Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-07-15
AGRICULTURAL.
NATTER PREPARED SPECIALLY FOR
THE RECORD UNION"
Ruhach In agriculture-An Exserminasor
OF Insect Pects-Iate crops
Potatoes. Corn, Etc.

kulAcn III
OF Insect Pects-Iate crops
Potatoes. Corn, Etc.
Tiara IL scarcely an end to the myriads OF
Insects which, in one way or another, are IN
irrious 10 agriculture. The apple, the pear
and the ounce are the food OF the Larvae OF
Che codIinv moth. The plum in many coun-
tries ia almost destroyed and its cultivation
rendered Improbable by the curculio. The
grape is threatened with determination by
the phylloxera. The cherry is rendered al
most useless in otherwise favorable countries
for its cultivation by little insect that
comes from the egg of an Insect which by
instinct selects this delicious fruit for its
young to pass one stage Of its existence in.
The potato has it's enemy in the velEknown
potato bug, which has laid waste the entire
crop in whole sections of country. Scale in
sects are appearing on all kinds of fruit and
ornamental trees and threatening fruit
trees Of every kind with destruction,
and rendering fruit culture impossi'
BILE. Not vegetable tina. is cultivated as
food for man that has not been found by
some insect that seems to regard it as its
especial favorite. Even the flower gardens
are not exempt from the ravsge of insects, that
prey upon the shrubs and the flowers. Our
wheat is attacked while in the held-and
while in growing stately the Hessian fly
and the ground worm, and the grain in the
warehouse by the weevil. The wire worm
and the cut worm find our young corn as soon
IA il terminates, and often cut it off before it
makes its appearance above the ground or at
the surface Indeed, it seems as though
nothing that is planted and cultivated by the
farmer is safe at any stage OF growth from
the ravages Of some insect whose special mis-
sion seems to be to destroy it. The destruc-
ton of growing crops by insects is almost in
calculable, but thoughtful and scientific OBJ
servers have made careful estimates OF this
destruction and given their conclusions to
the world.
Mr.. Walsh calculates that the United
States suffer from the injuries of noxious in
sects to the amount of $500, 000.0 00 annually,
and adds that he is by no means claiming
that it is possible to save this enormous sum,
but if diminished only one-hslf the nation
would gain every year S15O, 600, COO. j.
T., DOGG5, lac oldtlsllCldu VI luS lCo-
partment of Agriculture st Washington,
says that low average of the value of the cot
ton crop for many years past would be $780,
100 600: 20 per cent would not be too large
an estimate Of loss from insects, when most
prevalent, involving a destruction Of Si0,-
600 0OO and when prevalent with only five
per cent. of loss, $40 600 600 would be the
resultant loss. The matter Of destruction Of
agricultural crops and agricultural products
-, hat ry1f,-i 4
country interested in agriculture has a de-
partment Of national government, presided
over by the most learned men to be fouad,
ths special obisct of which is to study the
history and habits Of insects injurious to
agriculture. and to experiment with and find
means Of their destruction.
There has been Icing in use an insect pow
der manufactured from plant native in
Herzepoyins, Montenegro aud Persia, under
the name Of Persian insect powder, which,
when fresh, is Of great use in the de-
struction of insectss, but its expensive
ness has prevented the introduction and use
of it in the determination Of insects in the
orchard or field. or in the grain warehouses,
or in manufacture of wooden goods, furs, etc.
1t ia believed, however, that an article has
now been found that can be produced in such
quantities, and at such cheap rates, as to be-
come generally useful against nearly all in
e6ClS W III every pLaS sc VI
production, whether in field crops or in the
orchard This article is closely related to
the Persian plant, but is native of Dalma-
tia. and has been introduced into this State
and put in cultivation by Mr.. Milco, Of
Stockton. In 1879 a wheat store house in
Stockton, containing large quantities Of
wheat, was found to be alive with the wheat
weevil, and the wheat was badly injured.
Some of the powder manufactured from this
hat oil u+nraI in fha
same house, and it was soon noticed that live
weevil had disappeared from the building.
but dead ones were everywhere to be found
on the floors, among the sacks, in the crevices
of the bins, and indeed everywhere. An in.
vestigation soon proved that the buhash was
the cause of the general destruction Of the
weevil and the saving of the wheat. Prof.
Higard of the State University has made
many experiments with the powder of bu-
bach, and has given the warmest approval of
its use in many departments of agriculture.
Professor Riley and Professor Comstock, of
the National Agricultural Department, have
also each experimental with the powder, and
both give it IS their opinion that the only
question in the genera, use of buhach as
against insects in the field and in the orchard
is as to whether it can be produced cheaply
enough to warrant its genersl use in this
manner. A company composed of some of the
most suDSLAuLlal anu Duslues5 men /
San Joaquin county, has been formed for its
production and manufacture, and they
propose to answer the doubts of Professors
Riley al Comstock by its actual production n
quantity and at rates cheap enough to put 1t
within the reach of every cultivatOr CT what
ever farm. orchard or garden product. This
company have made many experiments with
the article, and they claim that buhsch will
protect strawberry plants from the ravsges of
the chinch bugs and leave the plants in a
healthy condition after the application ; it
will destroy potato bugs, even after they have
secured what may seem complete control Of
the patch it will. when applied as q spray
or as powder, destroy the cotton worm or
cooling moth, the great pests of the orchard /;
it will overc lme the worst attack of army
worm /; it viii destroy the phylloxera upon
the vines; it will rid orange and lemon trees
of the scale bug, by one application it will
prevent the spread of curled leaf in orchards
eradicate the plum curculio and all insects
that feed upon the ripening fruit.
Late Crops, Etc.
Though July would seem to be rather the
harvest season than the time for planting,
still it is really very busy season with many
IL. I