The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1918-05-16
KANSAS STATE AGRICULTURAL
COLLEGE

KANSAS STATE AGRICULTURAL
COLLEGE
Two thirds of the cabbage grown
in Kansas are often required to sat
isfy the hunger of cabbage worms.
! This waste can be avoided by use of
preventing measures, points out Geo.
I'Oean, professor of entomology IN the
Kansas State Agricultural college.
The cabbage worm, which is the
laFva of the white cabbage butterfly
| IS velvety green in color and more
than an inch in lenght, full grown.
| It feeds greedily on the cabbage
leaves, finally making its way into
| the tender head of the cabbage.
| Paris green or lead arsenate is
0mmonly used. 1t is applied to the
Giants by either busting or spraying.
| busting is inexpensive and easily
done and is strongly recommended
where the cabbage is grown in small
patches for home use. Growers with
three acres or more, however, would
be justified in buying a barrel pump
or other large sprayer.
For busting, mix one pound of
Paris green or two pounds of finely
powdered lead arsenate with ten
| pounds hydrated lime or dry -four
Place this mixture in flour sack or
in a can with the top or bottom finely
perforated. The operator malks be-
tween two rows with bag or can in
each hand, shaking them so that the
poisonous dust settles on the cabbage
leaves. Worms eating the busted
leaves will die in a day or two.
busting should be done when the
leaves are dry and there is little wind,
and repeated at intervals of from one
to two weeks, depending on how Of
ten the rains come: Even should
there be no rains the intervals be-
tween dustings should not be longer
Than two weeks, or the new growth
may be injured by the worms.
For spraying use one-half pound
of Paris green, or one and one-half
pounds of lead arsenate, or three
pounds of paste lead arsenate, stirred
in fifty gallons of water. Since the
spray tends to collect in drops that
roll off the cabbags leaves it is de-
sirable to mix two pounds of soap or
three pounds of flour in paste form,
to each fifty gallons of water used.
This will cause the poison to remain
evenly over the entire leaf surface.
Paris green and lead arsenate are
violent poisons, and should be kept
out of reach of children and live
stock. 1t is safe, however, TO use
them on eabbages, as the head grows
from the inside. The poison which
falls on the outer leaves is practical
ly all removed with them, so very lit
tie, if any, ever reaches the table. In
the average busting or spraying of
cabbages, careful tests have shown
that If the poison remained on the
cabbage a person would have to eat
% cabbages at one time to secure
poisonous effects.
Striped cucumber beetles, common
in Kansas, are a serious menace to
small cucumber and melon plants,
and unless methods of control are
practiced they may destroy a large
number of plants, points out George
Dean, professor Of entomology in
the Kansas State Agricultural Col
lege.
The beetles are well known to all
gardeners east of the Rocky noun
tains. They are approximately two
ffths of an inch long, and half as
wide. They are of a bright yellow
color, with a black head and three
black stripes on the wing covers.
They do injury mainly to small ten
der plants and are commoneSt IN May.
The simplest method of control is to
cover the young plants with covered
rames made by cutting barrel hoop
IN two, to form two semi-circles and
using cheese cloth or fine screen
wire. These are set at right angles
to each other. thus forming a frame
work for the cloth OF wire. The ends
Of the hoops are sharpened and
thrust into the ground, Care should
e taken that no space is left for the
beetles to crawl under. Cheap mos
quito netting should not be used as
the beetles can easily penetrate it.
Heavy cloth is undesirable because it
excludes the light
Another method of combating the
beetles is to plant early, so that the
plants may become full grown be-
fore the beetles come. If a few seeds
are planted each week, the first, the
second and third planting may be de-
stroyed by the beetles while the
fourth may survive.
Lead arsenate at the rate of one
ounce of lead arSenate paste or one
half ounce of the powdered lead to
one gallon of water, is the most use
full remedy for this species. Bordeaux
mixture added to the arsenate acts as
repellant and thus adds to the eff
cheney of tha treatment. Liberal fer
tilization by quick acting fertilizers,
will aid the plants to make a rapid
development, and thus outgrow the