The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1936-05-07


Farm Journal, written by r. e.
'Culbertson, pertains to new cash
crop, which may be Of interest to
many farmers in this community.
At any rate 1t is well worth invest
igation. The article follows:
What is this queer crop many
farmers are beginning to grow? In
-mid-June that question puzzles
many a motorist as he sees fields
in luxuriant white bloom, Of a plant
he can not identify. The crop looks
like daisies and is planted in rows
and cultivated. But no sensible
farmer would plant daisies.
Well, what is it. 1t is Pyrethum
Scinerariaefolium, the insect powder
plant, and a new source Of cash for
the farm. Call it pyrethrum for
short.
Pyrethrum as an insecticide
(non-poisonous to man and animaD
is really not new. Many readers
will recall putting brown insect
powder at flies by means Of small
bellows. But pyrethrum is still old
er than that. It Is said that the
Russian soldiers used more than
100000 pounds as early as 1918 to
make life more liva!ble in the en-
campments.
The Insect Powder Plant
The first pyrethrum flowers (the
flowers are used for insecticides)
were imported to the United States
in 1855 and now we use approx
imately 100000 pounds annually.
About 90 per cent of this amount
comes from Japan and the rest
mostly from Dalmantia, now part
OF Yugo-Slavia on the Adriatic sea.
Incidentally, Dalmatia is the native
home of pyrethrum.
While this plant Is not so new,
still It Is new as a cash crop, at
least to most Of the farmers in the
United States. 1t won't be new
very long, though, for during the
past ten years the use Of pyre-
-thrum has increased very rapidly
and the increase in consumption
should be consistently maintained.
It is the base of most Of the
household insecticides, Is found In
an ever increasing number of ag-
ricultural sprays and dusts, and is
of pharmaceutical importance, es-
pecially as a remedy for intestinal
worms. It kills both sucking and
chewing insects and really looks
like the insecticide Of the future.
So, there's a place for the crop.
Wanting to learn If pyrethrum
could be grown successfully in the
United States, fellowship was es-
tablished with The Crop Protection
Institute, Washington, d. c., In
1927. The writer was appointed to
carry on the Investigations. Now,
after eight years of experimental
work with hundreds Of plots In
various parts Of the country, we
have results to show that pyre-
thrum of superior quality can be
grown successfully in the United
States.
Space will not let me give exper-
mental evidence, neither Is 1t wise
to make too general and broad re-
commentators. But the findings
indicate that pyrethrum behaves as
ar annual in the extreme South
(77-97 degrees west longitude), as a
biennial a little further north; and
as a perennial under favorable soil
conditions between 81 and 50 de-
grees north latitude.
In the western states, pyrethrum
can be grown as a perennial farth-
err south. (For those wishing more
definite information as to where 1t
will grow, a letter Of inquiry, with
a stamped envelope, sent to the
Experimental Farm at Belleville,
Pa, will receive prompt reply)
For those wishing to grow pyre-
thrum, set your mind at rest on
this point-it will not become a
noxious weed. Neither will 1t be
harmful to bees or livestock. In
fact, the stems may be used as
hay.
One planting will last from five
to ten years and the cost Of seed
is only $3.50 an acre. The grow
ing costs run from $50 to $50 an
acre depending on whether the
plants are checked or in rows, fer
tilizer requirements, presence of
weeds, etc. The returns run any
where from $40 to SIPS an acre, de-
pending upon the age of the plant
ing, stand, soil, and of course, the
market price.
At the present time, flowers are
the chief article Of sale and yields
run from 400 to 1000 pounds per
acre. The price varies according to
the japanese supply and the ex-
change rate of the yen, the Japan
csc monetary unit, but one may
ordinarily expect from 10 to is
cents pound for dried flowers.
Stems have value and it is only a
matter of time until market for
them will be developed.
The pyrethrum seed bed is hand
led very much like celery or tobac-
co. The seed is either broadcast or
sown in rows (early spring or early
fal) and covered lightly with soil
over which is placed excelsior on
top Of which is spread muslin or
tobacco cloth. One ounce of seed is
sown to go square feet of bed and
24C square feet of bed is usually
allowed for one acre. Gerrninst ton
takes about seven days add plants
should be eight to twelve weeks old
when transplanted. Some growers
block out the plants Aka inches and
then set these plants to the field
in May or June.
In order to insure a good stand,
transplanting is done in early
spring or early fall since most of