The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1908-10-15
Farm Pests that Require Foresight
for Their Control.

Upon taking charge of the Diyls-
ion of Entomology at the State TX
pertinent Station at Clemson the
writer desires to become as famlllar
as possible with the insect pests tnat
menace the agricultural crops OF
South Carolina. 1t is the aim OF this
office to be as useful as possible to
the farmers, truck growers and fruit
growers all over the State. We are
aware that the losses occasioned by
insect pests are enormous every year.
In order to prevent such losses 1t Is
necessary for this Division and the
citizens of the State, especially the
AGRICULTURAL workerseto come as near
together and work as closely In har-
mony as possible. o.,
In the regular correspondence with
farmers a large number or letters
contain complaints about serious IN.
iuries caused by wire worms ana
white grubs. These, two problems
confront the farmer every spring and
summer. AS there is no specific that
can be recommended against these
pests we must depend on genera
methods of farm practice. A gooo
system of farm practice IS lnnnlte-
" better than all the sprays ana nos
trums so often recommended. Wnlle
the farmer thinks ahead and plans
his course of procedure for the pur-
pose of maintaining soil fertility or
regaining it when lost, he rarely asks
himself the question. What course
must I pursue to avoid insect injury
to the crop I am intending to plant.
The complaints about injurious in
sects reach us when the injury is ac-
tually being done and when often no
practical remedy or preventive can
be recommended.
In order that this Division may be
in the best possible position to help
the farmers of the State to solve this
and other insect problems it is nee
essary that the entomologist be kept
informed as to the farm operations
on individual farms. In order to
bring this about every farmer and
every citizen of South Carolina VINO
grows. plants of any kind is invited
to become a correspondent OF this
Division. Every farmer is invited to
read this article and comply with the
request of this Division, and we have
no doubt that we can be of material
service to such correspondents dur
ing next season in helping them to
evoid losses to their crops caused by
insects or other animals.
Write to this Division saying you
wish to belong to the special group
of CORRESPONDENTS. We will then
send you blanks requesting you to
draw sketch of your farm. orchard,
or plantation, showing what crops
are now growing and where you In
tend to plant the next crop. We will
also send blank circular containing
questions which we want you to an
swer and a circular explaining our
purposes. Only one farm sketch Is
necessary and this will be carefully
fled at this Office. On the blanks
sent you we expect to receive re-
port of the condition Of your crops
once each month. When such a re-
port reaches this Office it will receive
careful attention. Your farm sketch
will then be referred to and in this
way we know what you are doing at
a. given time and what you intend to
do. It will enable us to warn you
at the proper time against the GER
tain farm operations that will en-
courage insect pests and at the end
of the season we are in position to
recommend what could best be done
in order to- eradicate white grubs,
wire-worms, cutworms, chinch bugs,
corn hill bugs, corn ear worms, cot
ton boil worms and other pests. In
the case of farmers not taking ad-
vantage of this and writing to us an
other spring regarding these pests,
we will be obliged to state that we
are at great disadvantage in recon-
mending anything that is of immedi-
ate practical value. To make the e
monthly reports requires little time
on your part and the cost of sending
twelve such reports a year is twenty
four cents.
These monthly suggestions will be
supplemented by newspaper articles
and Experiment Station bulletins
which will be sent to all correspon-
dents promptly when issued.
Many insects can generally be con-
trolled by some method at any time
when they occur in destructive num-
bers. All citizens are invited to cor
respond with this Division when
there is any trouble affecting their
staple crops, orchards, or shade trees.
Rv cnch c1oso co.OnerafiOn II will fol-