Saturday news. (Watertown, S.D.) 19??-19??, 1913-07-31
The Potato Moth is
Doing Great Damage

Washington, D. c., July 30.-The
potato tuber moth is working such
INJURY to potato crops in various
parts of the country, especially in
California and Texas, that the Bureau
OF Entomology of the United States
department of agriculture has issued
a special warning and instructions to
potato growers to help them over.
come this highly injurious pest. Ac-
cording to the specialists this moth
is being rapidly spread over the eoun-
try in shipments of infested potatoes
and by careless methods of using and
distributing seed potatoes. The
warning is issued at this time in or
der to enable farmers o take special
action with the seed they win use
for the fall crop.
h Department particularly urges
potato growers to sort the POTATOES
for e e two weeks after digging and
then to sort them over two weeks
later. The tubers unaffected by the
moth Should then be placed in a mota
proof bin. 1t is easy to pick out the
infested tubers because of the excre-
meDt Of the moth, which adheres by
means of a web to the outside of
the potatoes and can be easily de-
tectnd.
The tubers placed in the moth proof
bin, after sorting, should then be fu-
mlgated by means of carbon bisulphid
ioF b%isulphid of carbon as it is also
KNOWN i'll order to kill any moths
Which might have bred out or have
slipped IN through creVices, and when
the bin was opened. Carbon bisuI
pRid is applied by pouring small
quantities into fiat vessels such as
milk pans or pie tins. An average
ol g pounds should be used in LOGO
cubic feet of space. 1t is more eff
fectlve at high Temperatures, 80 ITO
so degrees F.. being best. About a
pint is poured into each separate re-
ceptacle and the the pans are placed
IN the bins at the top. The gas be-
ing heavier than ar naturally peRe-
trates the mass of potatoes, reaching
those at the bottotm. The bin should
be tightly closed Tor from "a to SO
hours with good assurance that the
terminating power of the seed is rot
destroyed. The utmost care should
be aken that no fire, such as that
from a cigar, electric fan, stove, or
even a gas light OF lamp should be
brought into the vicinity. Otherwise,
as The gas is very infiammable a fire
may result or a serious explosion
may follow.
All potato growers should keen a
cafefnl lookout after f%umigation. At.
first the fumigated seed potatoes
should be inspected daily to detect
any growth of the insect; later, OBJ
~.servatlon every other day and finally
once a week should be sufficient. If
there is any indications that the tub
er moth is ~propagating, a second
himigation with carbon bisulphid is
necessary.
This method of saving seed potta-
toes is So simple, although very eff
fectiye, THAT the specialists fear that
many potato growers Will disregard
it.
In order TO grow fall potatoes, the
government points out that it is nee
essary for farmers to work overtimel
a cleaning up campaign, which,
should begin at once on receipt q
this special notice. Small and use-l
less tubers and tops should be ~clean-I
ed up and burned. The land should
be narrowed to break up the cIods
and leave as few hiding places as
possible for the moths. For the same
reason all weeds and all plants of
the potato kind, such as Magistrates.
ground cherries and similar weeds
should be destroyed over large areas
surrounding the potato field. The
department urges growers of potaf
toes to cooperate in this general
work and thus lessen Importantly the
numbers of the moths and reduce
their chances for propagation. 1t is
believed that if general cooperation
can be secured it will be possible to
stamp U this insect pest. Any slip
shod method of raising potatoes at
this present time is regarded as par
icnlarly dangerous because of this
moth, and the specialists urge grow
ers in infested districts to choose
some other crop rather than Ito raise
potatoes in a careless manner I'm
less protective and defensive meas
ures are adopted at once there will
be 9 serious reduction Of the potato
crop.
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