The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1888-09-05
FARM AND GARDEN.
Insect Pests Among tho squashc

Insect Pests Among the Squashes.
All the squash tribe of plants are in
tested by large variety of insect pests.
| Their extreme succulence seems to
attract host of sucking parasites which
| by their numbers often destroy the crop
and render the best care Of the culti-
vator futile. The worst Of these pests
are the squash bug, which pores into the
root near the ground and saps the
vitality of the plant at its source, and
the small striped beetle, which in its
mature state devours the leaves, and in
its infancy, as a small white grub, sucks
the sap from the root aud causes the
decay and death of the stem just below
the surface. These two pests are easily
kept at safe distance by putting some
tobacco stems around the young plant
or by placing a few corncobs stepped in
kerosene near the stem, or by the appli-
cation of the well-known kerosene
emulsion to the root. A spotted beetle
much like greenish
yellow in color, with twelve black spots
in the wing covers, is destructive TO the
leaves, and the too familiar cutworm is
a serious enemy to the young plants,
which are cut off at the stem and wholly
destroyed.
A safe way to avoid several of these
pests is to make small cylinders of straw
board two or three inches in diameter,
and two inches long, and dip these in
common tar or crude petroleum, setting
them around the young plants as soon
as the first leaves appear. These are a
great protection, and where no more
than a score or two of plants are grown
these are a practicable security. In the
field the best device is the kerosene
emulsion, made as follows; pound of
common brown soap is dissolved in a
gallon of hot water, pint of kerosene
is added, and thoroughly beaten up, or
shaken, to make fine emulsion. This
is poured around the roots, a table
spoonful being sufficient for small
plant, or quarter of pint for a large
one, and being applied so as to saturate
the soil and cover the stem and roots
with a film of it. This is an effective
remedy against these troublesome pests,
which will destroy large number of
unprotected plants in a night without
any previous warning. The leaves are
found willing and hanging down on the
stalks as the first indication of the mis-
chief.
The kerosene emulsion is the best
remedy for the plant lice, which intest
not only melons, but cabbages and many
other garden crops, as well as plum and
other fruit trees. 1t is easily applied bv
means of large syringe with fine
spraying nozzle. We have found it to
destroy the shellbark lice upon apple
trees and to be the most easily ap-
piled, as the small twigs can be covered
with it very quickly. All these lice
multiply with wonderful rapidity, hence
they should be attended to as soon as the
first of them are seen. A few days de-
lay will result in their spread from one
melon plant over a dozen or more, and
after this the spread is still more rapid,
evecy infested plant being a centre from
which they spread to the adjoining ones.
There are so many of these insect pests
and the damage they may do is so seri-
Gus that every farmer and fruit grower
should be on the alert to discover their
frstappearance and to open war upon
them without delay and pursue them
without rest until they are utterly de-
stroyed.-Neio York Times.