The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1912-04-19
INSECTS INJURIOUS
TO SUGAR BETS

SS@ tAeTe IS an increase IN
the number of beet sugar factories,
with a corresponding increase in acre
age grown to sugar beets in the United
States. OF this acreage rs per cent Is
divided among three states. Colorado.
California and Michigan. The esti-
mated value of the sugar beet crop. or
the beet sugar product, for 1910 is
$4,000 900. This value would nm
douotedly have been higher it atmos-
pheric conditions, combined with in
sect attack, had o reduced if. AS
stunning he very conservative estimate
OF ~ per cent loss due to insect dam
age, the injury by insects results in
a loss to the grower and factories Of
$4,000, 900. Assuming a loss of 90 per
cent, which is a~uthoritatively estimat-
ed TOT table beets and other root crops.
we sufer an annual loss. of $40, 600, 900
from insect ravages.
Inherent insects are the primary
pests in different regions. For m
In southern California wireworms are
among the most important pests. in
Utah, Idaho and Colorado the curIv-
top leafhopper and webworms are very
injurious; in the northwest the beet
aphls is a most destructive pest: in
some seasons the beet army worm
causes great losses; in the more east
ern peet growing states, from Michi-
gan 10 Kansas, grasshoppers are very
destructive; in the north, white grnbs
are troublesome; and southwark, flea
beetles and blister beetles do great
damage. Cut worms are injurious
practically everywhere and in soma
seasons are much more destructive
IMAM IN others. Damage due to cut
worms during the years 1910 and 1911
TO sugar beets and truck crops, reach
ed into the hudreds of thousands of
dollars. In their occurre--ce in sugar
beet fields cut worms have been sue
cessfully treated, by experts of the
bureau or Chronology, by the applica-
tlon OF poisoned bats. A good poison
ed bait may be prepared as follows:
Take a bushel of dry bran, add one
pound OF arsenic or Paris green. and
mix 1t thoroughly into a mash with
elsht gallons OF water, in which has
oeen stirred half a gallon Of sorghum
or other cheap molasses, After the
mash has stood several hours. scatter
1t in luHnps Of about the size Of a
marble over the fields where iniurv
is beginning to appear and about the
bases or the plants set out. AppIv
iate IN the day so as to protect the
plants over night, which Is the time
When the cut worms are active. Re-
peat If necessary.
In some cases, where he cut worms
are unusually numerous and il might
require too long a time to prepare and
apply the bats which have been adj
Vlsed, equally good success has been
obtained by spraying the young plants
with arsenate Of lead at the rate OF
four pounds to fifty gallons of water.
This spraying should be repeated as
found necessary.
when cut worms occur in serious
abundance, which happens in some
seasons, they migrate from one field
TO another, assuming what is called
the army worm habit. While the
methods which have been advised are
valuable in such cases, they are TOO
slow to destroy all the cut worms and
We therefore have to EMPLOY other
metnods. These include trenching.
ditching, the blowing of deep burrows
In van of the travelling cut worms.
TO entrap them, and the the dragging
OF logs pr pieces Of brush through the
burrows. II the trenches can be filed
with water the addition of a small
quantity of kerosene so as to form q
thin scum on the surface will prove
fatal These remedies are also ap-
plicable to the beet army worm and
species Of similar habits.
As a preventive of injury by cut
worms and army worms, clean %cuIt1re
methods and rotation of crops are
advisable, also fall blowing and disk
Ing. Cut worms, array worms. and
many other insect pests are destroyed
Wnere It Is possible to overflow the
feids. This is particularly applicable
where irrigation is praticed.