G14 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



WORK IN INDIANA. 



Investigation of tlio onion thrips, which down (o the present year 

 had been largely carried on in the onion-growino^ regions of Cali- 

 fornia and Texas, has been continued in a new locality and under 

 somewhat diilerent conditions. In the vicinity of Knox, Ind., where 

 the soil is of a peaty nature and is well underlaid with sheet water, 

 a large industry has grown up, the onion acreage in 1010 approxi- 

 mating 1,500 acres, while in 1011 it w^as practically doubled. The 

 climatic and soil conditions obviously differ widely from those in the 

 semiarid irrigated regions previously experimented with, and it has 

 beeri found that somewhat different methods are productive of the 

 best results in the control of the thrips. The damage during 1011 

 was conservatively estimated at more than $100,000, an average loss 

 of $3() per acre. Extensive cooperation must be secured for the con- 

 trol of the insect in this region. Proper cultivation must be carried 

 on at the right time, and control measures must be begim before 

 serious injury occurs. New experiments are being made, and special 

 adjustments in types of sprayers are being tested which will no doubt 

 demonstrate some effective control measures. 



Other investigations that have been carried on in this locality con- 

 cern the life histories and control of a number of other pests at pres- 

 ent iniurious to the onion in the Indiana section. Demonstrations 

 have been conducted in the practical application of cutworm and 

 wireworm remedies. All otlier insects of interest to the truck grower 

 haA'e been under observation in order that appropriate remedies may 

 be prescribed at short notice. 



WORK IN COLORADO. 



The most conspicuous insect outbreaks of the year at the station 

 in Colorado were occasioned by grasshoppers and by the beet army 

 worm. Grasshoppers occurred by millions throughout the valley, and 

 caused extensive damage to sugar bods and truck crops. Where it 

 was possible to stir farmers into action the hoppers were controlled. 

 The so-called Criddle mixture, successfully used elsewhere, proved 

 here an almost complete failure. Bran and arsenic bait and the use of 

 hopperdozers gave excellent results, while spraying gave more satis- 

 factory results than any other method. The sugar-beet webworm 

 infested an area of nearly 1,000 acres of beets in the Arkansas Valley 

 alone. More than 200 acres were successfully sprayed at Rocky Ford, 

 and it was demonstrated that the sugar-beet webworm and the beet 

 army worm can be readily controlled by spraying with Paris green 

 and whale-oil soap. The unexpected discovery was made that Paris 

 green is more satisfactory for use on beets than arsenate of lead. 

 Much work was done at this station upon a number of garden pests, 

 especially as to life histories. 



INVESTIGATIONS ON LONG ISLAND. 



Work upon the potato flea-beetle and upon various cauliflow^er 

 insects was taken up at the Long Island station. Spraying experi- 

 ments with arsenite of zinc, arsenate of lead, Paria green, and a com- 

 bination of arsenite of zinc and atomic sulphur were made against 



