Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1924-06-06
A New Device.

new device that promises to make
life easier for the grower of cucumbers.
cantaloupes and similar crops and harder
for the insects that commonly prey upon
these plants has been developed by the
Department of Entomology of the Uni
versity of Maryland, according to an
announcement from E. NJ Cory. State En-
tomoloeist.
The new device is very simple in con-
struction and easily operated and used to
apply poison dust for the control of various
insect pests. II wa developed by S. F.
Potts. of the Department of Entomology,
during a course Of experiments in con-
trolling insect enemies of cantaloupes on
the Eastern Shore last year.
The new device consists of a box ap-
proximately ten inches square and about
foot high with the bottom removed and
the top hinged. Two strips Of lathe are
fastened to opposite sides of the box and
joined at the top by a small piece Of
broom stick to make convenient handle
about waist high. Over the top sides Of
the box and under the hinged cover
small square piece Of loosely woven muslin
or burlBp is tackled. This cloth forms a
loose bag which hangs about half way
down inside the box. The poisoned dust
is placed in this cloth bag. the lid Of the
apparatus closed and the device is ready
for use.
In Maryland the chief insect pests Of
the cucurbit family. which includes can
taloupes, cucumbers. etc, are the two Gu
cumber beetles and the melon louise or
melon aphis, explains Mr.. Cory. From the
time the first cantaloupe leaves break
through the ground they must struggle to
survive the attacks Of these insects. Con-
troll of the striped and spotted cucumber
beetles by the use Of nicotine dust has
recently been announced as a possibility
by the United States Department Of Agri-
culture. explains Mr.. Cory 1t was in con-
nection with the use Of this dust that Mr..
Potts developed his combined duster and
fumigator.
The device developed by Mr.. Potts has
several advantages over other apparatus
for applying dust. Approximately three
pounds of nicotine dust are placed in the
cloth cover. The apparatus is then lifted
by the handle and set down over the
cucumber or cantaloupe hill with enough
force to jar down moderate application
Of dust. The buster is then kept in place
for period Of approximately one minute.
thus combining the dust and its fumes for
that period Of time.
Obviously this means Of busting plants
would prove a slow process II but one
duster were in use. However. with ten or
twelve in operation one man can treat an
acre Of young plants in about two hours. 1t
is estimated. With ten Of the fumigators
in use, for example, the first hills in each
Of the ten rows would be covered in turn.
BY the time the last fumigator was placed
the first fumigator would have been in
place sufficiently long and could be moved
TO the next hill. In this manner the OPP
orator could cover the field as rapidly as he
could place the fumieators. II he worked
particularly fast he could use more fumi-
gators. The important thing, 1t is pointed
out, is to leave the fumigators in place
for about one minute.
Both cucumber beetles and aphis can be
destroyed by nicotine dust in this manner.
Calcium cyanide. a comparatively new
insecticide, also was found effective for
both the beetles and the aphis. Calcium
cyanide, however, Mr.. Cory explains. per-
forms it work by giving off a gas when
exposed to the moisture Of the atmosphere.
II this chemical is used double thickness
of cloth should be placed in the apparatus
to keep dust particles from sitting through
on to the plants and the fumisator should
be placed over the hill more carefully.
The new device has the following ad-
yantaees 1t is cheap and easy to make
il prevents the dust from being blown
about by the wind it confines the insects
TO the direct action Of the dust. and II Is
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