The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1897-05-18
WEEKLY DIGEST
Of Experiment Station Bulletins.
CABBAGE BUG AND MELON LOUISE.

ats O. the HerlFqui Cabbage Bug
and the Melon Plant Louise. The first
is of Southern origin and has been
working its way northwRrd at the rate
of about 20 miles year. Itis serious
pest to all the cabbage and turnip fam
lily of plants. and has now reached
New Jersey. It is e winged insect half
an inch long, quarter of inch wide
and has four jointed snout through
which it sucks the juices of plants. 1t
Is of mottled red, yellow and black
color. They winter in any sort of rub
bish that offers shelter. They lay eggs
IN double rows on the under side Of
leaves, hatch IL days and attain full
growth IN two to three weeks, owing
to weather, hence, they produce several
broods in a season. As they are sap
suckers, poisons do not reach them,
Kerosene would kill them, but it would
also be fatal 70 the cabbage or turnips.
The remedies recommended are TO
clean up the land in the fall, leaving
few piles OF straw, weeds, and rubbish,
aud after the insects have taken up
their winter quarters in these, burn
them at some convenient time during
the winter, plant early mustard in
punches over the land intended for
cabbage, and the first crop of the bugs
will collect on this, as they prefer it to
cabbage. From these punches of mus
tard they are easily brushed into pan
OF water on which floats some kero-
sene. Then pull out and destroy the
mustard in order to dispose of the eggs
The melon aphis, or louise, attacks
plants of melons, squash, cucumber,
etc. They make their first appearance
in New Jersey in June, but appear
earlier south and later north of that
latitude. They are also sapsuckers
and feed on the under side of the leaves,
causing the leaves to wrinkle and curl,
then dry up and die. They multiply
and spread with astonishing rapidity.
Like the harlequin cabbage bug, they
spend the winter in sheltering rubbish.
A favorite winteripg place is thick
weed patch on the roadside or in fence
corners. Rake all such places, piling
the rubbish in fall and burn it during
the winter. This louise cannot be reached
by sprays. The only effective remedy
is bi sulphide Of carbon applied as fol
lows: Lay one barrel hoop on the
ground, cut another into halves, cross
these halves in the middle and tack the
! oT06c F0 fHo HuSf IOnZ%o
paper over this dome-shaped frame, or
tack cheap cloth over it and oil same
to preserve it. Gather the vines of q
hillin bunch and cover with the dome,
pressing the bottom hoop into the soil
q half an inch. Before doing so, pour
a teaspoontul Of the carbon bisuIphide
into q C!amshell or other shallow re
ceptaCle and set this on part of the
vine stiff enough to hold it up, or on a
large clod OF earth, or g small mound.
The liquid soon evRporates, and as the
vapor is heavier than air, it sinks, and
would escape under the hoops, if the
latter were not pressed into the soil. In
an hour remove the cover and every
louise will be dead. AS soon as curled
leaf is noticed, treat that hill, and watch
daily for others. A few days of watch
fulnese and care will catch them ALL
Fifty covers will be enough for large
field, and they can be put away in
nests as q merchant keeps hats, for the
winter and will thus occupy very little
room and will last several years. They
are also handy to protect the earliest
hills of vegetables from late spring
frosts. Do not use too much liquid, or
the plants may be injured. A tea
spoonful to the hill is sufficient. On a
small patch of vines, these lice may be
destroyed by wiping off every affected
leaf with a sponge dipped in soap suds
TESTS OF GARDEN SEEDS.
In1895 Rhode Island Station gathered
233 samples Of garden seeds of the most
common varieties from 13 different
dealers in the Northeastern States, and
tested their vitality. or these 233
; samples, 90 contained or more bad
seeds to 1 good one, and % others
showed more than half bad, while
many others contained large per cent
age of seeds that would not sprout.
During 1896 the same station repeated
the test, on 151 samples gathered from
? widely separated seedsmen, and the
} results are given in Bulletin 43. OF
3 this last lot of samples, "a showed less
\ than half good seeds. 1t was noticed