The Hartford herald., 1922-06-14
CONTROLLING Garden Pests

each year. Much of this loss can
be prevented by proper control
measures. In order to intelligently
combat the garden pests their
methods of attacks must be under
stood.
The insect pests can be divided
into two groups; first, chewing IN
sects, or those which bite on a piece
of leaf or other part of the plant
and chew 1t up and swallow 1t; and
second, sucking insects or those
which insert their beaks into the
tissues of the plant and suck the
juices of the plant.
Examples OF the first group Oh
chewing insects which commonly
cause considerable damage are the
cabbage worm, striped cucumber
beetle. the Colorado potato beetle,
and blister beetles.
x'hese chewing insects may be
controlled by spraying or busting
poison over the parts of the plant
that these insects feed on. One OF
the. best poisons for chewing in
seeks is powdered arsenate of lead.
This may be either busted or spray
ed on the plants. Dusting is sim
pier as it requires no special equip
ment. Use one part powdered ar
senate of lead to ten parts OF ar
slaked lime. 1t is best applied with
a cheese cloth bag by merely shak-
ing the bag over each plant. II
will stick better if applied while the
dew is on. On a large scale, arsen-
ate of lead may be sprayed on, us
ing two pounds of powdered arsen-
ate of lead and two pounds of lime
to so gallons of water.
Examples of troublesome suck
ing insects are plant lice or aphids
of all kinds, and the common
squash bug.
Since the sucking insects live on
tho juices which they suck from
the plants a poison applied on the
surface of the plant does not affect
these insects. Consequently, they
MIST be controlled by a contact in
secticide; that is, one which will
kill them when it comes in contact
with their bodies. The best con-
tact insecticide to use against plant
lice is nicotine sulphate. This may
be applied as spray, using one part
nicotine sulphate to one thousand
parts of water. This must come in
contact with the insect to be effec-
tive. Therefore,, since plant lice
are most abundant on the under side
of the foliage 1t is necessary to use
an upturned nozzle and spray the
under side of the foliage to actual
ly hit the insect. Thoroughness In
this spraying is OF the utmost i'm
portance.
Fungus diseases, such as early
blight and late blight of potatoes,
melon rust, jdowny mildew on
cucumbers, and leaf spot Of toma-
tees may be controlled by spraying
tG plants with Bordeaux mixture.
Bordeaux mixture prevents disease
spores from terminating, therefore
Es effectiveness depends upon its
duplication before the disease ap-
pears.
Bordeaux mixture consists of
lime, copper sulphate and water; a
common formula being 4 pounds
stone lime. pounds copper sui
phate and SO gallons of water. The
lime should be slaked and then
diluted in 25 gallons Of water,
while the copper sulphate should
be dissolved in the other 25 gal
Ions of water. The diluted solu-
tions should then be poured togeth-
or simultaneously to make the Bor-
deaux mixture.
Bordeaux mixture will successful
ly control the plant diseases men
toned above providing the Bor-
deaux mixture is applied in advance
of the disease and the spraying re-
peated at intervals of about two
weeks. In addition. Bordeaux mix
ture is of added value to cucumber
and melon growers because it acts
as a repellant to the striped cucum-
Der beetle, which will avoid plants
thus sprayed.
In case of simultaneous attack,
for example. on melons by chew
Ing insect (striped beetle), a suck
ing insect (melon aphis), and a
fungous disease (melon rust), the