Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-06-08
Protecting the Garden From insects

insects 10 tremendous damage III
our gardens each year In fact, their
depredations prevent many people
- from securing proper returns from
the seeds they plant. 1t is manifest
~ not worth while TO invest ones
time and effort in the cultivation of
plat of ground unless he is will
ing to protect the growing crops
as effectively as possible from loss
and damage by insects.
There are two classes of these
pests which must be fought and
overcome. First, there are thseo thai
chewing it up. Second, there are
those that injure growing crops
through sucking out the juices of
the plant. Insects which do their
damage by eating can be destroyed
through the agency of poison such
Those which subsist on the juices
are best combated by contact insec-
ticides. The substances used for
this purpose are soap, decoctions of
tobacco and kerosene emulsion.
A short summary of the more
common of the biting and sucking
insects and the best means of con-
ironing and combating them is
presented below. These facts rep
resent the best information which
gether on this subject by the ex-
perts of the Georgia State College
of Agriculture.
Asparagus Beetle This pest is
not yet of any serious moment in
this state. 1t has been reported as
far south as North Carolina, and
some day it may appear in Geor-
gia.
They may be controlled to some
extent by cutting off the shoots in
the early spring, also by allowing
several old seed stems to remain
Avn nf
oughly poisoning them with arsen-
zeal poison, or after the beetles
have accumulated upon them they
can be burned AS soon as the
spring cutting of the asparagus is
over the plants should be sprayed
with arsenate of lead.
Diabrotica Beetles. Several small
beetles are found in the garden
One is known as the bean beetle
and another the striped cucumber
fine themselves to any one partic-
,uiar plant. Especially is this true
of the twelve spotted Diabrotica
the larva of which is called the
southern cornroot worm, or the bud
worm. This insect will attack beans.
watermelons. cantaloupes, cucum-
bers and like vegetables. and is
serious pest.
These little beetles are small and
are from one-seventh to about one
fourth of an inch long. They eat
the foliage Of the plants. Most ev-
pearance of beans soon after they
come up, with leaves full of holes
made by this insect. The adults live
over winter under some kind Of rub
Dish and appear usually about
March, egg-laying beginning in
April.
To destroy these beetles. spray
with arsenate of lead soon after
the plants come out of the ground.
BY spraying early the insects are
killed before they have chance
of the white butterfly that is so
often seen fitting about the gar
dens. These butterflies emerge ear
ly in the spring and are easily rec
marking of black near the tip of
the fore wings They begin laying
eggs, which hatch in about a week
into little green worm. This worm
attacks. practically all Of the COM
mon plants belonging to the mus
tard family. such as cabbage, col
lard, and cauliflower. They eat
voraciously and grow very rapidly.
In from ten days to two weeks they
are fully grown and at that time
inches long. They attach them selves
to some plant pupate, and in about
two weeks thereafter the. butterflies
appear to start another generation
These worms can be controlled by
spraying or busting with Paris
green.
Corn Ear Worm. This pest not
only attacks the end of the ear of
corn, being especially detrimental on
sweet corn. but it also attacks to-
matoes, eating into them and de-
stroying the fruits. This same worm
is also found on cotton bolls. The
injurious stage of this pest is the
larva, and its parent is a moth. The
eggs for the first brood are, laid
on corn, beans. or whatever food
in three to five days. Caterpillars
at this stage will often attack
young corn when it is about knee
high. They are sometimes called
the bud worm. In two and one-half
weeks or so they become full grown
into the soil, where they change
to pupa. and in about two weeks
the moth energies again. It is the
second generation that Injuries the
ends Of corn ears. for they appear
about the time the corn is in silk
and the moths prefer to lay their
eggs upon the silk of the corn. 9th
er generations. appearing after the
corn is too hard to be injured
eat the fruit. There are four full
- pIOOuS Ol ILLS l1S6CL III the gun
states.
Where these, pests are eating the
leaves or outside of fruits. they can
be controlled by spraying with ar
senate of lead or Paris green. When
they get into the end of the ear
of corn nothing can be done to pre-
vent their damage. In the home gar
easily examined. and the worms
killed by hand. Such a method. how
ever. is not adaptable to general
field conditions. Do not plant toma-
toes and corn close together, as the
tomatoes infested with these worms
should be gathered and destroyed
by burying or feeding to hogs.
Cucumber Pickle Worm. Some
times called cantaloupe pickle worm.
This is probably the most serious
pest on cantaloupes, squash and
the blossom, the leaves and the
stem, but more the fruit. The adult
moth is brownish in color. The
winter is passed as a pupa in dry
and folded leaves on the ground.
The egg is laid OH the flower, bud
or tender terminals. During warm
weather It takes about fourteen days
for the larvae to complete their
growth. They spin a light cocoon
in the fold of q leaf. Soon the adult
dUpGdES Gnu dHOliSI Il1H is
started. There are four generations
of this pest in the south. It was
noticed several years ago by Mr..
0uaintance that this moth preferred
to lay her eggs on the blossoms of
squash vines, and this suggests the
use Of a quash as q tran crop for
the pickle worm. We have not been
able to control 1t as yet through
the use of arsenical poisons such
as Paris green and arsenate of lead.
Potato Beetle. This is a very COM
mon garden insect. we'll known to
everybody. The adult Is a beetle
possibly one-half inch In length. of
a yellowish brown color with dark
stripes running lnngitudinallv on
it's wing covers. The 1arva is an
ugly shaped reddish grub tba at
bears very little resemblance to the
adult. This pest is detrimental both
IN IT'S adult and larva1 stages In
the late fell the beetles enter the
ground. and stay there until spring