The age-herald., 1902-05-18
Agricultural Department
CONDUCTED FRANK 8. WHITE.

greedy feeders and feed on the sap or juice of the vines or in other words are sap suckers which renders them all the more difficult to fight and also makes their work of destruction much quicker. Be on the look out for them.
 keroslne for Insects.
 wish to call particular attention to the value of kerosine for destroying in- sects Almost all slugs, maggots, worms, lice on plants or animals. and many bee ties and bugs and their eggs are readily killed provided we can reach them with kerosine. All we have to do Is to apply 1t In such form or dilution that 1t will do no direct damage to plants and trees. In my article last week, when 1 stated that it was not at all safe to use kero- sine on a large line of plants l meant, of course, its use in the crude form and should so have stated. But kerosine emulsion Is perfectly safe If properly used. Then too, carbolic acid is almost as effectual as kerosine, but it, too must be diluted But the kerosine is more easily managed and should be used in preference to carbolic acid in most all cases The division of Entomology, United States Department of Agric,l ture recommends the following formula for making kerosine emulsion. I<erosine oil two gallons; common or whale oil soap, one-half pound; water, one gallon. But l would change this somewhat and use not less than one pound of whale oil soap. or In case this was not to be had. the next best is white Ivory soap. This can be secured at most any of the grocery stores. The whale oil soap, however, Is much better and this Is kept in stock by nearly all seed dealers and can be secured from them at very small cost Dissolve the soap In boiling water and when in solution add the oil Churn the mixture for a few minutes by means of a force pump and spray nozzle, or, if these are not convenient. beat with a paddle until a creamlike emulsion Is secured. Care must be taken that the oil Is thoroughly emulsified For if free oil Is present 1t will rise to the top of the liquid after dilution and in- jure the foliage. In making kerosine emulsion it will be best to use rain wa ter, or, If this Is not to be had, add an ounce of lye to the well or hard water Some recommend the use of from fifteen to twenty-five parts of water to one of emulsion, but l would prefer using 1t stronger for most insects, and my ex- perience leads me to conclude that one part of the emulsion to ten parts of water would be perfectly sane and at
 
 the insects. The Idea Is to kill the insect at once. Yet 1t might be we'll to first lest the emulsion and see if 1t Is too strong for the plants. If 1t proves too strong add more water. This kerosine emulsion should be kept on hand and ready for use at once on every farm or at least the materials for making 1t, so that 1t can be made up very quick when the insects appear. This emulsion Is especially recommended for rose slugs and for the green lice which are 80 often found on plum trees In fact, Its economy and effectiveness for a very large line of insects Is unsurpassed. The best method for applying will be by the use Of a good sprayer with a fine spray nozzle. AS to how often to spray the various plants will. of course depend upor conditions. Spray whenever badly effected with inseo .
 Bean WeaviI.
 Many people have a very erroneous idea of this old time and very common insect. The idea with many is that the Dug eats It's way in to the matured bean after they are gathered, when the true facts in the case are that they eat their way out instead of in. I was very much amused at description, as given, of this Dug by professor of an agricultural college. He said that the fly laid their eggs in the bloom of the bean plant and that the bugs were developed from these eggs. This was an awful break for a professor of an agricultural college to make. The fact Is that the fly stings the young tender beans, driving its sting through the hulls of the young, tender bean pods and depositing it's eggs in the young bean which Is Just forming; the bean heals over from the sting; the eggs are left in the bean to be matched out and eat their way out at such time aa pest suits their convenience I have kent beans for four years before the bugs be- gan to eat their way out and so I am forced to believe that they would re- main dormant for an indefinite time waiting for favorable conditions for matching out. This bean weevil is far more troublesome In the south than in the north. and many people give up en- tirely the idea of growing or saving bean seed on account of this pest In the north we could get clear of them very easily by freezing. Of clear. frosty nights when we knew that the mercurv would run down to ten below zero or lower, the beans as well as the peas were spread out thin on sheets and laid ont on the snow This plan always destroyed the eggs in the seed and save further trouble.
 Another plan for killing the egg is to throw the seed peas and beans for a. few seconds into boiling water. This does not 1n1ure the seed. Still another and per- haps the safest and best plan will be to treat the seed with bisulphide of carbon The method for using 1t is to fill A bar rel with the peas or beans nearly full Then sprinkle an ounce of the liouid over the top for each 100 pounds of the seed. AL once cover the top of the barrel tightly over night. This does not int,re the seed or spoil It's appearance and there will be no holes in the seed. This chemical Is very infammible and 1t must be handled as carefully as gasoline. If. Tunes are also poisonous. hence it ia best to use 1t in the open air. So with all .nese' remedies so ready at hand. there Is no reason why the southern ferper ana gardener should not save his own bean seed each season. Then. again one may be able to plant so as to escape this insect. Usually the late planting of beans