Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-07-09

fascinating alike to the amateur and
the professional gardener.
From this time on until the frosts of
autumn XIII plants and pests alike,
armies of insects. grubs, worms and
scales Of various kinds will make
the life of the gardener, farmer and
orchardist a burden. Scientists assert
that fourffths of all animal life on
the globe is insect life, and ento-
mologists estimate that there are be-
tween 100000 and 10000, 900 different
Kinds or varieties of insect pests.
Many of these, of course are not espe-
cially harmful, but those that do work
injury to vegetation of some kind or
other constitute menacing army
whose powers of devastation cannot
even be approximated. For this reason
the following discussion of the most
common insect pests and methods for
their control, prepared by experts of
the Department of Agriculture, is espe-
cially valuable at this season of the
year.
There are two large general divisions
OF insects, made according to how they
take their food. There are the chew
ing, biting and the sucking varieties.
AT the outset one must know to what
class of insects the one in question be :
longs. For the chewing insects a spray
or poison on the foliage. or parts of the
plant eaten. is used, while for sucking
insects spray that kills by direct con-
tact is the proper sort. sucking in
sect gets its nourishment by drawing
on the inner plant juices through its
lons tubeilke mouth parts, and a sur
race application of poison to the leaves
does not injure this form. insecticides
may roughly be divided into four
classes, each of which has it's own use
in destroying insects.
FIRST, the poisons-These kill by
being eaten. They often are classed as
arsenicals, as they usually are COM
posed Of various forms of arsenic Be
should be carefully labeled and kept
under lock. Paris green, London pur-
pie, arsenate Of lead and hellebore are
the most common forms used.
Second-This is the contact insecti-
cides. which kill by either clogging the
openings of the respiratory system,
causing suffocation, or by their cor
roslve action on the insects body They
must directly touch the insect itself to
be effective. Kerosene emulsion, lime
sulphur mixtures. "scalecide," Pyre-
thrum powder and combinations of to-
bacco water solutions are examples of
this class
Third-Includes various forms of re-
pellants which make a plant distasteful
10 The insect, and the fourth concerns
the different poisoning gases used es-
peclaiiy for protecting greenhouse
plants These last two forms of insecti-
cides are not SO important to the home
garden owner. For the proper mixing,
preparation and application of the vari-
Gus Insecticides the user always will
find direction on the container in which
they are sold.
The materials named above usually
are applied in solution and some form
of mechanical sprayer is needed The
character Of sprayer required depends
on the size of the garden and the
amount of use necessary. They vary
from atomizers. suited to small work
where only few plants are concerned.
to bucket pumps, knapsack sprayers.
barrel pumps and large motor-driyen
machines. Every garden owner should
nave sprayer suited to his needs and
ready for instant service. The secret
of success in getting rid of insect pests
is timeliness and thoroughness in the
work Every one with a garden should
have materials and appliances ready
for use and begin determination work
at the first appearance of harmful in
sects. II a pest was very abundant
last season, don't walt for 1T to get
started this season. Get In a few pre-
ventive measures beforehand. Finally.
and most important, learn how the in
sect feeds and something of its life
habits before blindly rushing for the
spray pump. One could pump a gallon
OF Paris green on a single San Jose
scale and In no way curtail his opera
NSSN -
the outside plant surfaces.
There are many varieties of aphide,
or plant lice. affecting number of
our ornamental and economic garden
plants. Their work Is quite noticeable
on the SNOWFALL bush. bridal wreath.
buck thorn plants, apple and plum
trees, lettuce. beans and sweet peas.
They are observed as small. green or
brown insects, clustered in great num-
bers on the tender shoots and on the
underside of the leaves. As they live
by sucking the juices of the plant, they
must be fought with a contact spray
such as the tobacco washes or soap
solutions. Spray at their first appear
ance and before tho leaves have curied
up around them. 1t Is very dinicult to
reach them when this leaf-curling has
taken place. They are soft bodied in.
sects that yield readily to prompt
treatment. On badly infested fruit
trees a winter spray of kerosene emul-
sion. or "scalecide." will kill the eggs.
Ants are fond of the honey-dew Sc
GREETED by the aphids. and thus the
presence of large number Of ants on
a plant may call attention to the
smaller aphids at work.