Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-03-20
FOR THE FARMER.
Recent Experiments with Insecticides
Developing Heifers Saving all the
Manure-The Chinch Bug.
The Care of Farm Tools Brine Sailing
Raising Calves-The Potato Rot
in New England.
Insecticides.

From the years experience Professor
Cook, of Michigan, feels warranted in
concluding that the arsenites and car
bolized plaster will protect against the
plum curculio if they can be kept on
the tree or fruit. But in case of very
frequent rains the Earring method will
not only be cheaper but much more eff
fective. Again, as our wild fruits are
more cleared away we must have
plums in our orchards to protect the
apples from the curculio. When ap-
pies are seriously stung they become
so gnarled and deformed as to be
worthless. 1t will pay then to set
plum trees near by or among the APP
pie trees. Then we will escape the
mischief among our apples from the
curculio and will only need to spray
our apples once to destroy the codling
moth, and can treat the plum trees
three or four times with Paris green or
carbolated lime in case we have only
occasional showers, or can jar the trees
when the rains are very frequent. For
the apples we can use London purple,
one pound to 200 gallons of water. For
the plums we must use Paris green, one
pound to 200 or 800 gallons of water.
If the carbolated plaster is preferred,
we use one pint of crude carbolic acid
to fifty pounds of land plaster. This is
thrown freshly over the trees, so as to
strike every plum on the tree which is
being treated.
Another very important practical
point has been suggested by the past
seasons experience with these insecti-
cides, which is the danger of applying
them before the blossoms fall. Bees
are quite as susceptible to these poisons
as are the codling larvae and curculio.
In their good work of collecting nectar
and fertilizing the blossoms. they are
certain to take the poison as we'll, if
the trees have been sprayed, Of course
there is no excuse for spraying at so
early date, as neither the curculio or
codling Larvae commence their attacks
till the blossoms fall. Thus for the OBJ
ject in mind, as well as for the safety
of the bees, delay should be insisted
upon.
Professor Cook thinks that we should
secure the enactment of laws which
would visit any such offense with fine
and Imprisonment. Such laws would
prove ready and active educator.
In the past season, many bee-keep-
ers lost severely from the neglect of
fruit growing neighbors to observe
this caution. Mr.. John G.. Smith, Bar
ry, Ill, writes: Zone of my neighbors
owning an orchard of about one hun
dred acres of apple tree sprayed the
trees with Paris green and water just
as they were in full bloom. The result
is that ten Or twelve bee-keepers are
ruined" The image no less than the
Larvae and pup8 were destroyed. Mr..
A. J. Pierce, Grand Rapids, Mich, was
also heavy loser from the same cause.
His bees likewise died in all stages of
development. 1t is well to remember
and to urge that this loss is not con-
fined to the bee-keepers, for the fruit
growers as well as the apiarist needs
the bees and their work to insure his
best success. 1t only requires, then,
that our people know the truth, to in
sure against loss in this direction
Western Ruyal,