The Wilmington morning star., 1945-10-01
ny F. ii. JETER

ox Ts H. JG4AAS
News about the new DOT insec-
ticide keeps popping up about over
the state as farmers hunt for some
thing which will effectively kill the
insects injuring their crops or as
dairymen search for fly proven
tative to use around their grade
IA" barns and milk houses. tx
tension Entomologist j. Myron
Maxwell recently made a trip to
Burke, Henderson and Transylvan-
ia counties where he worked with
farmers and county agents in some
of their insect control problems.
He tells an interesting story about
how a dairyman in Burke County
sprayed his barn with 5 per cent
solution of the DOT on June "
and the material continued to kill
fys on through middle of August
with no further spraying. Inc
barn was well built and all open
ings were thoroughly screened.
It had been the custom of this
dairyman to spray his cows each
day as they came into the barn
for milking, and, then to spray the
barn and the runway between the
milk room and the barn once each
day. This was not found to be nee
essary after spraying with the DDT
and Mr.. Maxwell said he could 1lnd
no live flies in the barn about two
months after the initial spray had
been applied. But those dairymen
who use the DOT should see to it
that their barns are well screened
or the material may not be so ef-
fective.
Over at the Ecusta Paper Com
pany plant near Brevard where pa
Der is made for cigarettes, Mr..
Maxwell found tn e authorities
there very much worried with an
epidemic of ground beetles. The
bugs would accumulate around the
foundations of one of the main pa
per-making buildings and then
enter the building at night when
the doors would be opened.
Members of the company mad
used about every insecticide that
thew knew about and still were not
killing the beetles. Mr.. Maxwell
suggested that they dust with a III
per cent mixture of the Dbl: Inc
suggestion was followed and the
grass and grounds about the build
ing were given a thorough treats
ment with excellent results. Mr..
Maxwell said the company OFFICIALS
were extremely pleased with the
demonstration because even one IN
sect in vat Of the paper solution
could have ruined several thousand
dollars worth of the material.
DOT also has been used effec-
lively against worms affecting the
soybean crop in Hyde County. At
the request of Farm Agent j. +.
Woodward, DR.. Clyde Smith, re-
search entornologist, busted the
beans with both a per cent and
a 5 per cent DOT mixture. This
was before the recent rains. Both
mixtures gave good results and the
worm population, on the busted
areas, decreased at once. 1t was
noted that the pests did about 30
per cent more damage to the soy
bean pods on the plots not treated
than where they were treated. The
treated areas also had much more
of the bean foliage left. MIR. Wood
ward says the corn ear worm did
about as much damage to the soy
beans as did the regular foliage
worms, and that some of the late
fields of beans have been damaged
from so to Is per cent.
Apparently, this DOT will be
great boon to farmers, once it be-
comes readily available at average
prices. It is interesting to note,
however, that American scientists
were very suspicious of the insec-
ticide when it was first discovered.
Entomologists were very cautious