The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-06-09
BUGS, GRUBS AND
SOME UTHER PESTS
How to Protect the Vines From
Squash, Cucumber and
Potato Beetles.
USEFUL INSECTICIDES
TO KILL OFF PESTS
Sulphide of Potassium for Keep
ing OF Mildew From the
Small Fruits.

The squash, cucumber and potato
oeetles are three enemies which the
market gardener has to contend with
each year They are deadly in their
work, and unless early taken in hand
are hard to destroy, says the Philadel-
phia Record.
The striped beetle confines its at
tacks almost entirely to the cucumber,
melon and squash. II is a small beetle,
scarcely quarter of An inch in length,
yeilowlsh In color, with black stripe
along the middle Of each wing cover
having narrow black border These
beetles feed upon the Young, tender
plants, and seem 10 delight in gather
ing on the stem of the plant near the
ground and gnawing into the plant
lhe female deposits her eggs in the
ground near the stem and roots The
young, Matching from the eggs, burrow
into the stalk. 1t takes only about
a month for them TO complete their
growth. The worm is very slender
whitish and about one.third of an inch
in length.
Many methods are given for destroy
ing TINS pest. One authority advises
protecting the vines during the critical
ilme WIN screens or netting supported
on wooden or wire arches, Another ad.
Nises 10 drive them off the field, -
which Is done by the sowing of plaster
or air-sIaked lime, which must be per-
Slstently followed up. Others apply
Paris green and plaster at the rate
OF one pound of poison TO seventy
Eve or one hundred pounds of plaster
and dust 1t upon the plants. Tobacco
dust can be used to good advantage
oh aha
the females from depositing their eggs.
Some growers use hardwood ashes for
the same purpose. Ashes or sawdust,
saturated with turpcntiuc or kerosene,
Will also repel the beetles TO Ger
rain extent.
Offensive Squash Bug.
The squash bug is fiat insect. rusty
black in color. with yellow belly. 1t
is about a half-inch long. and emits
an offensive Qdor 1t winters In the
adult form Underneath leaves. boards,
etc. and lays its eggs on the under side
of leaves In June. The young are
hotched out in short time.
To get rid Of them hand picking in
the morning and evening, when the
bugs are less active, is good plan.
Kerosene emulsion diluted with twelve
parts Of water and sprinkIed on and
about the plants is recommended, Shin
gics or small boards put about the
plants serve as hiding places for these
insects. and then they can easily he
killed.
Wicked Potato Bug.
The potato bug is probably the great
est obstacle to the raising of potatoes.
But. notwithsta the deadly work
nf this pest. he is easily controlled If
resort is made 10 arsenical poisons. \
good method is to hand-pick these bugs.
but it is p tedious task, Yet We learn
that so veteran a grower as t. R.
Terry handpicks his potato bugs.
The most popular course, however, Us
TO use Paris green. either as dust or AS
part of liquid solution, If the bugs
are taken as soon as they appear it will
seldom be necessary TO treat the en-
tire field The bugs being killed on
the part Of the field where they appear
will hace no opportunity to extend
their Iabors TO other parts,
\ recommended treatment is one
pound of pure Paris green to $50 gal
Ions of water.
When dust is used. one pound Of the
Paris green may be mixed with fifty
pounds of air-slaked lime, and the re.
sultipg powder applied by being sifted
over the plants with some kind of a
sized pepper box is found serviceable.
In such case it is better to apply the
dust while the dew is on the vines,
Mildew and the White Grub.
In the berry section of the farm
there is complaint of the damage done
the pooseberries BY mildew, and the
strawberries by the white grub.
MiIdcw may be kept off gooseberrie,s
quite effcctually by spraying with sui
phide Of potassium, one half ounce 10
the gallon of water. In this strength
it is entirely harmless to the plants,
and is quite effectusl in preventing
mildew, although IT does not always
cure il after infection has taken place.
II will be well to make frequent appli-
cations shortly after each rsius'orm..
The white grubs which trouble the
strawberries usually live in the soil
three years. About the only thing TO
do is to keep a sharp watch of the
plants. and when one appears TO be
failing make a search among the roots
for the grub and destroy him. 1t is
unsafe to set strawberries on land that
has been in sod for two years pre-
viously.