The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-08-17
PESTS IN TOBACCO FIELDS
The Weed Subjected TO Various
Glasses of Insects.
After the staple Has Been Gathered
Into Factories, PrecnutiOR Must
BE Taken to Escape the Raw
ages of the Cigarette Beetle.

AiteF the Hthpie HAS Been Gathered
Into Factories, Precnution Must
BE Taken to Escape the Raw
ages of the Cigarette Beetle.
The tobacco plant, although indigen-
Gus 10 America" says /. o. Howard, the
EntomOlogist OF tn. Agricultural Depart
mcut does not sitter so greatly from
the attacks Of insects in the United States
as do others of our crop plants. II has
no insect enemies peculiar 10 itself. but
every season a certain amount Of dam
age is done by Insects. and in some years
favorable to insect increase this damage
may mean a serious loss to the planter.
The most comprehensive work upon
tobacco insects which has been published
Is in the Italian language and includes "A
consideration o. aI species which affect
this crop. both in the field and in the fac
tory But this work treats largely Of Eu-
ropean insects. being a special report of
the Chronological Agricultural Expert
ment Station at Florence. In this coun-
try there have been occasional accounts
Of specific insects in the different agri-
cultural reports and in the bulletins Of the
State experiment stations Prof. II. Gar
man, Of the Kentucky Experiment Sta
ton, in particular, has given the subject
much attention, and has done admirable
work in the important direction Of prov
ing the possibility OF the practical use Of
arsenicaI mixtures on the tobacco plant.
From the time when the seed is sOwn
in the seed bed to the time when the to-
Oacco field is plowed under to some late
fall crop. the tobacco plant is subject to
the attacks Of several species OF insects.
Throughout the tObacc0-grOwing regions
Of the United St9tes there is probably no
one insect which does more damage to
the marketed product than the tobacco
hea-beetle. or 'hea-bug' as IL is common
~ known TO growers The large horn
worms. or 'hOrnblOwers,' also insects Of
wide distribution, tobacco growers must
always fight. The bud worm which may
be either the larva Of HeIiOthis rhexia OF
Of the cotton boil worm or tomato fruit
worm or cUrnear worm, as II is called ac-
cording as 1t affects different plants. at
taclos and bOres into the central leaf roll
or bud early in the SUMMER. or later in
the season into the seed pods or into the
terminal flower stalks. and even feeds
to a certain extent upon the leaves Sew
eral species OF cutwOrms are liable 10 &C
casion replauting in soil which has not
been properly treated. and one or two
Of them rag the leaves late IN the sea
sun NFA NdAAl hAErh OF us also dLE ll4Dlt
10 AFFECT the young plant shortly after
1t is set out Two or more species Of
plant bugs occasionally admage the
leaves by inserting their beaks and suck
ing the juices. causing "A drying and
shriyeling Of the leaves in much the same
way as the harlequin cabbage bug Injuries
the leaves Of cabbage. One Of these plant
bugs. a small species, insignificant in ap-
pearance, has recently proved to be a Sc
riOUs enemy to tobacco culture I'm Flori-
da. Another insect. and one which may
prove a very important factor in tobacco
culture is the sO-caIled tobacco Ieaf-min-
CT. or 'split-worm.' an insect
which. although first found in
North Carolina only three years
ago. has since made its appearance
in Florida, South Carolina, and southern
Virginia These comprise the principal
species damaging growing tobacco at the
present time There is always chance. /
however, thai new insect enemies may
make their appearance just as two OF
those above mentioned have done in very
recent times. and il is safe 20 say that
many OF the species which affect solaua-
ceOus plants. ana especially the tomato. 1
are liable 10 transfer their attentions to
the tobacco crop under favorable condi-
tions
After the tobacco has reached the fac
tory. an insect enemy OF impOrtGEc-. and
which is always 20 be feared is the Ciga-
rette beetle. species which riddles the
tobacco leaf. which bOres into OF out OF
manufactured cigarettes or cigars, and
which. when once introduced into . not
over-Cleanly factory. is very difficult 10
eradicate. Two or three other little beet
les have been found 3n dri-d FaccB,
namely BE drug store beetle. and the rice
wccvl. but they are not as important as
the cigarette beetle.
Upon looking over the whole ground il
seems that the tobacco crop is not a diff
ncult one to protect against insects Il
has not so many insect enemies as many
cropping Is Itself unfayOTable 10 the in
crease Of insects and favorable TO their
ready treatment This IS especially true
OF all portions Of the country north OF
Florida. In the seed beds there is in gen
erdi no great danger OF insect damage, but
II insects should obtain a fOOthOld most
Of them can be readily and safely treated
Dy meaas of the arsenical spray.
After the blowing of a field into which
plants are 10 BE- set. attention should b.
paid 10 Kidding the soil Of cutwOrms This
can be done safely and easily by means of
the pOIsOn-trap crop Of the bran-arsenic
mash Where either Of the se remedies is
used 10 is really a matter Of indifference
from the insect standpoint whether the
land has been left IdllOw. or whether ClO-
Yer or small grain has been grown. The
planter can really follow lust which
course he thinks Is best for his land with
out reference 10 cutwOrms. whereas with
out this treatment, failOW land or land
planted to clover is apt to be full of
worms. and the tobacco crop viii have to
be ia part replanJed.
AT this time. or preferably earlier II
IS important that the sOlaceoUs weeds I'm