The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-06-11
CONTROLLING THE
 SOUASH-VINE BORER
Borers Often Cause the Death of Squashes, Pumpkins, MuskmeIons, Cucumbers, and GOurds-How Their Work is Detected and CurtaiIed.

TheA squash-vine borer lives large
 lys upon the squash and pumpkin, but
 is also found on the muskmelon, cu-
 cumber and gourd. Its presence is not usually detected at first, but can later be located by the coarse, yellow ish excrenent which the borers force from their burrows in the stems and | which accumulates on the ground be-
 meath. Later the leaves suddenly wilt and die down, and unless the borers are cut out of the vines, the chances are great that the vines will be killed.
 The presence of the borers> in the ! stems causes a natural rotting at the affected points, and the stems become | severed from the root.
 The larvae are, known to bore through the stems from the roots to the base of the leaves, and through the leaf stalks, according to the new U. s. Department of Agriculture Far mers'( Bulletin No. 668, ."The Squash Vine Borer." In fact, the young lar vac may be found in the larger veins of the leaves and frequently in the vegetables themselves The Hubbard l squash, marrow cymlings and other 1 late vareties of squash often suffer 1 the greatest injury from the squash- vine borer, and the devastations are likely to be more acutAly felt in
 small gardens than in large commer-
 ciaI fields.
 Not infrequentlty crops are lost year after year where the ground is successive1y planted to pumpkins, squashes or other crops which the | borers infest. The insect is exceed
 dinary insecticides and repellents are practically useless: Since the insect passes the winter in the fields which 1 it has ravaged, the ground should not be rep1anted the succeeding year to 1 crops on which the borer lives. l Early SQuashes Planted As Traps | Good results have often been ob- l tained by planting as a trap crop, as 1 early as possible, few summer l squashes such as crookneck and early main crop of late varieties. The sum 1 mer suqashes attract the borers in 1 such numbers as to leave much 1 smaller number to deal with upon the | late or main crop. As soon as the early crop is harvested, or earlier, if | the ground is needed for the main crop, the summer squashes and vines are raked up and burned to destroy all larvae which they may harbor. The same treatment is followed after 1 gathe hering the late varieties. This l method has proved profitable where | used in New Jersey, and should pros | duce good results further north. In
 the South, however. where well def1n- ed broods of borefs appear, it may | not be so efficient but is at least 1 worthy Of 8. thorough test. The borer may be greatly reduced
 in numbers by lightly narrowing the I infested fields in the fall, so as to l bring the cocoons to, the surface where they will be exposed to the ele-
 ments. and then blowing in the spring to a uniform depth of at least inch es, so that the pupae will be prevent I ed from working their way to the l surface.
 Another cultural method which tends to restrict the damage is to | cover a small part of the vines, after they have attained some length, with
 earth, so that secondary roots will be
 sent out to support the plants in case the main root is injured by the borer. 1 Still another aid is keeping the plants
 in good condition, free from other l insects and disease, and we'll nour- ished. When the vines are so badly | infested as to be incapable of bearing fruit, they usually die at once, and should be promptly taken off the field l and burned. As soon as the crop is 1 natured, the old vines should be de- I-stroyed.
 ~ Gut the Pest Out of the Vines l The old time remedy of cutting the !