The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1900-08-09
HOW TO KILL A SECT.
How They MAJ he Prevented From
Climbing Trees Effective Trench
Trap Described Caulifiower and
Cabbage Can BE Protected.

Fruit Inspector Garfield has furnished
the Whatcom Reveille information as to
effective ways for fighting the army or cut
worms which are now doing 30 much
damage to crops in this section,
There are only three effective poisons
to use for spraying. They are Paris green,
London purple and gypsine. Paris green
and London purple require mixing with
lime, which neutralizes the caustic prop
critics Of the poisons. preventing tie
blighting of the foliage and not destroy
ing the poisonous properties. London
purple needs more lime than Paris green,
but gypsine needs none. All should be
mixed in strong soap suds, which forms
a coating ON the foliage and prevents the
poison running of on the ground i'm
mediately. Gypsine is mixture of ar
senic of soda and acetate of lead. -Four
ounces Of tho former and eleven ounces
Of the latter mixed in one gallon OF water
forms solution strong enough to make
seventy-five or eighty gallons Of spraying
mixture that will effectually Kill the
worm.
TO protect caulifiower, cabbage and
other vegetables that cannot be sprayed,
Mr.. Canfield recommends other meas
uTO9. I10 say tIl6L Ou0 t>Ounu VI 80
green with fifty pounds Of wheat bran,
mixed into paste with highly sweetened
water. forms morsel that the cut worms
cannot resist. II this paste Is placed
around the root of the plants the worms
will eat IL in preference and the Paris
green contained In the mixture will Kill
them. :.
TO keep the worms from climbing fruit
or other trees, Mr.. Garfield recommends
that around the trunk Of each tree be
placed an eight-inch strip Of tin, or what
Is cheaper, q strip of cOal-tar paper Ia
which has been applied an extra cOat q
coal tar to make It g0od and slick. Or
binary brown paper coated with sneliack
is also good. Mr.. Garfield says he has
watched the worms climbing tree trunks
which had coal-tar paper around them.
AS soon IS the worms would reach cne
slippery paper and let 60 Of the bark with
their hind legs they would drop like SHOT
to the ground.
Mr.. Garfield says another good protec.
ton for beds Of vegetables or flowers
which have not 80 far been touched by
the worms, is to dig a trench about one
foot wide by sixteen inches deep arouno
the bed or field. The dirt from the trench
should be filled up on the inside wall o.
the trench loosely. The worms get into
the ditch and when they attempt to clint
the loose dirt wall, they roll back again.
III the u1alu CT6tlCu SuOulNs NO UuS 49,
holes, foot or two deeper, about every
| rod or SO. The worms failing to clint
the dirt wall will crawl along The bottom
| of the trench and fall into these traps
| Mr.. Garfield says he saw, at John Mchae
Smiths place at Fort Bellingnam
trenches dug in this manner, and some o.
the trap holes contained as much as
| bucket and a half Of worms. SucL
trenches have been dug at the Fort Bell
| ingham bulb farms and the bees nave
also received light spraying. NO dam
age has therefore been done to the oulDs;
| BY using the proper methods the Pesl
can be almost exterminated this fau, says
Mr.. Garfield. The mother moth OF tns
army worm always seeks the rankes
vegetation for laying its eggs. Between
now and Septeinber LIST the farmers, veg
/ etable paowers and others should Gu
down the rank weeds and grass aDou
/ their places and in the fence corners anc
ali places where the growth is heavy
| The vegetation when cut sh0uln De a
lowed to lie ON the ground until tn0r
4 ouphly dry and then burned over. IN,
heat viii kill the eggs and the big broot
1 which would otherwise hatch out mex
spring will thus be killed to great ex
/ tent.
Mr.. Garfield says he has not been on
over the county since the worms mao
their appearances, but has received 70
ports from, good many farms. The Pes
seems to be the worst In the Lynden Ant
Marietta neighborhoods.