Rocky Ford enterprise., 1896-05-14
lNSEC rlCIDES.
Pfof. Gillette Gives omp Valuable Poin
era on the Subj ct.


cultural College, has prepared the fol.
lowing information as to the best varletIe;
of insecticides:
10 know how to prepare and use few
OF the most important substances for the
destruction Of insect pests Is a matter OF
much importance to everyone who has
anything to do with the growth or care
/ of plants.
The general principles underlying the
application cf these misunderstanding ma
terlas are easy to understand, as are also
the methods Of preparing and applying
them. The object of this little circular is
to give this Information in as concise and
Ineligible a form rs possible for the ben
eft of the farmers and frult-growers of
Colorado.
What Kind of an Insectic,ds to U.-.
For present purposes we may separa c
the insects that !njure plants into two
groups. In the first of these we will place
all those which. like the potato beetles.
the grasshoppers, and the cabbage worms,
do their Injuries by actually devouring
some part Of the tissue OF the plant, as
the leaves. In the second class we will
place those insects, like the squash bugs,
and the plant and scale lice, which do their
injuries not by eating the solid parts of
the plants, but by inserting their bealis
and sucking the juices from beneath :he
surface. AS insects are animals, they are
destroyed by the same substances that
kill other animals. but 1t is evident that
1t would be useless TO use po.sons that kill
by being eaten to destroy those insects
that suck the sap Of plants.
In -c'ic Il T.-t *, by R.,"g E.t-n.
About the only insecticides that are
used to kill insects by being put upon
their food are London purple. Paris green,
white arsenic and heliebore. OF these.
London purple and Paris green are most
used, and It matters little which Is taken,
though the latter Is probably a little more
effectual.
Preparation Of tho A-sen''ea
In the Dry Way.-On all low plants.
these po!sons may be applied cheaply and
easily by mixing them with some con-
venient, finely powdered substances, as
wheat flour. or lime. in the proportion Of
one pound Of the poison to fifteen or twen-
ty pounds OF the diluting material, and
then distributing the mixture over the
plants through thin muslin sack. These
sacks are best made from cheesecloth, and
the application is best made In the evening
or early morning when the plants are
moist with dew and when there Is usually
but little wind. Flour Il the best dlluent
In most cases, as 1t forms paste that
sticks the poison to the plants and Is not
dstasteful to the insects that eat 1t. A very
light busting of the plants Is all that Is
necessary rs small particle Of the poison
Il sufficient to kill most insects. Pains
should be taken. however, thoroughly to
distribute the poison over the leaves.
In the Wet way.-For the treatment OF
trees and high shrubbery, and in some
cases field and garden crops as WELL 1t Is
often more convenient to apply these pol
sons in water by means Of force pump.
Any clear water will answer this purpose
and the poisons may be used In propor-
tons varying from one pound to 1GO gal
Ions to one pound In $50 gallons Of water
Most plants. in the dry atmosphere Of
Colorado will not be injured by the
stronger mixture. but some Ike the bean,
peach and plum. are liable to have their
leaves burnt or spotted by strong appllca-
tions. This burning Of the leaves may be
largely prevented by adding small
quantity ian amount equal to the poison
used) of fresh lime to the water. The
weaker mixtures are for tender plains and
for subsequent applications when prev
ous ones have already been made.
A special method of applying the above
posops for the destruction Of grasshoppers
in places where they are abundant is ID
make what Is known as arsenic bran-
mash" 1t is made by taking one pound
Of the poison, one pound of sugar. and
six pounds of bran and adding water
b enough to mo!sten thoroughly the whole.
After thoroughly mixing, scatter the pol
soned brain in places where the grasshop-
pers are thickest. This method Is spec
ially adapted to gardens, vineyards ana
orchards where It is not convenient 10 use
hopper pans.
White hellebore has been found to be
spec.ally efrectual in destroying the larvae
of .saw.tiles." Common examples OF these
arc the snail.like worms" that eat of
the upper surface of the leaves of pear,
plum, and cherry trees. and the green
..worn.s" that eat the leaves Of currani,
rooseberry, and raspberry bushes in Colo
RADIO. This poison may also be applied
either In the dry or wet way: If applied
dry, 1t can be sifted through a cheese
cloth sack and need not be diluted. A
very light busting over the leaves Is sutii-
cient. If applied in the wet way, use an
ounce to three gallon bucket of water.
The application is usually more efectual
If made In the evening, as these .nsec:S
feed mostly during the cool OF the DAY
and the hellebore soon loses Its poisonous
properties after being exposed to the ar
Insecticides Th II X u by External Contact.
Kerosene emulsion Is the most useful
Of these and is very cheaply and easily
prepared, though many seem to make
failure of 1t. 1t can be made with un-
failing success as follows: Dissolve one
pound Of soap in one gallon of water by
heating or boiling. When the soap Is all