The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1901-07-22
FARM AND GARDEN.
MATTERS or INTEREST TO
ACRicULTURisTs
Some rp-to-Dats Hints About CuItiva-
iion oi the soil aud Yields Thsrsof--
HortIculturs, tiueulturs ana Florieui-
ture


Il ie appropriate at this time 20
not.s- this insect whose raYages in
wheat in several counties OF Okla
homa have greatly reduced the value
Of this years crop. says a bulletin Of
the Oklahoma Station BY extensive
correspondence and by conversations
with many wheat growers. uniform
testimony is secured that throughout
certain regious the wheat or grain
louise has greatly damaged this year
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 70 this effect was ms rted
IN some OF the newspapers Of the ter
rit0ry some time ago
The station received he drst speci-
mems OF this louise early Ia Apru and
the entomol0elst has since that llme
given most Of bis time to a thorough
Investigation OF the distributions aud
life history Of the insect 1t became az
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 well aired in the newspapers OF late
Our form differs from the one niun-
toned in several details and win soon
be described as a new variety closely
related 70 the true "gTain-louse'" IN
some cases II was Aoted that the gen
eral trend Of the migrations Of the in-
sect was from south to north. The
louse. Ike It's better known relative
Is capable OF very rapid multiplication
and this is favored by dry weather.
Males are unknown and the repfoduc-
ton Is by the process called partheno-
genesis. or the giving birth 20 the
living young. The viviparous females
are wineless but enough winged fe-
males are produced 10 enable the
species to migrate from one field 70
another in search OF food. These
winged females were present In large
numbers from about the middle q
April to the first Of May.
There is no evidence that this louse
has a true egg-stage. It 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 inc
development Of the louise in large NUM-
bers and It IS not therefore a matter
for surprise that such hordes q 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 II ap-
piled before they spread over SO large
on 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 louse
The most abundant and useful Of these
enemies IN Oklahoma Is surely one 3i
the "lady-blri" beetles (Hippodamia
couverEens). This is a nearly hemi-
spherical beetle about three-sixteenths
Of an inch IN length and OF a reddish
yellow color with several black spots
on the back The head and thora1 are
black with rcddish-yellow margins and
the thorax has two elongated reddish
yellow spots.
The larvae OF these beetles are even
more rapaclous and active than the
mature beetles The larva is a long,
blackish. somewhat hattened. 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 70 the pupa from
which the nature beetle emerges IN
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 10 the Ex-
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 70 be
destroyed
Specimens Of the wheat louise and
especially specimens Of an the beetles
found n the wheat fields are very
much desired by the Experiment Sta
tion at saltwater and may be sent
through the mail II inclosed IN tin Or
wooden boxes