No. 6. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 173 



spray, oi- fumigate with it. Ui)on young peach trees nothing will 

 be fouud better than the lime-sulphur-salt wash as made and applied 

 for the San Jos^ Scale. 



(3.) INSECTS, (a.) Upon Wheat: 



The chief pest of the wheat crop has been the Hessian Fly, 

 although this was not bad during 1903. The false army worm, or 

 wheat-headed worm, was present in some places, but birds and para- 

 sites aided in holding it in check. To avoid the Hessian Fly one 

 should not plant before the last week of September. 



(b.) Upon Corn. — In fields that were planted with corn upon sod 

 ground the cut-worms and grub worms were very bad. These can 

 be destroyed by poisoning them with sweetened bran and paris 

 green or arsenic, or sliced potatoes and paris green, or with bunches 

 of damp clover poisoned with arsenites. This is to be put on the 

 ground along the rows just before or after planting, and applied 

 in the evening. The better plan is to plow the ground in the fall, 

 and cultivate it well and deeply in order to kill the larvae. 



The corn-ear worm, or boll worm, has done some damage, es- 

 pecially in the southern and southeastern portions of the State, 

 and is particularly bad upon sweet corn. This is the best combatted 

 by planting an early variety of sweet corn, and then gathering the 

 ears of corn while in the soft condition, and destroying the larvse 

 which hatch from the eggs laid by the moths which they thus entice. 



(c.) On Clover. — A minute hymenopterous or wasp-like insect, 

 known as the Clover-seed Midge, has been very destructive in the 

 heads of clover, preA^enting the perfection of the flowers and seed. 

 This destroys the clover seed to such an extent that many fields 

 can not be made to produce enough seed to pay for the cutting for 

 seed purposes. The best method is to mow the first crop of clover 

 early, or as soon as the blossoms commence to appear. This will 

 destroy the first brood of the pest, and will insure seed from the 

 second crop. 



(d.) On Potatoes. — The Colorado potato bug, or beetle, has not 

 been so abundant as usual in most portions of this State, yet in 

 some of the eastern counties it has been unusually destructive. 

 In the latter region an article was circulated in the press stating 

 that ammonia or hartshorn, in water, would kill this insect. We 

 tried this, and found it to be entirely ineffective. The best remedy 

 is paris green or other arsenites. 



The Blister beetles, or "old-fashioned" potato beetles or bugs, 

 both the black and brown, have been very destructive in some 

 places. They are not readily killed by arsenites, but may be effec- 

 tively driven out by whipping with bundles of switches and burning 



