The Paducah sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1898-1906, 1903-12-28
Mayor Hersey Sends Out Inter.
esting Facts.
Tells Tobacco : Men About the Pest
s,.--..r,- Fly, and Other i a. -.
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Things.
ALSO ABOUT RAISING TIE WEED

sey, Of the weather bureau, at Louis
willie, to all crop correspondents an
voluntary observers throughout Ken
lucky. The information has to d,
with Tobacco Soils" Methods o
Curing Tobacco, 1" 1.-THE Principal Ii
scots Affecting the Tobacco Plant
and 1.-THE Culture of Tobacco"
The men, experts in their line. an'
known to tobacco growers and scien
lists IN all parts Of the country, col
lated the information. They are L.
o. Howard, entomologist; Milton
Whitney, Chief of the Division Of
Soils, Department of Agriculture, and
Otto Carl Butterwick.
Some space is given to the new to.
bacco bug, the "suckfiy." The insect
is not only new as tobacco enemy,
but is new to science and was named
and described by Prof. Uhler in No
vember, 1898.
The suck fly" is fond of tobacco,
but will also feed ON tomatoes. The
effect of the suck fiy" ON the crop
| is largest after the second year, al
though in the second year late tobacco
las frequently been destroyed by it.
The insects make their appearance in
injurious numbers during..the first and
second weeks in June. and then the
full grown bugs are first noticed In
some restricted portion Of the field, as
on the plants in one corner, from
which they gradually move over the
field.
The insects damage the leaf by suck
ing the cell sap through their beaks.
The infested leaf soon becomes yellow
ish In color and somewhat wilted, and
the older leaves eventually split in
places.
The remedy for the suck ny" i.
described as follows:
"This. again, is an insect against
which clean culture will be reasona
bly, effective. A thorough cleaning
up of the fields and burning OF the
trash in the autumn are measures
which should be adopted when the
insect is abundant Actual test ex
periments with different insectioidets
were made by Mr.. Qusintanoe, who
found that q concentrated solution OF
nicotine, diluted with sixty parts OF
water will kill large proportion OF
the full grown insects and many Of
the young. He advises that this spray
be applied early in the morning, as al
that time the insects are less active
Early set trap plants will probably bt
an advantage in concentrating the hi
bernating insects, so that they can bt
readily killed"
Entomologist Howard winds up hii
observations regarding remedies fol
all sorts Of tobacco insects in the fol
lowing manner:
Upon looking over the whole
ground 1t seems to the writer that the
tobscco crop is not q difficult one t.
protect from insects. IL has not &C
many insect enemies as many Other
important crops, and the method Of
cropping 10 itself unfAvorable to the
increase Of insects and favorable tc
their ready treatment. This is especi
ally true Of all portions Of the country
north of Florida.
''In the seed beds there is in genera.
no great danger of insect damage, bu,
il insects should obtain q foothold
most Of them can be readily ard safe
ly treated by means of the arsenical
spray.
After the blowing Of field into
which plants are to be set attention
should be paid to Kidding the soil OF
outworms. This can be done safely
and easily by means of the poison
trap. crop or bran arsenic mash.
Where either Of these remedies is used
1t is really matter Of indifference
from the insect standpoint whethe,
the land has been left fallow or wheth
er clover or small grain has been
grown. Tho planter can really follow
just which course he thinks best foi
his land without reference 10 cut.
worms. whereas without this treat
ment fallow land or land planted in
clover is apt to be full of worms, ami
the tobacco crop will have to be IN
part replanted."
Considerable spaoe is devoted TO bur