The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1921-04-21
HOW TO GET THE PLANT LICE
THIS SUMNER


So many in years passed have
lost all their weeks OF work trying
TO raise melons. cucunbers. etc.
by lice raids that the News last
week wrote in to the experimental
department OF the State Agricultur-
al college to find out what could
be done to remedy the trouble. The
following was received BY use this
morning. which is worth cutting out
and preserving:
Garden plants of nearly all kinds.
and especially cucumbers. melons.
cabbage. tomatoes. radish and peas.
frequently suffer severe injury from
the attacks OF small. soft bodied,
greenish insects known as plant lice
or sphids. This group of insects
which feed by sucking the juices
of the plants. work on the under
side of the leaves. and as the sap
Is extracted. the leaves become
curled and frequently dry up and
die causing the death of the entire
plant.
With favorable conditions. plant
lice increase with great rapidity.
and one must not think that be-
NiduHF AuFF AT 81 EAAdlA AAFs ~
Insignificant and will not injure
vigorous plants. II they were only
in small numbers they would not
be serious. but when millions of
them are at work and where the
entire lower surfaces OF the leaves
are covered, the plants are soon
killed. In the early spring the
plant lice suck the juices Of various
weeds and other plants. but with
the growth of melons, cucumbers,
cabbage and other garden plants.
the winged forms make their way
to these plants. seek the under sur
faces of the leaves. and here they
begin to suck the sap and bear
living young. Since they increase SO
rapidly, they will get a start if the
grower is not watching his plants
closely and do much damage before
he knows anything has happened.
Control
Since some of the plant lice pass
the winter in the egg stage on the
stems OF plants, such as the cab
bage aphis on the cabbage stalk,
all remnants of the crop and all
weeds growing in and around the
garden SHOULD be burned in the fall.
In the spfing. weeds and wild
grasses should not be allowed to
grow around the garden.
The melon aphis infesting melons
and cucumbers usually first appear
on isolated vines throughout the
patch. Thus, 1t is important that
the grower should keep a close
watch in order to locate and destroy
these first colonies. which, IL locat-
ed in time. usually will be found on
just two or three leaves. The in
tested leaves or the infested por-
ton of the vine should be pulled
off and buried.
In most instances, just as soon
as the plant lice are discovered
the plants should be sprayed with
either BLACK Leaf 40" or a strong
soapy spray. The BLACK Leaf 40"
should be used at the rate of m
half pint to fifty gallons of water,
plus two pounds of common laundry
soap. In making a small quantity
use n ounce OF BLACK Leaf 40"
to six gallons of soft water, plus
four ounces of soap.
The soapy spray is prepared by
dissolving n pound of laundry
soap in six gallons of soft water.
In applying either of the sprays.
1t is essential to apply it in such a
manner as to actually strike or
wet the insect. and this can only
be lone by taking a sprayer equip
ped with a fine nozzle which will
furnish sufficient pressure to pro-
duce a fine mist. The extension
rod on the sprayer should be long
enough to reach from ones hand to
the ground without STOPPING. In
spraying vines, the lower end OF
the extension rod should either be
turned up at an angle of 80 de-
grees or equipped with an upturned
angle nozzle. With this equipment
the spray can be thoroughly ap-
piled to the under side of the leaves
where the plant lice congregate.-
Liberal (Kansas) News.