Farmers' Bulletin 789 



destruction of sowbugs in greenhouse 

 benches is the application of the ordi- 

 nary poisoned-bran mash commonly 

 recommended for the destruction of 

 cutworms and grassliopiiers. This 

 bait is prepared as follows : 



Bran I)Ounds__ 25 



Paris green or white ar- 

 senic do 1 



Oranges or lemons 6 



Cheap sirup or molasses — quarts— 2 



Water gallons__ 4 



The bran should be placed in a 

 washtub or similar container and the 

 poison added while dry. These should 

 be thoroughly mixed and then the 

 water, to which has been added the 

 sirup and the finely chopped fruit, 



Fig. 6.^ — Dooryard sowbug {Porcellio 

 laevis). Much enlarged 



should be stirred into the mixture 

 until a -wet mash is formed. After the 

 mash is allowed to stand an hour or 

 two, it may be scattered thinly on the 

 infested beds. 



SLUGS 



The appearance of conspicuous, 

 ragged holes eaten into the caps of 

 mushrooms (see illustration on title 

 page) during the night may often be 

 tuaced to the presence of the large 

 imported garden slug." These un- 

 pleasant creatures are extremely fond 

 of mushrooms, issuing from their hiding 

 places toward evening and. leaving a 

 trail of slime behind them, proceeding 

 in search of their favorite food. 



The damage to mushrooms is not 

 confined to the cultivated species, but 

 may frequently be observed in those 

 growing in woods and fields. It is 

 characterized by the rough, gouged- 

 out appearance of the holes, which 

 seem as though excavated by a mouse 

 or rat. The creature itself resembles 



a shell-less snail from 2 to 7 inches 

 in length and is grayish brown to 

 pitchy black in color, usually with 

 numerous elongate black spots. The 

 eyes are borne on two pedicels or 

 stalks, which are retracted within the 

 body when the mollusk is disturbed. 



The imported garden slug deposits 

 its large, round, transparent, yellow- 

 ish eggs in gelatinous clusters be- 

 neath boards or refuse over moist 

 earth. There is one brood each year, 

 the young hatching in the spring and 

 becoming half grown by fall. As 

 with other mollusks, life extends over a 

 period of several years. The individ- 

 uals usually frequent moist spots in gar- 

 dens or lawns and feed on the herbage, 

 but frequently they invade mushroom 

 houses, where their injury becomes 

 almost immediately noticeable. 

 REMEDIES 



The usual remedy for slugs, trap- 

 ping by means of poisoned or other 

 baits, is inapplicable w'hen these 

 creatures occur in mushroom houses, 

 since they prefer fresh mushrooms to 

 any other food which might be used. 

 It is therefore necessary to use hand 

 methods of collection, such as are 

 mentioned under the head of " Sow- 

 bugs." Such measures should be un- 

 dertaken as soon as the injury is no- 

 ticed, for if individuals are allowed 

 to breed in the house their elimina- 

 tion will be much more diflicult. Ad- 

 vantage may be taken of the habit 

 of these slugs of returning to the 

 same place of cf)ncealment each day, 

 and they may be sought out with a 

 lantern and destroyed or captured 

 during the night while engaged in 

 feeding. They are reix-lled by dust, 

 powdered lime, or ashes and will not 

 cross a line composed of one of these 

 substances. Small beds may thus be 

 protected from their ravages — for a 

 time at least. Pulverized salt is an- 

 other valuable deterrent. 

 CRICKETS 



Among other injurious forms which 

 at times attack mushroom beds, cer- 

 tain crickets are reported as eating 

 into the caps of the mush rooms. ^^ 



The remedies for crickets in their 

 injurious occurrence are the same as 

 those recommended for sowbugs. 

 Potatoes and carrots may be minced 

 before the Paris green is applied, in 

 order that a somewhat thicker coat 

 may be secured. 



'^" [jimnx ma.Timus L. 



" On the Pacific coast a " camel-cricket " known scientifically as Pristoceiithophilus 

 pacificiis Thorn, has been reported as causing extensive injury to cultivated mushroom 

 beds. 



o 



