Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1883-02-08
Orchards and InSectS.

The following Is a synopsis ofthe so
prize essay read before the Iowa State
Horticultural meeting at their late
session in Dubuque, by John A. Dixon
of Mshasks
"The question tAat most interests the
fruit growers of southern Iowa now is
not how 10 grow orchards, but rather
how to grow apples on the orchards
we have. This thing Of two or three
failures or fractions of u crop to one
full crop, is getting mon4onoUs. The
failures are getting to be n rule and the
fair crops the exception.
Various reasons are assigned for these
failures. Sometimes they are charged
to the frosts, ut others to the cold rains
or the chilling east wind. In some
cases it is supposed to come from ex.
haustiou from Overlooking in the fruit
season. Except California and the pen
insula State of Michigan, no state IN
the Union has less cause TO complain Of
fruit crops by frost or other meteorolo-
gical influences. Nor is 1t exhaustion.
THE oNLG KEY
that can open the way to annual crops
or successful fruitg growing is to destroy
the injurious insects, not only of the
orchard, but also Of the farm and gar,
den thistles are the great econc :
mic problem of entomology,
What we want in the shape of insect
remedies is something etfectual, some
thing that will make clean sweep OF
the insect, something that can be en-
silly and rapidly applied and st an ex-
pense that the business of fruit grow.
ing or gardening can amply afford,
1--WE want remedies rs much ahead
of these old-fashioned traditional meth
DDS rs the cotton gin is IN advance Of
the old method of hand picking the
seed from the cotton ball, or the tele-
graph is in advance of tho posthoy, or
the flying freight train ahead Of the
old mud wagons. Such rem edies we
ought to have, mast have, can haye, WE
HAVE.
"While scientific entomology has
largely supplied the natural history OF
the insect, yet its economic problems
are mainly unsolved and we are la
mentally deficient in the important
knowledge of how to destroy the inju
Nous insects or how to prevent their
waste. II it is thought this picture it
too strongly drawn, let US look little
| to the facts. What remedy have We
for the locust or grasshopper, an inseo
which has been well known for thous
ands of years. Are they not free il
our day to consume every greer
thing 40 in the days of Pha
raoh? What remedy have W,
for the Hessian fly and the chinch-bug
which annually waste our wheat CROP
by the millions OF bushels. What RENE
dy have we for the cotton worm, which
annually wastes its forty millions worth
OF this crop? What remedies have W.
for the army worm, which consume,
our grains and grasses? or what for the
white grubs that waste our pastures
and meadows? Except Riley's Paris
green remedy for the Colorado potato
beetles, what remedies have we for the
hosts ofgardeu insects? What valuabl,
remedy has scientific Chronology dis
covered for the injurious insects of tht
orchard? For the apple-yorm ant
coddling moth, "the hay and pape
bandages arc most highly recon
mended." Prof Riley, in speaking O
the bandage remedy says; that nc
matter how carefully applied that
enough of the insects viii escape to
abundantiy continue the species. y
NNh,t ,.o,,, "a 4, Iono octaNpa ogar f,r . IA .
cank The tar tsndage OF
"stick -in-the-mud" remedy. Tnere is
another remedy expressly recommend
ed by etomologists for many of the or
chard and garden insects, and that II
the Manipulating remedy. How car
we hand-pick insects that come in NJ.
mics of millions? Can we pick up the
sands Of the sea grain ut a timer We
will not narrate all the efforts that we
have made to get clear OF these waste
full insects, but those mainly which
have proven successful. Oar frs
trouble was with
THE ROUND HEADED BoRER,
We used the soft soap or alkaline re
medy. The eggs Of this insect are de
posted on the trees in tho latitude o
Oskalo9sa during the last half of June
varying little with the carlipess OF
lateness of the spring The soap should
be applied as early as the 20th OF June
if il is washe ed off before the fifth Of July
the washing should be repeated. This
is sn old remedy, and the best one We
know of for this insect. Our next diff.
Guilty was with
THE CAEKER WORM.
In the spring Of "a we found canker
worms spread over about 30 acres ofouI
orchard. We wrote TO Prof. Riley to
know if it would not DO TO dissolve ar
senic by boiling and sprinkle the trees