The Yale expositor., 1901-07-26
FARM AND GARDEN.
MATTERS OF INTEREST TO
AORICULTURISTS.
Some Up-to-DSto Hints About CuItIva-
tion of the Soil and Yields Thereof
HORTICULTURE. VitiouIture aud FioriouI-
tura
Tho Grain Louse vs.. Wheat.


1t is appropriate at this time tc
notice this insect whose ravages in
wheat in several counties of Okla
homa have greatly reduced the value
of this years crop, says bulletin OF
the Oklahoma Station. BY extensive
correspondence and by conversations
with many wheat growers, uniform
testimony is secured that throughout
certain regions the wheat or grain
louise has greatly damaged this years
crop. In fact the injury in some re-
gions has been so great that farmers
have preferred to replant the wheat
ground to some other crop. A recon-
mendation to this effect was inserted
in some of the newspapers of the ter
ritory some time ago.
The station received the first speci-
mems of this louise early in April and
the entomologist has since that time
given most of his time to a thorough
investigation of the distribution and
life history of the insect. 1t became at
once apparent that the main damage
was not due to the well-known grain
louise" (Siphonophora avenae), whose
structure and life history have been
so we'll aired in the newspapers of late.
Our form differs from the one men-
toned in several details and will soon
be described as a new variety closely
related to the true "grain-louse. In
some cases it was noted that the gen.
eral trend of the migrations of the in
sect was from south to north. The
louise, like it's better known relative,
is capable of very rapid multiplication
and this is favored by dry weather.
Males are unknown and the reproduc-
ton is by the process called partheno-
genesis, or the giving birth TO the
living young. The viviparous females
are wingless but enough winged te-
males are produced to enable the
species to migrate from one field to
another in search of food. These
winged females were present in large
numbers from about the middle OF
April to the first of May.
There is no evidence that this louso
has a true egg-stage. 1t is probable
that it winters over in the adult stage
and feeds upon the leaves of the wheat
during favorable weather during the
entire winter. The past winter was in
some respects very favorable to the
development of the louise in large num-
bers and it is not therefore a matter
for surprise that such hordes Of lice
should have appeared so early in the
spring. There is no practical spray
ing method that can be recommended
against this insect pest. Some have
suggested spraying with the usual
kerosene emulsion and this would
probably reduce their number If ap-
piled before they spread over so large
an area as to make the plan quite
impossible and too costly. Our great
est hope lies, however, in the rapid
multiplication and energy of the
natural insect enemies Of this louise.
The most abundant and useful of these
enemies in Oklahoma is surely one Of
the "lady-bird" beetles (Hippodamia
convergens). This is a nearly hemi-
spherical beetle about three-siXteenths
OF an inch in length and OF reddish
yellow color with several black spots
on the back. The head and thoraX are
black with reddish-yellow margins aud
the thorax has two elongated reddish
yellow spots.
The larvae of these beetles are even
more rapacious and active than tho
mature beetles. The larva is a long,
blackish, somewhat flattened, and very
active larva with six legs Of more than
usual length. The larva when it
reaches maturity curls up on some leaf
or stem and changes to the pupa from
which the mature beetle energies in
a few days. The beetles live over win
ter in the mature stage in crevices Of
trees and boards. These 'lady-bird"
beetles have appeared in such large
numbers in some parts of Oklahoma
that farmers have written to the Elk
pertinent Station for some remedy to
destroy them. Every wheat grower
should look on these beetles as his best
friend and in no case allow them 20 be
destroyed.
Specimens of the wheat louise and
especially specimens of all the beetles
found in the wheat fields are very
much desired by the Experiment Sta
ton at Saltwater and may be sent
through the mail If Enclosed in tin or
wooden boxes.