VOL. LXVI
INDIANAPOLIS, MARCH 2, 1912
NO. 9
Get Ready for the Spring   Battle
Insect   Pests of the  Farm
I'ltUIT TREE     INSECTS  ANI>     THI*
SPRAY   TO   KILL  THEM.
THK  FIELD   AND     UARDEN   PESTS
AND   HOW   TO   DESTROY   THEM.
Not long ago C. II. Baldwin, State
Entomologist, in speaking before a
in liner's institute said that the fight
against insect pests would be made
comparatively simple if the habits and
life history of the insects were known.
Tho time has past when a man sprayed without knowing what insect or
disease he was battling against or
knowing just why he was spraying at
that particular time other than be-
eause the spray calendar said to. The
up-to-date man studies the "why" of
the thing in order to get the best results in the fight not only in the or-
e hard but with the vegetable and field
erops as well. For this reason we desire to mention some of the most common pests that attack the crops of this
state in the hope of making some of
eeur readers more familiar with them
:ind thus enabling them to bo more
■nceessful  in applying remedies.
Two Classes of Insects.
There are so many insects and diseases of plants that a complete study
of them would require more space
than we could give. To make
the study more simple, all insects
may        be divided into two
1 lasses,  tho  biting and  the sucking  in-
•ts, which If properly understood
will help a great deal in knowing how
lo make proper attacks. The biting
"r chewing insects may be destroyed
by applying some form of stomach
poison, such as Paris green and others
that contain arsenic, upon the foliage
of the  plant  where  it will  be  eaten.
s'>nie  Examples     Killed   by   Spraying.
1'xamples of this class of insects are
'he potato bug, tomato worm, cut
norm, and larva of the codlin moth.
The either class, which a poison will
"ot affect because the insects suck the
■eut of the plant rather than eat
any part of the surface where poison
•night be applied, must be handled
with contact sprays, the most common
"r these being lime-sulphur, kerosene
' mulsion and oil sprays. All such inlets breathe through small pores in
">c body, and the sprays mentioned
above kill  them  by  making a film  of
"ii
or  soap,   which       when    it     com
pletely covers them, shuts out all air
'"id suffocates them. Examples of this
class are the sealo insects, plant lice
'""1  chinch   bug.
Tlie Snn  Jose  Scale.
The most destructive of this class of
'"■eels, and of all insects perhaps, is
■"**» San Jose Scale. It has become so
r,J*ivmon that a description is hardly
"ecessary. They can be noticed on
""* limbs, especially the twigs, of
fees by very small, nearly round, dark
r°wn scales. In cold winters many
of them are killed but those left breed
*° 'apidly that a tree In one season
may be entirely covered by them. Al
though they may be attacked with
whale oil soap solution when the foliage is on the tree the most practical,
and by far tho most effective, remedy
is  a  thorough   spraying  with   lime-sul-
iod is pa.ssed in the egg stage and the
shells are comparatively thick, lime
sulphur is sometimes not effective.
Where- the attack is not spread, whitewash   treatment  is  good.
The Woolly Aphis Pest.
The'   ehief   and   must   dangerous   Insect  in  this class that attacks the roots
Woolly Aphis on Branch of Apple Tree.
phur  during     the   dormant     period   of
tho  tree's growth.
The Bark Scale.
The scurfy bark scale which affects
apple and pear trees may be treated
with the same remedies as for
San Jose Scale. Its life history is
similar tn that of the scale also. Although a common pest in nearly every
apple orchard, it does not ordinarily
do great damage. They are white in
color, arc oval or long and slender in
shape and look as if they were covercel
with  flaky  particles.
Oyster-Shell  Scale.
The oyster-shell scale gets its name
from its shape, which resembles an
oyster shell. They are small and are
usually about the same color as the
bark upon which they rest. The life
history of this insect is similar to that
of other scales, but as the winter per-
of fruit trees, especially the apple, is
the woolly aphis. It is common on
young trees and is sometimes present
before the tree is planted. The result
of its attacks are galls on the roots
which sometimes cause the trees
death. The insect ls a small, reddish
leeusc which secrets a cottony substance over the body. In tho spring
they attack the branches causing large
wounds anel swellings on the small
Unites. On the branches they may be
sprayed with kerosene or whale oil
soap, the latter is best if the pest has
spread. On the root3 the problem is
more difficult. The soil may be removed about the crown and four to six
pounds of tobacco dust scattered about
and the soil put back. Hot water
poured about the crown is sometimes
effective. Also about three ounces of
carbon bisulphide poured in each of
three or four holes made near the ln-
festeel   roots.
Vegetable   Insects.
Among vegetables, apides or plant
lie e are the most common pests of this
class. Gardens are seldom free from
their attacks, and cabbage and like
crops, melons, cucumbers, peas ete\
suffer severely in some season. Thero
are several kinds of apides but the
host known are the very small soft
h.eeiie-d, green kind. When young they
have no Wings hut later they develop
eene and then two pairs of wings anel
spread  about  the  garden.
They are hard insects to combat lee-
cause tho foliage upon which they are
usually feeunel is see tender that any
peine dies that might be used will cause-
injury to the plants. In small fielels
a satisfactory remedy is to cover affected hills with a tub or bucket anil
evaporate beneath it carbon bisulphide
at the rate of a tablespoonful per tub.
If tho under side of the leaves can he
reached spraying with kerosene emul-
sieui and soap solutions is effective. A
successful melon grower of this state
finds it pays him to get screen caps or
de ernes about ten inches in diameter
made of line mesh wire. These he
places over the vines as soon as they
are above ground. The initial expense,
he says, may be great but tho caps last
fur many years and insures many
e'l'ieps   against   aphis   aftacks.
The Tree Insect Pests.
There are several kinds of
borers which attack the roots
and in some cases the limbs
of trees and cereal crops The
peach tree borer is tlie most common. Their presence is determined by
the wax or jelly like gum which
exudes as a result of their work. They
should be picked out early In the
spring witli a knife and the trunk of
the tree wrapped with short paper or
washed with soft soap during the summer to prevent the beetles from pass-
up  into  the  tree.
The Codlin Moth
Of the class of biting insects the worst
enemy to fruit growers Is the codlin
moth which is the cause of nearly all
of our wormy apples. The moths deposit their eggs In the calyx of the
apple just as tho blossoms fall. Here
the worms hatch and eat their way into the apple where they live until they
are ready to change Into a moth stage.
They then leave the fruit, spin a cocoon about themselves, and soon
emerge as moths. This is the second brood which begin Immediately to
lay more eggs. The flrst brood should
be sprayed when the petals are falling
and before the calyx closes. The ideal
time Is after the petals have fallen
but there is fear then that the calyx
has closed thus protecting the insee-t.
On large orchards this spraying should
begin when the petals are about twee
thirds off. It Is necessary to spray a
second time for the second brood of
those insects but If the first spraying is
done properly at least 85 per cent of
the worms will be destroyed. For
other spring and summer spraying, a
mist is best but this one is the exception. Use a coarse and excessive spray
with high pressure ln order to force
the  poison  inside the  calyx.
The Spray Material to Use.
The spray for this insect, and In fact