Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1917-05-10
CONTROLLING APH|Os
Contact Sprays Most Effective
Means, Say Specialists.
Small 1nsects Damage Fruit and Felt
age Of Orchard Trees, Currnnt. o
berry and Grape by Feeding Upon
Plant juices.

Plant Juices.
According to specialists in the United
department OF agriculture, contact
are the only effective means OF
the various kinds of aphids.
the small insects which by feeding upon
the juices Of the plants do much damage
to the fruit and foliage of orchard trees,
currant, gooseberry and grape. AS the
aphids do not eat the plant tissues but
drain the sap from them the various kinds
OF sprays containing stomach poisons,
such as Paris green. arsenate Of lead,
ETC., are Ineffective. To do any good. the
sprays. must come in contact with the
bodies Of the insects and great thorough
ness In spraying is therefore necessary.
VARIOUS KINDS OF APHIDs.
There are a large number of different
kinds OF aphids, one or more. OF which
may attack almost every form of or
chard and bush fruit. For the most part,
however, the same measures Of control
are applicable to all the species. Quite
a number Of the aphid species winter In
the egg stage on the plants which they
attack In the following spring. These
may be controlled successfully by spray
ing when. the buds first show green tips
of the foliage. In this way the first
brood Of the insects is killed and in
surance is obtained against injury later
in the season. Additional spraying may.
however, be necessary il the infestation
Is severe. The Importance of early bud
spraying is greatest with those species Of
aphids whose attacks result In curling
the leaves of the plants on which they
feed. This ci1r1fnp uorvpa m nrOtart tho
insects to a considerable extent from the
contact spray. Those species which do
not curl thu leaves are more easily con-
trolled by sprays after 1t is noted that
they are becoming numerous.
NICOTINE EFFECTIVE.
Nicotine has been found to be one OF
the most effective substances for killing
aphids. and as 1t may be applied with
entire safety to plants, it is possibly the
best suited OF all the substances used in
the control Of these insects. The cost Of
the concentrated article is high. but as it
may be greatly diluted the actual cost
Of applying the spray compares favorably
with that Of other contact sprays. or the
commercial preparations the 10 per cent.
nicotine sulphate is the solution in most
common use. Weaker grades may be
used IL care is taken that the spray il
made up to contain not less than 0.6 or
0S per cent. Of actual nicotine.
Nicotine may be added either to the
winter strength lime-sulphur solution
used for the San Jose scale. or to the
dilute lime-sulphur solution and arseuats
Of lead spray employed in the control OF
insects and diseases Of fruit n foliage.
1t may also be used in Bordeaux mixture
or In arsenate OF lead and water spray.
This IL a great advantage. as the or.
chardist IL enabled to spray against sew
eral pests simultaneously. 1t must b
remembered, however, that although the
addition Of soap adds much to the spread
ing power and efficiency Of the nicotine
spray. soap must not be used with lime
sulphur solution.
1t Is also a comparatively simple mat.
ter to make nicotine sprays at home II
tobacco stems or refuse tobacco are avail
able. In the home manufacture of the
solution, however. 1t is difficult to deter.
mine the exact strength of the detection
since the various kinds OF tobacco refuse
vary greatly in their nicotine content. In
a new publication of the United States
department Of agriculture. Farmers Bull
letn SO4. a table showing the number of
pounds Of different kinds of tobacco re-
fuse needed to make nicotine solutions OF
thC i6ut ~ III 10 6iNCu. Al ills Oi~
nection it Is pointed out that the stems
from which the extract has been made
have a value for fertilizing purposes of
about SO a ton. With tobacco refuse n
stems costing about 80 a ton, the spray
solution can be made for approximately
one cent a gallon, the fertilizer value OF
the extracted refuse covering the cost
Of labor, etc. The sprays should be made
up as they are needed, for. fermentation
begins within a day or two.
SOAP AND OIL WASHES.
Washes made Of fish-oil or laundry
soap are also effective against aphids.
and are especially suitable for use on q
small scale. The fish-oil of different
brands on the market varies greatly in
water content. so hat the precise guam
tity of soap to be used with a given
amount Of water will vary also. Manu-
ftcturers. however. are required by the
federal insecticide act Of 1910 to state Oh
the label the amount of active ingredients,
in this case soap, and OF inert ingredi-
ents. This will enable purchasers to make
up a solution which should range from
one pound of soap for five gallons Of wat
err to one pound for seven gallons. de-
pending upon the amount of water pres
emit in the soap. As has been already
said, soap should not be added to lime
sulphur solution. Nor should lime-sul-
phur solution be added to kerosene emul-
sion. This last may be used against
aphids At the rate Of one gallon to seven
or eight gallons of water. The stock So
luton for this purpose Is made accord.
ing to the following formula: Kerosene.
two gallons; fish-oil or laundry soap, one
half pound; water. one gallon.
cpDAv Anpv N pryDS
In view Of the increasing damage to
apples from the various kinds Of aphids.
the publication already mentioned, Farm
ers' Bulletin S04, states that the annual
bud spraying CT apple orchards appears
to be n good practice, and IL continued
over a series Of years would, no doubt.
prove profitable. The black cherry aphis
also causes n decided curling of foliage
ON cherry trees and should, therefore, be
destroyed as soon as the buds are break
Ing. The several aphids which occur on
the plum, and the green peach aphis, do
not curl the foliage to the same extent
as do some OF the apple aphids. and it
usually will be found satisfactory to spray
the trees after there arc indications that
these inseots are abundant. Where the
insects have proved troublesome regular.
ly. however spring spraying may be de-
sirable. In the case of currants and
gooseberries 1t IL especially important to
spray rs the shoots are pushing out, 9TH
erwise the insects will soon be protected
by the distorted foliage. When spraying
Is cnrried on later in the a ason thA linuid