The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1912-05-16
INSECTS INjURI-
Gus TO BEETS

with corresponding increase in acre
age grown to sugar beets in the |
United States. OF this acreage IS
per cent is divided among three states
Colorado, California, and Michi. /
gan. The estimated value of the gu
gar beet crop, OF the beet sugar pro-
duct, for 1910, is $50,000,000. This
value would undoubtedly have been
higher IL atmospheric conditions,
combined with insect attack, had not
reduced it. Assuming the very con.
sentative estimate OF 10 per cent loss
due to insect damage, the injury by
insects results in a loss to the grower
and factories of $5,000,000. Assum
ing loss of 20 per cent, which is
authoritatively estimated for table
beets and other root crops, we suffer
an annual loss of 100000 from
insect racages.
Different insects are the primary
pests in different regions. For exam
pie, In southern California wire.
worms are among the most important
pests; in Utah, Idaho, and Colorado
the curly-top leafhopper and web.
worms are very injurious; in tho
Northwest the beet aphis is most
destructive pest; in some seasons the
beet army worm causes great losses;
in the most eastern beet-growing
states, from Michigan to Kansas,
grasshoppers are very destructive; in
the north, white grubs are trouble
some; and southwark, flea-beetles
and blister beetles do great damage.
Cutworms are injurious practically
everywhere and in some seasons are
much more destructive than in others
Damages due to cutworms during the
years 1910 and 1911, to sugar beets
and truck crops, reached into the
hundreds Of thousands of dollars. In
their occurrence in sugar beet fields
cutworms have been successfully
treated, by experts OF the U. S. Blu
reau Of Entomology, by the applica.
ton Of poisoned bats. A good pois.
oned bait may be prepared as follows:
Take a bushel Of dry bran, add one
pound Of arsenic or paris green, and
mix II thoroughly into a mash with
eight gallons Of water, in which has
been stirred half a gallon OF sorghum
or other cheap molasses. After the
mash has stood several hours, scat
ter 1t in Jumps of about the size of a
marble over the fields where injury
Is beginning to appear and about the
bases Of the plants set out. Apply
late in the day so as to protect the
plants over night, which Is the time
when the cutworms are active. Repeat
If necessary.
In some cases, where the cutworms
are unusually numerous and it might
require too long time to prepare
and apply the bats which have been
advised, 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 &C.
peated as found necessary.
When cutworms devour 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 ore
valuable In such cases, they are TOO
slow to destroy all the cutworms and
we therefore have to employ other
methods. These include trenching
ditching the blowing of deep burrows
in advance of the travelling cutworms
TO entrap them, and the dragging oil
logs or pieces of brush through the
burrows. If the trenches can be fill
ed with water the addition of small
quantity of kerosene so as to form
a thing scum on the surface will prove
fatal. These remedies are also ap
plicable to the beet army worm AM
species of similar habits,
As preventive of injury by eat
worms and armyworms, clean cultur
al methods and rotation of crops are
advisable, also fall blowing and disk
ing Cutworms, army worms, and
many other insect pests are destroyed
where II is possible to overflow th'
fields. This is particularly applicable
where irrigation is practiced,-Pacifit
Homestead.
LITTLE HELPERS ON THE FARM
Among tho willing workers WhiCI