Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1911-02-03
EXPERIMENT STATION NOTES

There has recently come under the
observation of the Washington Expert
ment Station at Pullman, "borer,"
present chiefly in the timbered dis
tricts where it has attacked the young
orchards. Describing this pest and pre-
scribing treatment, Prof. A. L. Me-
lander of the Washington experiment
station says:
"This pest is produced by black
ish beetle about one-half an inch in
length that flies during the latter part
of the summer. An egg is placed on each
tree, the borer Matching from it in time
killing the young trees These borers
probably live several years in the trees
and the larger ones, at least, will enter
into the heart wood to pass the winter.
If the trees are small, there is little
hope of their recovery, and the trees
may as well be reset. The pest is ma
tive to our pine timber, but seems to be
also fond of young orchards. The best
treatment is in the way of prevention.
Spray thorough coating of sulphur
lime containing an excess of lime on
the lower trunks of the trees next
June, repeating this, if necessary, so
as to keep the trunks coated through
out the summer. The sulphur acts as
deterrent and seems to protect the
trees from the egg laying habit of the
beetle.'
A pest of threatened prevalence in
the wheat zone is the wire worm, num-
erous reports of its presence having
been received at the Washington ex-
pertinent station during the past sum-
mer. In brief report upon this pest,
Professor Melander says:
Treatment for this pest is very diff
ficult and never sure of results. The
best treatment is gradually to work
the pests out of the soil by repeated
fall plowing. Each year that you fall
plow you destroy some of the worms,
but not all of them. When this is kept
up for year after year for long pc
riod, the worms ought to become less
and less in number. There is no prac-
teal treatment of the seed that has
yet been discovered that will keep off
the wire worms; nor can you poison
them by any sort of trap. would sug-
gest that, as an experiment, seed be
washed with tobacco liquid. Steep
up pound Of tobacco in gallon or
two of water and sprinkle that over the
seed. I would not promise that this will
be effective. But it may help some at
least.
"Mice can be routed by placing
traps in their runways or by strewing
bits of poisoned fruit where they are
apt to run. If you take raisins and in
sert in each a small crystal Of strych-
nine, and place these poisoned raisins in
the burrows of the mice, you will de-
stroy very great many of them. You
must be careful, however, not to let
children or chickens get at the poisoned |
raisins. Prunes or bits Of carrots would |
also answer"
The grain weevil of warehouses can
be checked by fumigation, says Prof
Melander:
"The only sure treatment is fumiga-
ton. To fumigate you must have your
bins perfectly tight and then fumigate
them either with carbon disulphide or
potassium cyanide If you have but a
small bin I would suggest that you place
your grain in it and then put a saucer
or plate on top of the grain, pouring in
some carbon dlsulph1de, close up the bin
over night, and this will destroy the
pest. The fumes of the sulphide are
heavy and will penetrate through the
feed. After airing, the fumes pass away
entirely, and your feed will be as good
as ever. If your bins are empty, you
can fumigate with potassium cyanide.
Do this with one ounce of cyanide to
every 113 cubic feet of space to be fumi-
gated To generate the gas you add one
and one-half ounces of sulphuric acid
with two and one fourth ounces of wa
ter for every ounce of the cyanide. 1t
is well to wrap the cyanide in loose pa
per and throw it into tin can contain
ing the dilute sulphuric acid. You must
that the gas formed is deadly
poison and must not at all be breathed.
The next day you can air out the bins
and after thorough airing you can use
them for your flour Bear in mind that
carbon disulphide is as explosive as gas
oline.''