The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1900-09-04
WHOLE NO. $50.
WAR ON INSECT PESTS.
4 WAY OF RENDERING PLANTS
5ANsFUL TO THEIR ENEMIES.
The Annihilation OF the Farmers Foes
Discussed at the Late Meeting of the
Society For the Promotion OF AEri-
cultural seience-Pea Lice All Females

ural Science AMI the Association of
Economic EntomoloGlStS. that plants
may be so cultivated aS TO change their
'hcmlcal constitution. rendering them
either agreeable OF hHucful To insect
pests. vet without injury to the
Giants themselves. suggests the large
possibilities of scientific agriculture
And this, one is told. is no mere the
Dry, hut demonstrated fact y to-
uacco grower. whose name was not
given. has already put this in prac-
tic". He analyZeS his plants and finds
which arc nutritious and which are
not 50 tn the insects: and he cultivatcs
those that Will StarVc out the insect
His method seems 10 depend largely
I'm the mature and experienced iudg-
mcnt of the grower. varying according
TO circumstances. Professor Galloway
suggests the extension Oc similar
methods To StarvC ont those other
pests. now - destructive. tho HesSian
iy ia wheat. and the aphid i'm
pea plants. Which FOR lack Of a hot
ter name has been called the green
pea louise. and which has almost
ruined the crop in Maryland for two
yearS-ihc Nectarophora dcstructor.
one of the most instructive papers
read was that of Professor Johnson on
the ravaEeS of this insect and the
fight against it, 4 small. weak. harm
Restocking creature. il came down
on the pea plants in May, 1899, blight
rs silent and as sudden almost rs the
destruction Of Scnnacherib's army.
Whole fields turned black aud per-
ished. causing the loss of half the
crop. or $3,o0OOoO. and this year
100000. The insect is vivipurouS.
some are winged. some winglcss. bat
all females and parthcnogeuctic. Be
ginning 20 breed when eleven days
old. they nave six Ia twelve young
daily for nearly - month so that tax
ing Tin" minimum number. over AOD. 900
will he produced from on" I'm six
weeks. The young are eXtruded feet
first. born kickcrs." and 10 is several
minutes before the head appears, dur
ing which time they exercise their
feet constantly. As soon rs born they
attach themselves TO the leaf and
remain for two days mmovablc. suck.
ing the juice of the plant which is
converted into sort of honey dow.
sticky ana tarry. ruimouS TO clothing
and even to shoes OF persons who go
through The fields. So numerous are
they aS sometimes To cover the leaf
entirely. \ bushcl of them * shaken
down from row OF peas ten rods long.
Spraying was at first practiccd to
kill them. but Ibis killed also their
enemies. Now the system is TO plant
peas in rows. and 10 shake off The in
sects and follow with cultivat0r.
burying them when they die within
two days, ana on the third day the
process is repeated.
Their most efficient enemy is the
larva Of the Surplus, which dcvours
them at the rate of one u minute. but
these in turn have their enemies. BaS-
/, sus isj parasite on them. other in
sects also prey on the aphids: ana cor
tain parasites attack them. 4 fungus
disease, Empusa. has proved very de
structive. Their original habitat
seems to have been clover from which
last year they cmigratcd to ncighbor-
ing pca-liclds. with such destructive
results. Professor Johnson stated.
aud others i'm discussion conGrmed the
statement. that this insect has ap-
peared in destructive numbers this
year nj many places Professor Web
ster reports their appearance Dartic-
ularly in Ohio. II is feared that other
regions will share the rate of Mary
land. However. the heller was OK
pressed by several members that the
insect may disappear as rapidly rs il
came. Instances in point are not lack
ing. Professor Hopkins rrw years
ago noted the outbreak OF Il dcstruct-
i've insect among the evergreen trees
Of West Virginia, which has now ut
terly disappeared.
The question Of nomenclature Of in
sects rs regards the common mines
was brought MP by criticism boy Pro
lcssOr Fletcher of the name Of green
pea louise applied 10 This insect. as
it is not louise at all. but ana aphid.
aud there is no such plant - "grccn
pea; simply the peas are used when
green; also, tie insect tlrivcs on other
plants. and its usual habitat is clover.
Many other anomalies exist ion The
name commonly applied to insects
very different names being applied fo
the same insect in Different localities
on the other hand different insects
are designated by tho -auc mime.
causing great confusion Professor
Louusbcrry instanccd the oyster-shel
scale. This resembles the oyster.
shells of this country. but not those
Of South Africa. so The name seems
iuapplicablc to the same scale there.
An amusing instance of multiplication
of names was mentioned I'm thc case
of the harlequin cabbage bug. which
is also called in Maryland the frobue.
because 30 destroys vegetation us fr n
fire bad swept over the country. also
the Catholic bug. because 20 has a
cross Oh its back and the Spanish bug
because it has the Spanish coiors. four
names i'm different parts OF thc same
state. q committee was appointed
to- have charge of tbc naming OF finn
scots. SO as tO secure uniformity.
The remark was several times made
during the meeting that Tic cutomolo.
gists arc better organized and coon
crate more efficiently in the United
states than any other body of scion.
lists in the world. The proceedings
Of the Association of Economic I'm
tomologists gre regarded MS So impor
tant that they arc annually published