fleas" or" Spring
| Tails 1t was the second brood OF
the "Downy Flea Beetle" that ravag-
ed the crop so badly few weeks
before maturity. The question that
concerns our tobacco growers is how
\ the rayagcs of these insects shall be
prevented. They did immense dam
/ age in some seed beds, destroying
thousands Of plants. They seem to
[ be the first insects that attack yegc-
tation in the spring. Several intclli.
. gent farmers have. in conversation
with Us, expressed the hope that the
severe winter may have killed off
these invaders and that we shall not
be troubled with them this spring. If
| they do not come, 1t will not be be-
cause of the low temperature. One
species il often 10 be observed in
large numbers on the surface of the
snow, hence its common name "snow
/ flea" No amount OF cold weather
will destroy them, and other means
must be sought to attain that end.
Their size is so minute that they
cannot be caught with the hand.
Besides, the largest Of them are not
more than the sixteenth Of an inch
long, while others are not larger than
coarse grains of powder. They are,
besides, able TO take long leaps, and
when disturbed at once find refuge
and safety under the surface of the
ground. The small elods especially
afford them hiding places.
now To Kill THEM.
As both they and their larva are TO
be found in the ground the first thing
is to kill those already in the seed
bed. To do this it has been recon.
mended to drench the seed bed copi-
ously with hot water several days
before sowing. This should he done
on warm sunshiny day. when they
no doubt are near the surface. This
plan would no doubt kill all it could
be made to reach. To keep out the
rest, board or plank II or l5 inches
high, placed close around the beds,
with the earth pressed tightly against
it on the outside, has been found
efectual.
If neither Of these precautions has
hepn iaEan anI tho naa h..4l. -. 4 -