The Press., 1885-06-18

time as ever. Nothing III the nature of A promise binding himself to persons can be procured from the president.
 DANGER TO THE ONION CROP.
 The forthcoming American Agricnltnrist for July will contain the following article from Dr.. George Thurber, the distinguish ed horticulturist, regarding an insect pest, which has suddenly made its appearance among the onion beds of Orange County. New York, near Goshen. Those engaged
 in New York, Connecticut and elsewhere in this important and growing industry,
 will be glad to receive the information contained in this article:
 Orange County, N. Y., formerly SO noted for its dairy products, has of late years
 become an important center of onion cul-
 ture. The soil being especially well snited
 to the onion, and the locality remarkably
 free from insect and other enemies, those who have engaged in the growing of onions
 have found the crop very profitable. Of
 late an enemy has appeared ill force, which
 threatens to destroy the onions, and the profits of the farmers. Mr. Rudolph Ros-
 enthral, who grows onions extensively, has
 just sent us specimens of a s'wOrm, which
 has proved to be sadly destructive to the
 crop. The worms were too young to allow
 them to be identified with certainty, but their general appearance indicated that
 they were one of the several species of cu'-
 worms, view which was strengthened by
 learning that they were known to work
 only at night, and that they cut off the
 onion plant just at the surface of the
 ground. There are dozen or more diff
 ferent species of cnt-worms, some of which
 are climbers, and cause great loss to fruit | I,x fhn hI76 of
 the trees. In their ssworm, or caterpillar
 state, they are nearly all dark -colored and
 greasy looking. They are, when full
 grown, about an inch and 8 half long, and
 when disturbed, curl up, to form almost
 complete ring. They are the larval or
 caterpillar state of several different night
 flying owlet, or rustic moths. The moths
 are all of dark gray, or brown color, and when at rest, fold their wings against the body, the npper pair covering the lower. This is, perhaps, the most widely distri- buted of all the cut worms, as it is found in nearly every state. 1t is also a very
 general feeder, and is injurious to many . crops, even including tobacco. So far as ,, could be judged from the young caterpn- lars, the one so destructive to the onions : in Orange County appears to be of the : species figured As the habits of these in- sects are so much alike, it is not of great importance to know precisely to which = W ,rms make hole in the ground, to which they retire in the early morning, where a they remain quiet during the day. At 3 night they issue forth on their work of de- t struction, and those which do not climb, I cut off young and tender plants, just al 7 the surface of the soil. They feed upon n the plant, and often drag pieces of the e leaves to their burrows, which leads to
 their detection. Upon inquiring what had
 been done to check the insect in its de.
 structive work, we learned that plaster,
 lime, salt, ashes, Paris green, and a secret n poisonous preparation called ''slug-shot, , f had been used with but little or no per i ceptible effect The most effective method |. was to collect the worms at night and kill n them. This, where the area is several T. acres, is an almost hopeless task. W. s learned that all the above named articles ,. had been applied to the soil, rather thar ,- to the insects. In treating insects witt l. arsenical poisons, like Paris green anl !. London purple, the insect must eat tht 9 poison < unless it be taken into the system of the insect, it will have little, if any, eff n feet but if very small particle is eaten :, death soon follows. Doctor A. Oemler, o a Georgia, author of ssTruck Farming fo l. the South" appears to have successfully e mastered the cut-worms. Before setting m out cabbages, or planting watermelons, GU Y. cumbers, etc., he first clears the field o d cut-worms. After the land is prepared fo e the crop, he places turnip or cabbag, r. leaves, fifteen or twenty feet apart, eacl II way, all over the field. These leaves art ,s first moistened, and then dusted on sur !. face with mixture of one part of Parl e green and twenty parts of four. Tn, P. leaves are distributed over the field, witt
 the poisoned surface downward. The op ,e eration IS repeated after three or four days ,, two applications being usually sufficient n This method has been found most success d now raised with little trouble from cut ts worms. Whether the land intended fo , onions could be successfully cleared il m m this manner from the cut-worms in time t to allow the onion seed to be sown sufficient ir ly early, can only he ascertained by trial e Still, we1shonld expect good results iron y placing the poisoned leaves between tn n n. rows of onions. At all events, we advis n- that a trial be made The female insec n- deposits her eggs in early spring npo n plants, even upon trees the young worms G. as soon as matched, make their way es the ground, into which they bnrrow, con of ing ont at night in search of food. If tn \. onion ground be kept fallow for one ses Id son, it. quite sifre to be free from cu n. worms, and this, in the northern states es where a fallow is not so injurious to tn ly fertility of the soil as at the south. may b ld the most ready method of avoiding th te cut-worms Another method, which ic practicable on a bed, If not on 8 large fieli se is to cover the surface with thick mnlc ae of litter of some kind, and burn it of i- This will effectnally destroy cut-worml se and all other borrowing insects. We as h our Orange County friends to report to U ns what success has attended, the adoption { he either of these suggestions, to prevent tn ,a. rayages of cnt-worms.
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