Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1912-11-14
FARMERS MAY LESSEN TOLL
PAID YEARLY TO INSECTS
Proper Cultural Methods Applied Now Will Prevent Serious
injury Another Year From Many Species of Insects
Weeds and TrashShoud Be Powed Under or Burned
tRy l. PEARS College Agriculture Morgantown Val

Practically every farmer in these
modern times carries Insurance on his
property. This ordinarily covers dam
age from fire. water and storms. The
money paid out in premiums may
never bring returns, it certainly will
not be a money making proposition,
but we consider it money well spent,
as It guards against possible loss. How
much more essential 1t would be con-
sidered If there was not only posi-
bility of loss. but an absolute certainty
OF such loss to be considered? The
man, then, who did not insure would
not be deemed capable of managing
his own affairs. Yet there are many
farmers who calmly sit by and face
certain loss to their crops, partly II
not wholly preventable. without the
slightest effort to avert such loss.
Inset-control measures have been
confined too much to the spray
ings applied in the spring. These.
while absolutely necessary and not
widely enough practiced by far, are
injurious insects can not be reached
by the sprays The spraying of some
crops Is out OF the question, because
the labor and materials would render
the cost prohibitive.
Study Of the life histories of many
of the species of Injurious insects has
shown us that they pass the winters
as larvae or pupae. buried in the soil.
Here they are protected from the cold
and wet In little cells of earth lined
with certain secretions from the in
sects and remain safe and inactive
until the warm weather of the follow
ing spring. The time of going into
the ground varies with different spe-
cies from the first of August up to the
time that winter sets in.
All these insects may be killed In
large numbers by late fall blowing and
puiverization of the ground after the
blowing. This breaks up the cells pro-
tecting the insects, brings them to the
surface. where they are at the mercy
of the weather and OF any birds and
other insect-eating animals which may
be present. Insects which have once
gone into winter quarters are usually
in an inactive state and can not make
any effort to rebuild the cells which
are destroyed. Many kinds winter in
the soil In the egg stage. In this case
the, eggs are laid In the fall by the
females. which usually bury them to
sufficient depth to secure protection
and often cover them With SOME pro-
tecting secretion. The late fall cult
walton will break up these egg masses
and expose them to the weather, so
that many Of them are destroyed.
any other kinds of insects winter,
Ell as eggs or in other stages, in
OF nd the dead stems Of the food
plans eft over from the previous
summer. This Is particularly true in
the case of truck crop pests 1t is al
ways well either to rake up and burn
such debris or to pillow 1t under to
good depth. It may also be composted
II 1t is desired to Use it as fertilizer
Weeds and trash of any sort along
the fence rows furnish ideal winter
shelter for many insects Pillow as
close as possible to fences and NOV
and rake the weeds and trash around
the fence If possible, burn along the
fence rows late in the fall. especially
II they are sodded.
In orchards we have grass and
weeds, as in the fence rows, and also
leaves and brush. All this should be
cleaned up and burned. and If the lay
of the land permits the orchard should
be plowed or disked late In the fall.
The most noticeable good can be
done by cleaning up and cultivating
the pIats of ground intended to be
used as gardens the following year.
None of the practices mentioned are
at all at variance with ordinary good
farming methods. as they amount to
this, briefly Keep all weeds. grasses
and trash of all kinds cleaned up and
burned. Pillow and pulverize the land
late in the fall This latter practice
will keep the land in better condition
for the winter than If 1t were left with
out the blowing. as the texture and
moisture-holding quality will both be
Improved.
Cooperation arlong all the farmers
in neighborhood is necessary to se-
cure the maximum benefit from any of
these measures, but the individual
need not stop because his neighbors
will not do the work.
Insects which are affected by fall
treatment of any kind are summarized
below, along with mention of the
treatment given in each case:
Cutworms, on garden and field crops.
Fall blowing kills larvae.
Wireworms, on corn and cereals.
Fall blowing for larvae.
White-grubs, on truck crops, straw
berries, grasses and field crops. Deep
fall blowing for larvae.
Grasshoppers, all crops Thorough
cultivation to expose and break up egg
masses.
Army worms, all field crops. Fall
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