Putnam patriot. [volume] (Putnam, Conn.) 1872-1962, 1919-06-06
JUST ONE THING
AFTER ANOTHER
Farmers and Gardeners Have
.uswka Lay Barrage Against
the Bugs
Growers of Early Vegetables Find Pc.
tato Beetles Already on the job


season with more than old-time fora.
and early potatoes especially are be
ing attacked While ordinarily the
Colorado beetle or familiar later
bug" does not start in filling his tum-
my so early. gardeners this year find
him in great abundance. II would al
most seem, according to report. that
he has been looking over the books of
the seed dealer and has tirst-visit
and follow-up system arranged that
is mighty complete and efficient.
Hardly have the plants started to
crack the surface of the ground be
fore the "hard she'll" was on the Job.
even digging below the surface to get
at the new, tender, juicy green
According to the best information
it is the duty of the old hard-shell to
become the parent of the new crop of
larvae, or ''softies" that feed on the
new plant and then he Is supposed to
retire and be very much out of the
run of things, leaving the new crop of
children to do the damage that makes
the farmer wish he were a printer M
stead of farmer. This year, owing
to the H. c of l., and the absence of
President Wilson, the bugs are tax
ing unfair advantage and are greed
lily grabbing off the green things in
stead of turning over the job to their
children.
Bulletin 20S of the Connecticut Ag-
ricultural Experiment Station advis-
es lead arsenate either in paste or
dry form, to give the bugs their NOR
tai tummy ache and send them to the
realms where good later bugs 60 If
the arsenate is in paste form, three
pounds should be mixed with fifty gal
Ions of water. If in dry form, use
according to directions on the pack
age. Paris green was formerly used,
but this has been superseded nearly
everywhere by arsnate of lead, since
the arsenate is safer and adhers bet
ter to the foliage. If used with Bor-
deaux mixture both fungicide and
insecticide are obtained.
At this season also the fiea-beetles
are appearing. These jumping cat
tle' eat innumerable small holes in
the leaves of the plants so they re-
semble sieve. Again arsenate of
lead causes a large casualty list. 1t is
best to spray both the upper and un-
der sides of the leaves. On account
of their jumping habits the fiea-beet-
les may be caught in tanglefoot or
other sticky materials and thus be
greatly redues numbers, but it is
rather difficult zach the rookie
beetles to jum e proper direc-
ton and land, pg to the best
laid plans of I'll lener, where
they should
Last year the pa bid or louise
caused considerably in the po-
tato fields. This apffN IN called
the pink and green poo hid be-
cause some individually spk or
reddish, and others at hey
also attack rose, beet, nee,
corn, and few weedsS ~
At the EXPERIMENTAL
year field was sprayed \ ..
solution added to Bordeaux fiiMtttire
and lead arsenate, using one pint of
Black Leaf 40 in fifty gallons of the
mixture The treatment is reported
not to have been very successful as
the slight wax secretion repealed the
spray which rolled off in drops, leav-
ing many of the aphids unframed. In
three weeks the aphids became again
so abundant that spraying was again
necessary.
The station then demonstrated that
| keronsene solution would answer the
purpose at less expense than the mic
otine and the materials could be pur-
chased in any grocery or general
country store The formula used was
/
cakes; kerosene, a gallons; water, 2
gallons. After churning, dilute eight
times to make one barrel-50 gal
Ions. The soap was cut in thin slices
and dissolved in hot water over fire.
1t was then removed and added to the
kerosene and the whole churned vio-
lently for a few minutes until a uni
form, creamy mass from which the
oil did not separate on standing, was
made. 1t was applied with strong
pressure by means of spray pump.
All the aphids hit by the spray were
killed without injury to the plants.
They disappeared soon after and no
further treatment was necessary.
Cutworms, wireworms, white grubs
and stalk borers are fellows difficult
TO deal with and fall blowing is one
| of the recommended measures, ex-
| posing the worms to birds and other
natural enemies.