The Tucumcari news and Tucumcari times. [volume] (Tucumcari, N.M.) 1907-1921, 1916-03-02

nave ItCtlStu btNcIh
this winter about the Green Bug or
grain aphis which is infesting the
wheat in the southern part of this
county. In order to secure authentic
information about this insect and the
the means TO combat it, secured
specimens of the aphis from Mr.. w.
J. Gragg Of Ragland, N. NJ, and sent
them to DIR. ID. T.. Merrill, Entomol-
ogist, at the State Experiment Sta
ton, near Las Cruces.
Mr.. Merrill has the following to say
about this insect:
AT this time Of the year the aphis
is apt to be injurious in localized spots
and blowing is the surest method of
killing them out. Sometimes a Sc
we're discing will do as well. On lin
tied areas the application of spray
of black leaf 40 and soap would kill
them out. | can not say as to the
expense for spraying large acreage
with this, whether IL would pay. A
practice that gives good results in
most cases is to pasture the grain in
fall and winter. Most of the bugs arc
either eaten up or tramped in. Early
sowing is better for this. Later SOW
ing is apt to be more free in fall il
there is enough Of the early to capture
the majority of the individuals before
the later sowing comes on. On the
other hand the late sowing is apt 10
suffer most in spring if the infesta-
tion does not come until then, for it
will be more succulent.
"One essential in the cultural con-
troll of the aphis is to be sure the
fields are clean and free of volunteer
growth in the fields or of grass weeds
that may harbor them, etc, about the
borders. The volunteer growth serves
as u reservoir to hold the aphides un-
Til the crop is planted. So plow such
under and be sure it is entirely rid
Of before sowing the crop. In many
cases this will keep q fall sowing
free"
Since very few Of the wheat fields
in the southern part Of the county are
free from this aphis this spring and
since you have wide circulation In
that section, am sending you this
in case you wish to print what Mr..
Merrill says, for the benefit of your
farmer subscribers.
am also enclosing a clipping from
the Santa Fe r. RS publication "The
Earth" which gives n part Of the re-
port of Mr.. A. c. Cooley to the New
Mexico Farmers congress. A coun-
ty agent, is, as perhaps you already
know, a man hired jointly by the coun-
ty in which he works and by the U.
s. Dept. of Agriculture and by the
State College. His work consists In
the main part Of collecting and dis
seminating information which would
be Of interest and profit to farmers.
II is as follows:
1.-TWO hundred and forty thousand
dollars worth Of farm products were
sold last year through the county
agents of New Mexico.
This is only one of the items from
n report made to the New Mexico
Farmers Congress by A. c. Cooley,
director of the extension division. II
is only about year since the work
began, and it is only the counties Of
Luna, San Miguel, Colfax, Chaves,
Dona Ana, Eddy, and Torrance that
have had county agriculturists and
Of these only for year, but the re-
suits already accomplished are mar
velous, although, as Mr.. Cooley says,
the county agents are not cure-alls for
all the ills that afflict each county.
During the past year 3,9li farmers
were visited 9,769 letters were writ
ten, 2,005 Office calls were made, 1888
telephone calls answered, 6S5 meet
ings held with an attendance of 35,-
S9S, miles travelled by auto 7l,635,
miles Travelled by other conveyance
50,006, women's clubs organized IL,
members ZIG, boys and girls clubs
organized II, members 795, bulletins
distributed $4,000.
But listen! there was more than
that. The county agents helped to
plan and improve IA farm buildings,
constructed 3S silos, installed s gas
engines, repaired gas engines, plan
ned drainage systems, aided 80 irri-
cation systems, assisted in leveling
and clearing Is farms; helped to Sc
lect the seed for 20 farms, treated
the seed for 255 farms, planned rs
crop rotations, changed or introduced
42S crops, procured seed for 105 farms
helped 1873 farms to make better use
Of natural fertilizers, pruned % or
chards, sprayed 15 orchards, helped
purchase 81 registered bulls, 35 reg
istered cows, 1,078 other cows, 30 reg.
istered hogs, % other hogs, treated
5,Il0 animals for blackleg, 294 for
tuberculosis, 1889 for cholera, l2e
for miscellaneous diseases, 1876 farms
influenced to feed livestock, 90 farm.
ers induced to keep fecords and many
other things done and accomplished
which in themselves have paid each
county manifold for employing coun.
ty agent. In fact, there Is not coun-