The Lexington progress. (Lexington, Tenn.) 1884-current, 1914-10-16
TALKS TO FARMERS
BY @. M. Bentley, Tennssses State
Entomologlst.
FARM PRACTICE IN
INSECT CONTROL
PRACTICAL BEARING or INSECTS
APPRECIATED ONLY WITHIN
PERIOD OF FEW YEARS.
Good Farming And inseet Control Go
Hand In Handsome Depends
Upon the other.

Hand In Handsome Depends
Upon the other.
tBy @. NJ. Bentley, State Entomclogist)
Only within o period of few years
has the practical bearing of insects to
the farmer been fully appreciated.
Farm practice In relation to insect
control Ia not too well understood
by our average farmers yet, and
d few suggestions at this time
may not be amiss II every
farmer could realize that annually he
pays tar to insects OF 5000 to $1,000,
or In other words, onetenth of all his
crops goes to feed these pests; II he
also knew that the major part Of this
loss istreventabls he would. I'm sure.
see the practical value OF insect study.
More emphasis should be laid on the
fact that good farming and insect con.
troll 60 hand Ia hand; the one depends
upon the Other, In planning crop
rotation Il pays yell to give due con-
sheraton to such selection Of crops
that will tend to check. rather than to
encourage, insect attacks.
Crop Rotation Emphasis Ia placed
By farm experts upon sowing q shall
low rooted plant to follow q deep
rooted one. the purpose being to
utilize the nitrogen gathered by the
deep rooted plants or legumes. This
II q practice to be encouraged for its
good agriculture and at the same time
II tends to lessen the loss which
might result from insects. To grow
the same crop year after year on the
same soil depletes the soil and is not q
good method even In sections where
the annual overflow of q river may
make It possible. to get good yields.
The insects which feed upon the crop
will be Increased from year. to year
and eventually cause q disastrous at.
tack. Id rotation SOW crops which
are not closely related botanically.
Volunteer Crops-Too great impor.
lance can not be placed upon the care.
full turning OF soil and preventing
volunteer crops. The writer's atten.
tion has many times been called to
serious Hessian fly outbreaks which
could have been easily prevented by
directing care In thorough plowing.
Volunteer oats, barley, rye and wheat
Ill furnish ideal sources for harbor-
ing the fly over the winter months.
Fall Plowing-Deep fall blowing has
great yslue in destroying many kinds
of soil inhabiting insects, a. well as
furnishing a good seed bed and con.
serving soil moisture. The over-win.
tering Insects In the soil will be killed
In large numbers by this method.
Cleaning UP Trash-Bsnsath rem
nants Of crops, old vines, stuble, ETC.,
many Insects have the habit OF col
Letting and hiding away during cold
weather To practice clean culture,
therefore, will help eliminate such in.
sects and also furnish more plant food
to the soil.
Weeds Before the seeds Of weeds
ripsn all weeds should be turned un.
der, Some states have rigid laws in
regard to the destruction Of certain
noxious weeds. This is we'll and good
for proper attention directed along
these lines keeps in check the weeds
end also destroys numerous insects.
Many Of the worst pests feed for 4
part OF their life upon weeds. The
dry stems also furnish wintering quar-
tiers for insects.
Time Of Planting or Harvest-With
the Hesslan fly It Is the aim of the
grower to defer the planting of winter
wheat for few days beyond the Gus
tomary time, 80 that the plant will not
be large enough to serve the purposes
OF the hy when 1t comes out later to
lay eggs. On farms where this pro.
cedure IL followed carefully and &C.
curately injury from this pest has
largely been avoided. With other In
sects similar variations in farm prac-
tice have been worked out wherever
\ the habits Of the pest make such q
Z remedy possible.
Since We cannot always predict
lAf pAstn will be prevalent In given
the wisdom and the advantage Of
Z 2. u - .E .