The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1899-07-28
Tho striped Cucumber Beetle.

time in the spring, when they begin to
feed: and again, in the fall. against
beetles of the new brood. This fall
poisoning will succeed only where
there Is not an abundance of wild fall
flowers; for the beetles will desert any
poisoned crop for the Imprisoned flow
ers and will feed upon the flowers to
n considerable extent, any how, IL they
are to be found. Many poisons were
tested upon the cucumber fields OF
Long Island, during 1897 and 1898, In
GLIDING Paris green, laurel green, green
arsenite (arsenite of copper and lead
arsenite. These were applied dry, in
water, in Bordeaux mixture, and in
resin-lime mixture, alone; and in vari-
Gus combinations. Green arsenite,
dry, gave best results. 1t was found
waste of the poisons TO apply them
in Bordeaux mixture. as the mixture
so repealed the insects that they would
not eat the sprayed vines to secure the
poison. These poisons, applied IN
water, are liable to burn or stunt the
plants. 1t is necessary, then, IL we
wish to poison the beetles. TO use
trap crop to attract the insects ana 10
apply the poison to this crop insteaa
of 20 the plants we design to protect
On small areas II may be aovisapIe
to shut in the small plants or the
growing crop ny the well-known cioth-
topped boxes; by the tent-like clolh
covers spread over arched hoops or
wires; by boxes made from a rectanSu-
lar piece CT cloth and two short G-lnch
boards with cieats attached to insert
in the soil and hold the boards up
right; or even G-inch wire plate
covers. Covers, however, are too ex-
pensive on large areas and they have
the disadvantage of frequently MAX
ing the plants weak so that winds Will
snap them Oft or twist and ruin them
when the covers have to be removed.
II covers arc used alone their removal
leaves the unprotected vines not only
for feeding places but for breeding
places for the beetles.
Bordeaux mixture, IL thoroughly and
frequently applied makes as efficient
a protection as the covers. is much
cheaper and at the same time protects
the plants from diseases. This mix
ture Q-to-11 formula) should be spray
ed upon the cucumbers when they are
just we'll up, again when they show
the third leaf and the third time just
before the plants commence to form
runners. The early application can
probably best be made with n KNAPP
sack sprayer and later ones by any
good pump sprayer. The three april
cations should not cost 81 per acre.
The Bordeaux mixture is a much
better repellant, according to station
tests, than kerosene, turpentine. to-
bacco dust, cow-manure, burdock in
fusion, slug shot, bug death or any
other known compound. Indeed, al
materials OF this class, supposed to
drive away the beetles by their dis
tasteful odor. proved failures when
used alone. Air slaked lime, busted
over the vines, will make them I'M
palatable to the beetles, but the lime
Is liable to stunt the plants. 1t may
be used, with care, by those whose
crop is not large enough to warran:
purchase of spraying outfit
All of these appliances or applica-
tions, covers, Bordeaux mixture or
lime, merely protect the young plants
until they are strong enough to stand
the injury from the beetles; they dc
not kill the insects. To do this, trap
1AI l.
the beetles favorite food plant, this
vegetable should be planted-in single
rows along the margins of small
| patches, in several rows around large
fields-about four days before the GU.
cumbers or melon seeds are sown
When these trap plants are up and the
beetles appear about them dust about
half the plants with green arsenite. re
serving the other half for use if rair
or heavy dew makes the poison solubl,
and kills the vines first treated. TIL,
beetles, attracted by their favorite It'd
bit will feed upon the squash vines an,
be poisoned by the arsenite. WheI
the cucumbers or melons are up, un
less they are protected by covers, spra,
with Bordeaux, and poison more of thu
squash vines. When the beetles com
mence to pair the squashes may n
cultivated up. leaving only a few vine
for the beetles to feed upon at flower
ing time, as the insects prefer TIL
squash flowers and will not modest tn
others.
Beans may be used with some sue
cess as fall catch crop, where will
flowers are not too plentiful The.
should be planted on the cucumber o
melon fields; and when the beetle
leave the old vines to feed upon tn
fresh bean plants. they should be treat
ed to liberal doses of poison as WE'LL
F. II. Hall of Geneva, N. Y, Expert
ment Station.
% TvnarfV,annf Citation -