Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1919-10-03

Next Years Onions. II
Onion growers should pillow their
Fields immed iately after the crop is
taken off, warns A. G. Ruggles. state
entomologist at University Farm, or
>otherwise serious outbreak Of onion
thrips may follow another season.
Thrips have caused heavy losses this
year to small farmers and gardeners of
Ramsey and Hennepin counties and to
owners Of various tracts adjacent. This
in Minnesota. They are light colored
sucking insects Of almost microscopic
dimensions, says the entomologist, and
work at the base of the leaves of the
onion. Many generations are produced
cabbage, caulilower, cucumbers and
melons. Spraying, clean farming and
proper crop rotation help to control the
pest.
Of County Agents.
District conferences of county agents
are to be held throughout the state in
October. on call of F. E. Balmer, county
agen leader, to consider plans for the
development Of community organize
ton and farm bureau federation and to
prepare for state farm bureau member
ship week, October 81 to November !.
The conferences will be held as follows:
Croekston, Oct. 4; Duluth, Oct. 6; Ro-
chester, Oct. z; Mankato. Oct. 8; Uni
versity Farm and Wadena, Oct. 9 and
Pipstone and Morris, Oct. 10. At these
meeting matters relative to the annual
farm bureau conference will be discuss
ed.
Pine Rust Spreads;
Conference Called.
Because the white pine blister rust
has spread this year to white pine
areas of the state remote from previous
ly known pine infection centers, as de-
termined by the survey continued by
the Minnesota division Of entomology
in cooperation with the federal bureau
of plant industry, foresters and plant
pathologists Of Minnesota and Wiscon-
Sin have been asked to attend a con-
ference, to be held at University Farm,
October 6, to formulate further plans
for fighting the disease. Il. 5! Graves,
national forester, and others from
Washington will attend.
Garment Making
Added to Club Work.
Enrolment for the concentrating
project, a companion contest to bread.
making and canning in boys and girls ,
club work in the state, began on Oct.
l and will close Feb: l, 1920. The work
must be completed and report and story
filed with the local or state leader, L..
A. Erickson, University Farm, before
Nav, 1920. Minnesota girls between 10
and 18 inclusive may enroll. They will
be divided into two classes for four
wears of work-Class A for those who
have had home training work in school,
and Glass B for those who have not
had such training. Plans for conduct
ing local, county and state contests
and team demonstration work will be
explained in detail in bulletins which
will soon be published.
Ruggles Shows Up
Potato Bug Parasite.
Entomologists Of the Minnesota col
lege of agriculture see no chance right
away of a potato bugless world. Will
liam Gildart, farmer of Crow Wing
county, believed he had discovered, ac;
cording to the daily press, nature 8 own
control of the potato pest. The para
site was found in Gildart g patch where
| It had drilled into the fat body Of a po-
tato bug and sucked the life forces.
Several of the destroyers were collect,
ed and exhibited by the farmer. Word
was passed along that the potato bug
was doomed. This opinion is not shar-
|, ed in by A. G. Ruggles, state entomolo-
gist, who says that the alleged destroy
er is a fairly common sucking insect,
probably a stinkbug, which never could
be reared in large enough numbers un-
der artificial conditions to be factor
in the determination Of the potato vine
! destroyer.
Shocks to Eggs on
Trains Measured.
An instrument for measuring the
shocks to which cases of eggs are sub
iected while in railroad cars has been
devised by specialists Of the bureau OF
chemistry, U. S. department Of agricul-
ture, according to information reaching
the Minnesota state college Of agricul'
ture, and is said to be highly useful in
| determining the causes Of breakage and
preventing losses. Facilities for pack
ing and shipping eggs, so as to reduce
the enormous losses, due to breakage
in transit, are being applied throug h
the cooperation of the United States
railroad administration and shippers.
Methods for preventing the spoilage
and loss of large quantities Of poultry,
eggs, fish and other food products have
been worked out, and information as
to handling, packing and shipping will
be sent upon application to the federal
! department..
N6;n,eoen+o E3orde