The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1921-04-03
IS THIS TO BE
YEAR OF PESTS?
Green Bug Has Given
Early Start to Farm
er's Anxieties
1921 FULL OF GRIEF
Forcarmed Against Melon
Aphids and Grasshoppers
Look for Little Trouble

roNCA CITY. April 2.--Thc pres
emf barragc that the green bugs are
having down on considerable por-
zion Of Oklahoma wheat fields re-
calls the fact that 1920 was "A gem
mine. old fashioned pest year in this
c,4tp "A wear that the farmers viii
i.py remember, and II rs also max
irg them wonder whether 1921 win
he "a repeater. The now year is
starting out well with It's very dam
9e.-g green hug campaign against
Che wheat. while AZ the Same time
the louise Is getting in its work on
p number OF the alfalfa folds. How
over no considerable damage IS re-
portod from the alter ~ this Soc
,.or Of the Oklahoma hNuals vhoat
holt the green bug has not done the
damage that is reported from other
portious Of this state in particular.
The fly scourgc that swept across
oklahoma last fall was really some-
thing new In the line OF pests, SO far
es this state IS concerned. but il was
a ioy-killcr for the Z farmers and
dairvmcn while It continued. Hun
drcds ~ cattle, horses and mules
wcro killed. milk cows lost their
lactoal production and cvary"hcre
farmers were forced 20 provide
shelter for their stock. Some author
Nir- have maintained that the past
winter was so mild that the flies
vrrc probably not killed off.
Early in 1920 tho melon aphids
bothered those farmers VIII, at-
touptod to grow n watermelon crop,
which frequently Is q very valuable
sdelinc. To offset this damage, in
some instances the government pro
,tdcd counter barraEc Of ladvbugs,
which are death on the aphids, hut
az n rule tho melon growers relied
principally on tho old federal agri-
cultural department recipes of spray
ing the plants with black leaf forty
or nicotine sulphate.
Planted 11m Three Times.
AZ the 101 ranch here, whore a
biz watermelon crop is always 6rown
annually. Col. Joe Miller beat the
sphide by outmaneUverinC them. lie
planted his crop three times. each
now hill being alongside the former
one. As the now plants would come
on, tho aphids would leave the older
10 attack the fresh, tender ones, and
IN the long run the first hills planted
got too far ahead i'm their growth and
finally developed crop. one woman
wrote TO Col. Miller that watermelon
plants can be saved by planting mas
turi'hms among them, as tho arhids
avoid the latter which is evidently
poison to them.
Col. Miller say he Will plant his
watermelon crop three times again.
this spring, If necessary, and he will
also experiment to n certain extent in
planting nasturtiums with some of
the melons. However. he is also a
firm believer in the nicotine sui
phate bath for tho aphids.
Poison for Grasshoppcrs.
Tho old time grasshopper showed
mp In swarms also. early last year,
and i'm some instances considerable
damage was done to growing wheat
and oats in particular. In the long
run, however. but little actual dam
age resulted, County farm agents
reported more Inquiries for the
grasshoppcr poison recipe than had
been known in many years This Is
also a government recipe; and Is 4
mixture Of one pint OF Paris green,
two pints Of common salt, and bush
el Of horse manure, with enough
water 10 make soft without becoming
sloppy Some farmers say that the
hoppors will be attracted a distance
Of 40 feet to this poison. II Is most
effective while fresh. hut Will do ei-