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

Gus pest. increasing by enormous per-
Ia young tree in two or three seasons
The individual scales are so minute as
to be unnotfceable, but when present
in large quantities the affected twigs
ance. The apple. plum and the Japa
nese ounce are most susceptible to at
tack, as the insect is of the sucking
variety and protected with a scalelike
covering which is not harmed by the
The oyster-shell scale is a much more
common form. but fortunately. quite a
less harmful sort. The female scale is
almost one-sixteenth of an inch long:
is dark brown in color and is shaped
somewhat like an oyster she'll. 1t is
found especially on twigs Of the maple,
poplar. lilac, mountain ash and apple.
Its injury consists in the sucking up
Of the plant juices and so causing a
general weakening to the plant Both
of these scales can be controlled by
spraying the dormant plants in very
early spring with strong lime sulphur
or kerosene and crude oil emulsions.
The larvae of the species Of cut worm
cause damage in the new vegetable gar
den by severing the young plants close
to the ground. This grub is about one
is a dull green. gray or blackish in
color. The adults are moths that ap-
pear in late summer and lay their eggs
In patches of weeds or in grass lands.
where the young grubs hatch and hi
bernate over winter. In the spring
they eat all forms Of vegetation and
are especially troublesome in the gar
den. You may control these by pro-
'tecting the plants with collars of tar
paper or by placing a poisoned bran
mash among the plants. This mash is
made of bran. mo1asses, Paris green and
water mixed to firm consistency. 1t
is relished by the grubs. on which it
acts as a virulent poison. Set the
mash out In the evening and keep poul-
try and animals out Of the patch where
1t Is used.
The white grubs are common pests
sod areas. The adults are the familiar
May or June beetles seen about electric
street lights on spring evenings. The
larvae, or grubs remain in the ground
for two seasons before maturing, in
juring the crops above by feeding on
the roots. AS the grubs winter in the
ground. they are best fought by deep
fall blowing and narrowing of the soil
This breaks up the pupal cells. exposes
the grubs to the weather and also kills
many by burying and crushing them.
Frequent rotation of sod lands with
cultivated crops Is found to prevent
their establishment.
mon of the 'loopers' or measuring
worms The larvae are caterpillars
about one inch long. slender. cylindrical
and dark greenish in color. They cause
considerable damage by defoliating trees
in early spring. The trees most often
attacked are the apple. elm, oak, maple
hickory. box elder and linden. In four or
five weeks they become full grown. retire
to pupate in the ground and in the early
fall the adult, an ash gray moth. ap
Too
young twiggs and under the tree bark
These hatch in the spring. The caterpil-
lars may easily be destroyed by spray
ing the foliage with Paris green or arse
nate Of lead spray mixtures.
Wild cherry apple and many shade
trees often are seen to be infested by
the tent caterpillar. Within the web are
seen many black caterpillars which, un-
der shelter of the web, rapidly destroy the
tree foliage. The adults are stout-bodied
moths. reddish brown in color and with
wing expanse Of about one and one half
inches These appear in late summer and
after mating the eggs are laid which are
to carry the species through the winter
Control these by destroying the egg
masses which are easily seen on the
twiggs during the winter; by burning out
the web nests In the spring, or by spray
ing the new foliage with an arsenical
spray.
The most destructive insect attack
ing the currants and gooseberries is the
currant worm a species Of saw fly The
adults are flies about one-third of an
men long, which appear in the spring
from underground pupaI chambers and
lay eggs on the new currant leaves The
resulting larvae are small, greenish
caterpillars, which often entirely defo-
late the bushes. There are usually two
broods annually in Minnesota Control
these by busting the foliage with helle-
bore. which is not poisonous to man ex-
cept1ng IN large amounts. The arseni-
calls may also be used for spraying but
are better used before the fruit has set
or after it is picked.
The small white butterflies. so COM
mon in early spring, are the progeni-
tors OF the cabbage worm-the worst
pest or the cabbage and a dreaded gar
den insect The eggs are laid directly
on the foliage and hatch out In a week
the green-colored larvae. These cater
pillars, about one and one-quarter
lnches long when full grown. are very
destructive to the cabbage foliage. Con-
troll these by spraying or busting as the;
young plants are set with the arsenica
poisons. Continue this spraying until
the head is half formed 1t has been
shown that a man would have to eat
twenty-eight cabbages at once to suffer
any poisonous influences IL the plants
were busted in the ordinary manner.
consequently little fear need be enter
tanned about poisoning the plants. Re
move all the old cabbage stumps and
plow the field after the crop has been
cut, as this destroys the ALTERNATING
pupal forms
First and foremost among the enc
mics OF the potato grower stands the
colorado potato beetle-a small. striped
beetle. both the adult and larvae Of
which eat the foliage of the potato plant
Ihey hibernate full-grown In the earth
over winter and emerge here along in
May. The eggs are laid upon the DO
tato Foliage as soon as 1t appears Con-
'tro! these by spraying with arsenate
OF lead or Paris green first when the
plants are few inches high and re-
peat every two weeks during the sea
son. when the insect Is troublesome
Clean up old vines and pillow the field
in the fall to destroy the ALTERNATING
beetles.
Borers 2re insects whose larvae form
burrows through the trunk and larger
limbs OF the trees attacked This
process causes serious injury by CIR
ding the tree and weakening its
growth by interfering with the nat
ural sap flow. Their many species are
so numerous in kinds as to affect near
" every variety of shade, forest and
fruit tree to some extent The fiat
headed apple tree borer Is mentioned
as a type Of this form of insect 1t is
itself serious pest where the trees
are not kept in a healthy condition. 1t
also attacks many species of shade