The leader-enterprise. [volume] (Fitzgerald, Ga.) 1912-1915, 1913-11-07
FORTY INSECTS
/ ATTACK THE PECAN
Board of Entomology Tells How to
Fight Bugs and Diseases That
lnjure the Tree.

Atlanta, Ga.-N0 matter what agri.
cultural or horticultural line a per-
son decides to follow In Georgia. he
mast make a knowledge of certain
plant insects and diseases a part of
his stock In trade. The State Board
of Entomology is established not only
to furnish him information ON such
subjects, but to assist him by demon.
stration in checking, controlling and
getting rid of pests and diseases which
afaict growing plants and trees.
With the progress of the pecan in
dustry in Georgia, the Department of
Entomology has made a special study
Of it, and has found that the pecan
tree, which thrives in nearly all sec.
ttons OF the state, is subject to attack
by about forty species of insects
while only two diseases of any con-
sequence affect it.
State Entomologist E. Lee Worsham
has given some interesting data with
regard to the most prevalent In the
state.
The pecan bud moth, a small yellow
ish or pale green worm or caterpillar
with dark head, attacks young buds,
teMder twigs and leaves There are
several generations of it, the first
coming in May. The most effective
remedy is to spray with arsenate of
lead before it has a chance to get
!. down into the buds.
There are two species Of the pecan
case bearer. This insect forms case
around itself for protection. The first
attacks the young buds and twigs;
the second eats holes in the leaves
and devours the blossoms. They can
be controlled by the use of arsenicals
as in the case of the bud worm.
Burn the Web Worms.
The fall web worm is grayish
or brownish caterpillar which natures
in large white web, which it leaves
later to go to other parts of the tree
The best method of control is burn
ing them with kerosene or lightwood
torch before they leave their webs.
The pecan leaf caterpillar is rather
large and dark in color. Just prior
to shedding their skins, these cater
pillars leave the branches on which
they have been feeding and congre-
gate on the trunk of the tree in large
ball-like clusters. When cOngregated
they can be killed by burning, but
they may be killed before this by
spraying with arsenate of lead.
The pecan tree borer, similar to the
peach tree borer, digs into the sap
wood usually where a tree has been
injured or where it has been budded.
The best known remedy is to dig
them out with a knife wherever prac-
ticable. The wounds should be COW
cred with grating wax to prevent the
deposit of eggs when the female
energies in the spring.
The pecan girdler is a small beetle
which has the pernicious habit of
girdling limbs and thus pruning them
off. The female has the habit Of de-
posting her eggs in the branches
pruned off, and the insect is best con-
tr0lled by gathering up and burning
these branches during the winter.
The pecan and hickory nut weevil
is the insect that bores holes in the
nuts. Or, rather, the hole is made
by the grub or larvae boring its way
out. If infected nuts are boxed up
so that the larvae cannot get into the
ground where they must go to trans
form, they will starve to death.
Only Two Bad Diseases.
The pecan is more or less free from
scale insects, and such scales as are
found on the tree are easily CONTROL
ed by lime-sulphur and other sprays
used for the San Jose scale.
The two diseases which most seri-
.ously affect the tree are pecan rosette
and pecan scab. Little or nothing is
known about pecan rosette, which
causes the ends of the twigs to die
back in the fall. Some growers have
resorted to the removal Of the affected
parts, but Mr.. Worsham is of the opin-
ion that when tree iB attacked with
this disease the best thing to do is
to remove it entirely from the or
chard and burn it.
Pecan scab is a fungus disease
which attacks the nut and the hull COW
ering it in such manner as to dwarf
it>and prevent it from maturing. The
scab is known to attack the leaves and
tender twigs as well. Seedlings as a
rule are more susceptible than the
budded or grated trees. The scab
h can be prevented by the application OF
Bordeaux mixture just before the buds
begin to swell in the spring, and once
por twice later during the growing sea-
son, say once in June and once in
July or August. 1t is always an ex.
cellent idea to topwork Seeding trees
with varieties which are more or less
resistant The Stewart is variety
IL 80 os,A