CONTROL OF GARDEN DISEASES AND INSECTS, 



63 



PICKLE AND MELON WORMS. 



The pickle worm ^ and the melon worm - are pests in the southeast- 

 ern portion of the United States and attack the fruit just before it 

 ripens. It is practically impossible to control these insects with- 

 out emplo3dng complicated measures. In small gardens paper bags 

 may be pinned about the young fruit after it reaches the size of an 

 egg. Since the caterpillar entei's from without, the fruit is thus 

 protected. 



OTHEll INSECTS. 



The onion thrips, red spider, and greenhouse white fly are trouble- 



They can be destroyed by 



some to cucumbers grown under glass, 



making s m u d g e s 



prepared by dipping 



papers into nicotine 



extracts. These are 



advertised in florists' 



journals. 



SWEET POTATO. 



If transplanted 

 from hotbeds the 

 sweet potato may 

 suffer from the at- 

 tacks of cutworms Fig. 74.— The sweet-potato weevil (Culas formicarius) : a, 

 and other cater- Beetle; b, pupa ; c, larva, view of back ; (/, larva, side view. 

 Much enlarged. 



pillars when first set 



out. Several other forms of insects attack the foliage, including blister 

 beetles, the larvae of sawflies, the sweet-potato flea -beetle, and the 

 tortoise beetles. In its more northern range this crop does not suffer 

 much loss from insect attack, but in Louisiana, Texas, and portions 

 of Florida it is injured badly by the sweet-potato root-borer. Prac- 

 tically all of these insects mentioned as attacking the sweet potato 

 ):)reed on the morning-glory also and on other plants of this family, 

 so that it is desirable to keep these down in the vicinity of the 

 cultivated crop. 



SWEET-POTATO WEEVIL. 



The sweet-potato weevil or root-weeAul (fig. 74) is confined to the 

 Gulf region, but it has become one of our most injurious pests. The 

 adult is a weevil with an antlike form and a decided snout or beak. 

 It is about one-fourth of an inch long, including the snout ; the wing 

 covers are shining dark blue; the head and snout are darker blue; 

 and the thorax and legs are dark red. The larva, or young, is grub- 

 like, about one-fourth of an inch long, whitish, with a brown head 



I 



Diaphania nitidalis Cram. 



- Diaphania hyaUnaia L. 



