West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1892-05-05
SOME HINTS TO FARMERS.
West Virginia Agricultural Expert.
ment Station Notes.
Special Correspondence of the Apor,.
COMBATING INSECTS.

The season Of the year has ar.
rived when the thoughtful and pro.
gressiyo farmer should give atten.
tion to some of the details necessary
for the protection of his crops and
stock from the ravages of insect
pests. The time has arrived when
the Cooling Moth will enter upon
its period of activity, and deposit
the eggs which will make the wormy
apples, and largely reduce the yield
If 1T be not vigorously combated
The curculios, also. will begin to
deposit their eggs in the young fruit
almost as soon as it begins to as.
sumo shape.
BY spending little time and at
tention in spraying the orchards
and fruit trees at this season of the
year, with an occasional treatment
later, much of the damage done by
these pests can be averted. 1t is
evident that insect pests in the
State are upon the increase, and
every man engaged in fruit culture.
or interested In it, should take Wig
orous steps to reduce their number
and to check their damages before
1t becomes too late. The best time
to fight this enemy Is this season of
the year, and we commend to the
farmers the judicious usc of the
various solutions applied by spray
ing, as described in Bulletin 21 of
the West Virginia Agricultural! Ex-
pertinent Station.
Many of the farmers in pruning
their orchards are IN the habit of
leaving the branches either living in
piles or scattered around in the
orchard where they become the
breeding places of insects which are
liable later to attack the sound trees
in the orchard, and prove dcstruc-
tive. Whenever a fruit tree, or its
branches are dead or dying, it
should be removed, or the branches
cut off, and these, together with all
OF the limbs, removed by pruning
should be burned as soon as posi-
bic. A few hours work spent in
clearing up the orchard Of this kind
OF trash every spring may preserve
1T from serious and irreparable
damage later.
USE OF COMMERCIAL FERTILIZERS.
The commercial fertilizer repre-
sents one of the highest applications
OF science to practical farming. The
expert skill Of the chemist is EN-
pioyed to concentrate as much plant
food into as small bulk as posi-
Bile, so that the commercial fertilizer
represents as strongly concentrated
plant food as the progress of mod
ern science will permit. This being
the case, the farmer should remem-
Der that 1t is dangerous to apply
these strong fertilizers wikh the seeei.
or too close to the young plant. A
moments thought will convince the
farmer that the average corn or
potato plant spreads It's roots over
quite a large area and he can safely
estimate that the roots will extend
over q larger area than the top Of
the plant, so that fertilizer an
piled anywhere in the immediate
vicinity Of plant Is likely to b..
utilized by it. The farmer, also.
should acquaint himself with the
root habits, If we may use the ex.
preston. Of a plant 80 that the
fertilizer will always be placed i'm
the~oiI a59re rather than below the
roots Of The plant. Take. for OK.
ample. the corn plant. The root
Of this plant do not run down. but
spread themselves out horizontally
oyer a large surface at a depth
rarely exceeding six inches, so that
the fertilizer TO become available 70
the plant should not be placed be
low two inches from tho surface.
and in many soils it would be much
better upon the surface than placed
at a depth Of six inches.
fertilizer manufacturers have
led The farmers 10 believe that great
things arc to be hoped for from
PariicVf0r braHHs Of fertilizers. and
the farmcrs are induced 10 buy The
"Seed Maker" the "Root Grower ,.
the Grass Producer" ets., under