Norwich bulletin., 1918-04-09

Garden crops suffer from the raw ages, of insect pests from the time the seed is confined to Mother Earth and after it has sprouted until it is har- vested. Injury is effected by insects of many distinct species, of which at least 100 forms are of importance in the vegetable garden throughout the
 In the planting of seeds or setting out the garden, particular attention should be given to guarding against insect attack throughout the growing season. Due care should be taken that the proper location for each crop be selected, that the requisite amount of sunlight and heat be secured, and that the soil be not already infested
 by insects. Attention should also be given to deep blowing and pulverizing the soil where necessary. Due care should also be taken in regard to the seed, that it may not be infected by insects which will attack the plant after it has made some little f growth, such as the bean and pea weevils.
 After these questions have been ] solved the next problem is the question l of weather, which not only affects the growing crop, but has a decided influence on the abundance or scarcity | of insect foes.
 Mechanical Methods.
 For garden insects there are sev- eral control methods. that do not re- | quire the. use of insecticides, but too much must not be expected from them. They are useful for the control of some forms of pests, and of no value l for others. Among these are hand l picking, "bugging" or beating, col | lecting in nets and hopper dovers blowing and ditching, trapping and driving.
 Hand Pickihg.-Hand picking is useful for large, comparatively inac- | tive insects such as the Colorado po- | tato beetle, cutwor1ns, and other cat erpillars, and the squash bugs. It is also of use for removing egg masses !! of these and other insects. This is 1 one of the most primitive methods of controlling insect pests, but it is a simply impossible remedy against many minute insects, such as the
 smallest flea beetles, leaf-hoppers and plant-lice, or mature and active grasshoppers.
 "Rugeing" or beating.-Another me- thod is jarring or beating insects from low plants into large pans of water on which a thin film of kerosene is floating. The water prevents the in sectS from escaping, and the kerosene
 being on the surface, kills the insect; with which it comes in contact. The largest milk pans are excellent fol
 this purpose, and a very handy beatel
 can quickly be made by cutting {
 bough about feet long from a pint
 tree or other brush.
 Collecting insects in nets.-Nets o
 cheap cloth, unbleached cotton, o
 strong muslin, such as are used b,
 school children in the capture of but terf1ies, are useful against some form
 of insects affecting the garden, amoni
 which is a most serious pest in tn
 vegetable garden, and nearly all othe insects when they occur in large mum bers when the net can be used with : : out injuring the plants. Such a ne is best employed by sweeping it owe , the plants as well as weeds an, grasses in the vicinity, in warn weather when the insects are abun dant. Thousands of them may b
 captured in short time and can b
 killed by emptying the net into a fir
 or into hot water.
 - Hopper dozers. Many forms of
 death- dealing devices have been em l ployed for grasshoppers and leaf-hop pefS. Iney are on the pan or l shield of cloth stretched across sle
 made so that it can be drawn throug
 the rows either by hand or by horse , power. Such an instrument is usual f saturated with sticky substance f kerosene, or other oil. AS it is draw
 through the field the insects fly o
 hop on it and are destroyed.
 2 Brushing nnethods.-Differen meth ods of brushing insects of more or les sluggish habits. such as plant-lice Q