The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1929-05-30

The adult DCCoi0 -,
;,o wings, cannot fly, but VIII
l.as aa5 over quite an area through
spiI hab;t of wandering. 1t is this
adult beetle that must be poisoneu
# control measures are to be car
n;od ont The beetle should he pol
snned as soon as they begin to APP
near as egg-laying begins shortly
after their emergence from tne
ground.
The Go-West weevil bait, when
can he secured from the coopera-
|tives handling the strawberry crop
should he applied to the area show
;no damage and probably an area
10 to 16 feet wide Immediately
about the affected area SO as TO.
catch any beetles which may wan
der outside of the mediate area IN
tested this year. The bait should De
taken in hand, and worked right
down around the crown OF the
plant. 1t should not be broadcaster
like seed as in this way it will not
get to where the weevil will flnd
it. although the weevil will go to
the bait probably due to the odor
of the bait. Patches that are bear
ing can be treated by a careful.
person and the crop harvested
without any danger. The county
agent has, on number of cases,
treated plants on the west side,
and then gone back and picked ber-
ries along the row without any i'll
effects at all. If the bait will be
worked down into the crown of the
plant with the hand, good control
should be secured and no damage
done to the crop.
In this district where berries are
grown in the matted root system,
| it is our opinion that it would re-
quire close to 200 pounds Of the
bait per acre if one were to treat
an entire area. However, it has
been our experience that the wee
vii will be found only in patches
and that there is no particular
need of treating, too great a dis
lance from these areas. We believe
that small handful applied across
the row and every eight to twelve
inches in the row will he good
treatment.
1t is very important that the
treatment be applied as the adult
weevil begins to make its appear
ance and careful examination then
should be made to determine if the
weevil is present. They can be
found is they are very plentiful,
hiding among the crowns of the
plant.
Winter Injury
A number of patches have been
Examined this spring showing dam
abe from almost complete kill to
dwarfing of the plants. In num-
Der of cases plants from these
i fields have been sent to the Plant
Pathologist at the college to de-
| termine whether there is any fun
| gus causing the trouble and in all
cases replies have been received
| that the damage seems to be due
to Black Rot brought on by winter
! injury. Whenever plants have been
| injured by one cause or another
this injury is usually followed up
| by further injury by a fungus
plant always found in the soil. In
one of the patches damaged most
seriously, DR.. Heald reported that
the large part of the damage was
due to winter injury and this fol
lowed up by further damage in
some cases by Rhizoctonia and
other soil fungi. The examination
of the plants by the grower viii
show that the base of the crown Is
blackened and in many cases the
center of the crown will show yer,
pithy. 1t is probable that no treat,
ment can be applied to correct thi.
condition but that the plants will
need to be replaced this fall.
Surplus of Magnesium Salts
Our attention has been called il
several instances to strawberr,
plants which started growth ant
are apparently normal in ever.
way, and then the green colo
. seems to disappear from the leaf
leaving it decided yellow or al
S most white. Sometimes an entire
: plant will be affected and again
: only a part of the plant apparent
ly. The same trouble has been not
? ed on cherries and apples and on
pears. Plants showing this condi-
tion have been sent in and the ex-
animation shows no particularly
|, damage or fungus. Experimental
work conducted has shown that
! this same condition may be brought
about by surplus of Magnesium
| salts in the soil.
In other words, it is due more o,
, less to an alkaline problem and is
probably brought about by sur
i plus of irri0afioy, -, Iool~ of orooC