Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1913-06-06
BACK YARD FARMER
Interesting Pointers on Garden
ing for the City Man or
Suburbanite.
WHAT TO PLANT AND WHEN
Advice by an Expert on Agricultural
Matters-Garden and Plant Pests
Dwarf Tomatoes-Flower
Bed Notes.

BY PROF. JOHN WILLARD BoLTE.
Practically all of the domestic gar
den pests can be killed without diff
ficulty by the proper treatment. Yet
few people seem to realize this and
everywhere we see plants and house
flowers struggling for existence and
supporting a host of parasites when
just a little intelligent treatment
would turn these plants from sickly
weaklings into hardy producers. Some
of the commonest pests, together with
the proper treatment to eliminate
them, follow:
Aphis, or green lice, is a parasite
about one-half the size of the head of
pin-green in color and shows but
little activity. They are found partic-
ularly on the cucurbits, that is, the
vines Of the cucumber family, and on
all sorts of house plants. II ants are
present on your outside plants, look
out for these green lice. They are
sometimes called ant's-cows, for the
ants seem to tend them, stroking them
with their feelers, when the Aphis
gives out a sweet secretion, of which
the ants are fond. The treatment for
green lice is tobacco tea, which is
readily made by boiling tobacco stems
in water. Spray the plants with
spray gun three or four times at two
or three day intervals.
Red Spider.-The red spider is lit
tie red bug. 1t moves rapidly over
the plants. Merely a spraying with
tobacco tea or plain, clear water will
get rid of this pest. Its size is about
the same as the green lice.
Striped Beetle.-The striped beetle
is one-eighth of an inch long and the
fact that it can fly makes it a danger
to any garden. II is found in the soil
at the base Of the stems of the Gu
curbits. 1t kills the young vines. But,
after the vines begin to send on run
ners they are safe from this pest.
The treatment is powdered white
hellibore. scattered around the hills
and on the plants, or the plants can
be sprayed with water and the ,helle-
bore busted on, or a suspension solu-
ton may be made and the plants
sprayed. Another treatment is air
Stacked lime in suspension solution, or
COW manure plastered over the ground
near the vines.
Cut Worms may attack any plant in
the garden, cutting it on under the
ground. They have a special liking
for peas and beans. If young, tender
plants die quickly, or you find that the
plants from seed are not appearing
above ground, look out for cut worms.
Mix one pound of bran with enough
water to make a dough; add table
spoonful of some sirup and another
tablespoonful of white arsenic; mix
we'll and scatter a little about the
plants. The cut worms will eat this
and die.
Potato Bugs.-This familiar pest
can be quickly gotten rid of by spray
ing the potato plants with a suspen-
sion solution of Paris green. Spray
two or three times to kill the young.
Paris green contains arsenic, and in
using this or the white arsenic, care
should be used, as it'is exceedingly
poisonous.
Tomato Worms.-H you find your
tomato plants are losing their leaves,
look out for these worms. They are
anywhere from three to six inches in
length and as large as three-fourths OF
an inch in diameter. 1t is seldom that
more than two or three appear in the
garden at one time, and they are
quickly killed by hand.
For Cabbage Worms, dust the plants
with powdered hellebore before the
heads form. Later dust the hellebore
on the outside leaves as the worms
appear.
A little attention to getting rid OF
garden pests will well repay in the
increased production Of the garden.