The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1932-04-30
Expert Tells How to Kill Both
Chewing and Sucking In
sects Quickly
Editors Note This is the tenth
of a series of articles dealing with
vegetable gardens.
BY A. +. YEAGER
Horticulturist, North Dakota Agricul-
tural College

Horticultural, North Dakota Agricul-
tural College
Weeds and insects are the objects
against which gardeners must wage
continuous warfare. Regular thorough
cultivation will get the weeds but to
keep ahead of the bugs and worms.
one has to be eternally vigilant. Yet
if the gardener but watches his plants
carefully, the task of fighting insects
is not difficult for steps can be taken
to rout the pests before they are we'll
started.
From the standpoint of control, in
sects are of two types, those that do
their damage by chewing the leaves
and other parts of the plant, and
those that suck the juices of the plant.
The first type can be killed with poi
son, while the sucking insects are kill
ed by spraying them with some ma
terial which kills them when it touch
es them.
Chewing Insects
The material used for poisoning
chewing insects are about the same as
would be used to poison any other an
imal. In using the material on plants
some Of these materials will injure the
plant while others are too expensive
so that practically all the poison
sprays now used are compounds of ar
senic. Paris green, arsenate Of lead,
and calcium arSenate are some Of the
most common forms. Lead arsenate
which comes in powder or paste form
is now the most popular because of
the fact that 1t does not burn plants
and sticks longer than paris green,
which has been favorite. Lead ar
senate is not quite such quick poison
as paris green, hence paris green is
even now largely used in spraying po-
tatoes where the danger Of burning is
small. Calcium arSenate Is cheaper
than lead arsenate and while more
likely to cause spray burn, It Is much
used as a potato spray. White arsenic
is too dangerous to use for spraying.
It's greatest use is in poison bats.
White hellebore is not an arsenical
and is rather expensive, but has a
peculiar advantage, where one must
spray fruit shortly before it ripens, in
that it loses its strength upon expos
ure to air and becomes harmless in a
few days. Pyrethrum serves the same
purpose. A patent preparation called
Evergreen is made from pyrethrum:
it has been found satisfactory.
Any Of the dry poisons may be ap-
piled in powder form, being mixed
with 10 parts of flour or air Stacked
lime and shaken on the plants through
a sack or applied by some other pow
der device. In liquid form the pro-
portions used are as follows: Arsenate
Of lead. 2 pounds powder or 4 pounds
paste to SO gallons of water. Paris
green, Il to pound to SO gallons
spray. A pound of lime may be added
to lessen the chance of burning the
foliage.
Calcium arsenate-two pounds pow
der or 4 pounds paste to so gallons
spray. Lime may be added to this the
same as to paris green solution. Heue-
bore when used as spray is used at
the rate Of ounce per gallon. In ap-
plying these materials dissolved IN
water be very sure they are thoroughly
mixed and do not permit the solution
to stand for any length of time with
out stirring or the poison will settle
out.
Sucking Insects
The materials used in killing suck
ing insects have as their basis oil,
soap, sulphur or tobacco in some form
or combination. They kill the insects
by going in through the pores in the
insects body and are for the most
part harmless II eaten.
Tobacco extract may be made by
sleeping tobacco leaves or stems in
warm water. using the resulting tea as
q spray. It may also be purchased
under various trade names, the most
popular Of which Is black leaf 40,
which is used at the rate Of one part
OF this material to 500 or more parts
Of water. Since tobacco extract is not
injurious to foliage and at the same
time is strong enough to kill soft-bod-
led sucking insects, 1t Is the best and
most used contact spray material for
summer spraying.
A strong soap solution also is very
effective against soft insects. It IL
used at the rate Of v pound per gall
lon Of water.