The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1915-04-17
Talk on Insects Before Aud
ience that Filled West
BrattlebOrO Hall
ILLUSTRATED WITH
MANY LANTERN VIEWS
New Insight Given as to Causes of
Much Poor Fruit and Methods of I'M
proving Output - Talks Instructive
as Well as Entertaining.

An audience which practically filled
Brattleboro Academy hall in West Brat
tleboro listened last evening to inter
esting and instructive talks on insects BY
Harold l.. Bailey of Bradford, who has
charge Of insect suppression for the Yer
mont department of agriculture, and A
W. Sweeton of this town, county agent of
the Windham County Agricultural asso-
citation. The principal address was by
Mr., Sweeton, who showed numerous Ian
tern slides picturing a great variety of
insects, their destructive work and meth
DDS of suppressing them.
The program opened with vocal solos
by Hazen Z. Stockwel, Miss Amy Mather,
Willard Richardson and Miss Marjorie
Arms, all of whom were received with ap-
plause. Miss Hattie Clark was aceompa-
mist for Mr. Stockwell, Miss Niather and
Miss Arms while Miss Goldie johnson
was aceompanist for Mr. Richardson
MIR. Bailey spoke briefly principally
concerning the San Jose scale, for the sup
preston of which he is in town at this
time. lie told of the nature of the scale
how it could be detected, methods of
| suppressing it, and said that the worst
infestation in the entire state was at
| Brattleboro. 1t is hoped to have spray
| ing and the destruction of bady infested
| rather than to invoke the authority of the
statutes. Mr. Bailey said some of the
owners of trees thought that through re-
/ peated examination Of trees by govern
| ment and state agents there was a dupli-
cation Of effort. but the speaker showed
that this impression was erroneous as each
set of men was looking for a different
| thing and could do their work more expe-
ditiously and with better results than if
they undertook to cover the entire terri
] tory and suppress an manner Of insects
| at one time.
Mr. Sweeton in his opening remarks
brought out an important fact to remem-
Der in combating insects, which Is that
they come under two classes. eating IN
sects and sucking insects, and that the
method OF fighting one class Is wholly
fruitless in fighting the other class For
the insect that feeds on the leaves, like
the canker worm and various kinds of
caterpillars, a poison spray such as arse
nate of lead is effective, bur for insects
that suck the sap hy attaching them
selves to the bark, like San Jose scale and
oystershell scale, or which insert their
heaks through the exterior covering OF
plants, like the aphis, a caustic spray is
necessary, ime-sulphur being highly effica-
cious. Poison does not destroy the suck
ing insects for the reason that they do
not cat it, but the caustic application
burns up their bodies
Views of beneficial insects also were
shown by Mr.. Sweeton, including those
whose yonng feed upon the young of de
structive insects Orchards in the process
OF being sprayed and spraying apparatus
also were pictured. and the closing view
was a picture of two attractive young
women, whom Mr. Sweeton characterized
as specimens of peaches which thrived in
Vermont.
and others present a new insight into the
causes for much of the poor fruit grown
and valuable suggestions as to how the
quality could be improved.