716 



horticulture: 



May 15, 190y 



THE WHITE FLY. 



Editor HORTICULTURE: 



Would you please ask through your 

 columns what remedies are used 

 against white fly on tomatoes, lettuce, 

 .pelargoniums, etc., under glass? They 

 are trying to eat me up almost, they 

 .are so numerous. Smoking with 

 tobacco paper causes the floor to be 

 white next morning but does not check 

 :the hatching of new generations. They 

 :Seeni to hatch in a very short time. 

 Is there an inexpensive, practical 

 .remedy for this pest? G. B. 



Circular No. 19 of the Massachusetts 

 Agricultural Experiment Station, is- 

 sued November, 190S, gives the follow- 

 ing information relative to the white 

 fly and its destruction. By C. E. Hood, 

 B. S. 



This insect has become a very serious 

 pest in gieeuhouses, and were it not possi- 

 ble to hold It in cheek, the crop each 

 winter where it is present would be a total 

 failure. It is not confined to the tomato 

 alone but also attacks cucumbers, lettuce, 

 melons, tobacco, geraniums and many 

 other plants, and is not only important In 

 hot houses, but in summer does considera- 

 ble damage out of doors. 



The egg of the white fly is oval in 

 shape, somewhat pointed at one end. The 

 rounded end of the egg is fastened to the 

 .leaf so the egg will hang down if the leaf 

 Is horizontal. In about two weeks these 

 eggs will hatch into tiny young, w^hich 

 crawl around for a few hours and then 

 Insert their beaks into the leaf and suck 

 the juices until full grown, which is about 

 two weeks from the time they batch. After 

 .passing through the pupa stage, a T 

 shaped opening is made in the back and 

 the adult fly emerges. The mouth parts 

 of both the young and fly are formed for 

 sucking. Thev push their beaks into the 

 succulent portions of the leaf and extract 

 the juices, and as a result, the leaf soon 

 dies and falls to the ground. Most of the 

 harm, however, seems to be done by the 

 young. Some time after the leaves are In- 

 fested, there is a sticky substance exuded 

 over the leaf, on which a black fungus 

 grows, which soon covers the entire under 

 surface of the leaf, making it sooty in 

 appearance. 



Remedies. 



There are two methods of attacking this 

 .Insect. 1. Pnmig.Mtmg with hydrocyanic 

 acid gas. 2. Spraying with contact insecti- 

 cides, such as a solution of Bowker's Tree 

 Soap. ^ , 



Fumigation is the most successful and 

 most satisfacton- method for the control 

 of this insect that has as yet been dis- 

 covered, tliough the gas produced is a 

 deadly poison and extreme caution must be 

 • exercised iu its use. It Is essential In 

 fumigating that the cubic contents or 

 amount of space in the house be known, 

 that the right amount of chemicals to use 

 may be determined. The best proportions 

 to use of the cyanide, sulphuric acid and 

 water are: — 



1 part cyanide of potassium (9S per 



cent or 99 per cent). 



2 parts commercial sulphuric acid. 

 4 parts water. 



The water should be first poured into 

 an earthen or granite ware receivmg vessel 

 (do not use a metal one), the acid is then 

 added and finally the cyanide, as directed 

 more fullv below. Use .01- grams of 

 cyanide per cubic foot of space In the 

 house or tiox to be fumigated. When the 

 amount of cyanide necessai-y has been de- 

 termined, put it in a paper bag. Close the 

 ventilators and firmly fasten every door of 

 the house except the one used by the 

 operator. When all is ready, take the 

 cyanide, fill the lungs with atr, drop the 

 cyanide into the vessel containing the water 

 and acid and leave the house immediately, 

 lock the last door and notice the time. 



After the required time has passed, open 

 the doors and give the gas plenty of time 

 to escape before you enter. This gas is 

 verv poisonous, so do not enter the house 

 during treatment. I-"umigate after sunset, 

 allowing three hours exposure. In ven- 

 tilating afterward, the amount of artificial 

 heat that can be supplied and the outside 

 temperature must be taken into considera- 

 tion, so that no injury to the plants will 

 result from the lowering of the tempera- 

 Tture. Three such treatments, at intervals 



of about twelve days, will usually com- 

 pletclv rid the house of the white fly. 



Johnson's work entitled "Fumigation 

 Methods" is indispensable to anyone who 

 has occasion to use hydrocyanic acid gas 

 as an insecticide. The book can be pur- 

 chased for .fil.OO of the publishers, Orange 

 Judd Co.. .02 & .54 Lafayette Place, New 

 York Citv. To those interested in green- 

 house fumigation, pages 9-11, 118 and 124- 

 ]4<; are especially recommended. 



If the cvanide treatment seems undesira- 

 ble use a" fumigant and a contact insecti- 

 cide, such as "NM<'oticide." manufactured 

 by The Tobacco Warehousing and Trading 

 Co., Louisville, Kentucky, tor the fumigant, 

 and Bowker's Tree Soap, manufactured by 

 The Bowker Insecticide Co., Boston, Mass., 

 for the insecticide. 



For each 2000 cubic feet of space, from 

 one to two ounces of Nicoticide should be 

 used according to the tightness of the 

 house. This treatment should last all 

 night, and the next day the plants should 

 be syringed with a solution of Bowker's 

 Tree' Soap at the rate of one ounce in one 

 gallon of water. One such combined treat- 

 ment should be sufficient for several weeks. 

 It a second treatment is desirable, fumigate 

 the same as before, one week later, and 

 spray as before two weeks after the first 

 treatment. 



NEWS NOTES. 

 Cheswiclc, Pa.— Arthur and John 

 James have started in the L. I. Neff 

 greenhouses. 



Centerville, la.— T. M. Stagner has 

 started in the greenhouse business on 

 South 21st St. 



Uniondale, Ind.— Miss Eva Brlckley 

 is in charge of the greenhouse re- 

 cently erected here. 



Enid, Okla.— A. D. Zimmerman, 

 formerly of Ottawa, Kan., is starting 

 in the florist business here. 



Stratford, Conn.— F. E. Beach, flor- 

 ist, has purchased the Wells green- 

 house and is having it removed. 



Des IVIoines, la.— The Lozier Floral 

 Co. has purchased the building at 

 410 E. 6th St., and will occupy it im- 

 mediately. 



Gardner, Mass. — Riverside Green- 

 houses, Incorporated, has asked 

 through counsel for dissolution of the 

 corporation. 



Jefferson City, Mo.— A bill to pre- 

 vent the dissemination of the San 

 Jose scale throughout the state passed 

 the House on April 28. 



Cuyahoga Falls, 0.— M. Crawford, 

 has sold his stock of gladiolus bulbs 

 to Mallory & Bridge, Lake Mills, Wis. 

 He will give his attention henceforth 

 to raising seedlings. 



Anaheim, Cal.— The Eucalyptus Hard- 

 wood Company has been organized 

 by C. S. Crisney, A. G. Williams and 

 C. S. Gibbs. 960 acres of land have 

 been purchased in Kern County and 

 will be planted to eucalyptus trees. 



Sparklll, N. Y.— W. C. Duncan, flor- 

 ist, is reported as having disappeared 

 and his relatives are anxiously search- 

 ing for tidings of him. He was last 

 seen at the New York Cut Flower Ex- 

 change, 55 West 26th street, on May 

 4. Anyone who can throw any light 

 on his whereabouts will confer a favor 

 by notifying the family. He is 6 feet 

 2 inches tall and weighs 250 pounds. 

 He lived in Astoria for many years 

 before going to Sparklll. 



New York, N. Y.— John Wendel, 

 florist at 611 Central avenue, was 

 driving across the Williamsburg 

 bridge on May 11 when a rein snapped 

 and at the same instant the shrill 



DON'T EXPERIMENT 



USE 



To-Bar-Ine 



and your stock will be 

 free from insects, clean, 

 and the blooms will not 

 be discolored. 



Send for full 

 information of 



H. E. FISKE SEED CO. 

 13 Faneuil Hall Sq., Boston, Mas*. 



STUMPP & WALTER CO., 

 50 Barclay St., New York. 



HENRY F. MICHELL & CO., 

 1018 Market St., Philadelphia. 



E. H. HUNT, Gen'l Agent, 



76-78 Wabash iTC, Chicago. 



THIS 



KILLS 



MILDEW 



EVERY 



TIME 



Benjamin Dorrance 



ROSE GROWERS 

 Dorranceton, Penna, 



IMP SOAP SPRAY 



THREE SUCCESSFUL YEARS 



Outdoor or Indoor 



ELM BEETLE OR 

 WHITE FLY 



EASTERN CHEMICAL CO. 



Pittsburg Street, Boston, Mass. 



TARGET BRAND 



Weed Killer 



Sold at retail by a thousand of seed 

 houses and dealers. Special price 

 n quantities to parksa 



Tar get Brand, Box 732, Martinsburg, W.Va- 



whistle of a tug boat startled his 

 horse. The animal dashed across the 

 bridge, scattering his stock of potted 

 plants in all directions. Mr. Wendell 

 was thrown out and received severe 

 scalp wounds; one ear was nearly 

 torn off. 



