Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-07-22
DESTRUCTIVE RED SPIDER.
Government Expert Makes Interesting
Investigations In Newberry.

Government Expert Makes Interesting
Investigations In Newberry.
Mr. Oscar l.. Mayer was In town on
Saturday afternoon and got the Obser-
yer to write to the agricultural depart
ment about a pest that was i'm his cot
ton. The Observer sent the letter to
Batesburg, where 1t was known there
was a government expert studying the
red spider. In response to the letter
the expert, Mr.. H. F. Wilson, Of the
agricultural department of the United
States, came over on Wednesday and
miles north of Newberry, on r. F. D.
No. 3, and examined the infested cotton.
He found at once that II was q pretty
serious case Of the red spider.
When Mr.. Wilson returned to town.
the Observer had long talk with him
on the subject, finding him to be,
though a young man, very thoroughly
up in the business and an interesting
talker, as most men are who know
what they are talking about.
Mr. Wilson found that the infested
cotton on Mr.. Mayors farm covers an
area of 10 or Is acres in one field, be-
ing worse in some spots than in 9TH
ers. He brought back with him several
cotton leaves. These he showed to the
! Observer. Numbers of the red spi-
uers could be seen running round on
! the under side Of the leaves. They are
very small and very active-not much
larger than a pin point, and they get
round at a lively rate. They are white,
or whitish, in color and have a bright
red spot on either side, the spot being
so very small that it can hardly Re
seen except with a magnifying glass.
though a good eye can detect II all
| right.
The spiders confine themselves
chiefly to the under side Of the cotton
| leaf. They do not burrow into the leaf,
nor suck it, but scratch it with their
claws, and drink the juice as it oozes
out of the scarified places. The leaves
| soon begin to turn red, and In August
| and September the field looks like
there has been fire through it, the
leaves having shriveled up and the
bolls also; and then they drop off.
The spider spins a fine web that is
plainly visible on and between the
| leaves.
The scientific name Of the red spider
| is the tetranychus bimaculatus. 1t Is
| found here and there in all the cotton
| belt from North Carolina to Texas.
and has been getting worse from year
| to year. Mr.. Wilson, who has gov
ernment laboratory at Batesburg, has
| found several infested fields in that
section; in fact, the red spider has
been getting in its work there for four
or five years past, getting worse each
year. This Is the first year the govern
ment has done any permanent work
there. Mr.. Wilson has charge Of the
| laboratory, and is studying the pests
and trying to find out the best remedy
| against them. He says they are scat
tered in every portion Of the state, ex-
cept the coast section; that they have
been worse in the Piedmont section,
but by no means confined to that: that
he was called over to Marlboro coun-
ty few days ago, where he found two
large fields of splendid cotton badly
| infested.
Asked about their origin, Mr.. Wilson
says they made their appearance years
ago, first on hothouse plants, chiefly
carnations; that they are particularly
fond Of the violet and can be found
| frequently on the leaves of that plant,
also on the poke plant and the bur-
dock-commonly known as tread
salve"-and to some extent on the
be kept out Of the cotton fields and
should not be permitted to grow any
where about them. The pests are fire.
uuently found on peavines also and on
bean vines; in fact on many OF the
succulent cultivated plants.
The little pests are carried from one
part of a field to another in the hair
of the mules legs and on the clothes
] of the plowmen as they brush against
stalks that are infested.
| Asked about the remedy for the red
spider, Mr.. Wilson says that there Is
no very satisfactory remedy, though
much can be done to cOunteract their
destructive work. One way is to pull
up and destroy the infested stalks.
This can only be done when the area
infested is small. Last year, for in
stance, this same pest attacked Mr..
Mayer's field, finally destroying about
twelve acres of cotton. The same
thing started in a field of Mr.. f. M.
Evans, not far away. Mr.. Evans pull
ed up and destroyed the infested stalks,
confined to quarter of an acre, and
made fairly good crop on the rest OF
the field.
A good remedy against the recur-
renee of the pest is to rotate the cot
ton with oats, wheat or rye. The red
spider has never attacked these grains
in South Carolina, though 1t Is said IL
has done so in Texas.
The following remedy is strongly
recommended by Mr.. WILSON,:
Take three pounds of sulphur and
two and a half pounds Of unslacked
lime, and put in three gallons of wa
ter. Boil one to two hours, adding
water meantime enough to keep the
volume about the same and to keep
the mixture from burning. Boil until
both the sulphur and the lime are
thoroughly dissolved; it will seem to
he a long time, but they will dissolve.
This solution is called the stalk So
luton" When ready to use It, take
| this stalk solution" and add to 1t five
gallons of water, and with 1t spray the
| under side of the infested leaves; with
spray pump, If possible, but In the
absence of that a common garden
sprinkler will answer the purpose.
Where this reaches the pests 1t kills
them. but it is of course somewhat un-
handy to get it well distributed on the
under side of the leaves.
This spray does not kill the eggs. and
| In iAI n