February, '16] MCCOLLOCH AND HAYES: SOLEXOPSIS MOLESTA 



35 



Surface Planting. — Surface planting was first brought to our at- 

 tention in 1911 on a farm near Hackney, Kansas. At this place 

 twenty-five acres had been planted to kafir. Ten acres of this had 

 been surface planted and the remainder listed. This field was exam- 

 ined June 7 and almost a perfect stand was found on the surface planted 

 part of the field. The listed area had been planted three times and 

 showed less than 50 per cent of a stand. The only explanation for 

 the difference in stand was due to the method of planting. Further 

 investigations have been made each year concerning this method of 

 planting and the data thus far accumulated show that very little injury 

 has occurred on surface planted fields, especially when the planting is 

 made on or about the optimum time to plant kafir. 



Surface planting has several advantages over listing and many of 

 the experiments carried on in the area where the soil does not blow 

 show that it is a little more preferable. Kafir seed needs a warm soil 

 to germinate and unless the soil is warm it will lie in the soil many days 

 giving the ants more time to work on it. It often happens in this case 

 that the seed rots or decays if the soil remains cool too long. Surface 

 planting provides a warmer seed bed and consequently greatly has- 

 tens germination. Kafir is often washed out or drowned out by heavy 

 rains washing down the lister furrows or by standing in these' furrows. 



Repellents. — One of the measures of control that early sug- 

 gested itself was that of treating the seed with some repellent that 

 would keep the ants away until the seed had germinated. 



In 1912, the senior author conducted a number of experiments in 

 the vicinity of Derby, Kansas, to determine the value of various repel- 

 lents against the kafir ant. In one experiment ten plots of kafir were 

 planted in a field badly infested with ants, using kerosene, turpentine, 

 ."Black Leaf 40," oil of lemon, camphor, refined carbolic acid, crude 

 carbolic acid, and two brands of commercial chicken dip composed 

 largely of crude carbolic acid and creosote. These plots were visited 

 a week later and the results of this experiment are shown in Table III. 



Table III. Results of Dipping Kafir Seed in 1912 



Treatment 



Per Cent 

 Germinated 



Kemarks 



Dipped in kerosene 



Dipped in turpentine 



Dipped in "Black Leaf 40" 



Dipped in oil of lemon 



Dipped in camphor 



Dipped in refined carbolic acid. . . 

 Dipped in crude carbolic acid. .. 

 Dipped in commercial chicken dip 

 Dipped in commercial chicken dip 

 Check 



A few ants present. 



A few ants present. 



No ants present. 



Ants numerous and in grains. 



Ants numerous and in grains. 



No ants present. 



No ants present. 



No ants present. 



No ants present. 



Ants very numerous. 



