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New York AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 307 
InsECTS, INSECTICIDES AND FUNGICIDES. 
The insect pests have been about as numerous as in previous 
years, with the exception of the flea beetle. These have been 
more numerous than at any time since the Station has been 
established, their depredations not being confined to their usual 
diet, radish, turnip, cabbage, etc., but they also attacked tomatoes 
and potatoes, causing in case of the latter a partial failure of the 
crop. These depredations seem to have been confined to the: 
Station grounds, since no complaints have reached us from else- 
where. It is quite probable that the cause of the large numbers 
of insects found here is the growing of the same crops on a small 
area year after year. Several applications were made on potatoes 
and tomatoes for this insect, one of which, tobacco dust, was 
partially effective on tomatoes, checking the spread of the beetle 
from infested plants to those not infested. As to potatoes, there 
was no remedy found except to brush them off. See report of 
Farm Superintendent. These beetles were also very destructive to 
cabbage and cauliflower, and several agents were tested, but 
without any permanent relief. On May eight the following 
applications were made: Tobacco dust, dry ; lime, dry, and Paris 
ereen in solution at the rate of two teaspoonsful to three gallons 
of water. Neither of these were very efficacious, oe lime giving 
as good satisfaction as either of the others. 
The currant worm made its first appearance on gooseberries i in 
large numbers on May twenty-four, and in using poison for the 
purpose of destroying them, a combination insecticide and fungicide 
was used. Hellebore for currant worm, one teaspoonful to one 
gallon of water, and potassium sulphide as a fungicide, one-half 
ounce to one gallon of water. This did not prove satisfactory, _ 
so far as checking the mildew was concerned, and an application 
of sulphide of potassium was used alone, which gave good results. 
Not only has every plant of gooseberry sprayed this season’ 
resisted the mildew, but plants kept as checks this season, that 
were sprayed last year, have shown but slight signs of this fungus. 
We have never been successful in preventing the mildew by one 
application of the sulphide, but have had to continue the treat- 
ment three or four times each season, the atmospheric conditions. 
influencing, to a large extent, the development of this mildew. 
The disease of the Hollyhock (Puccinia malvacearum), noticed 
‘in the eight annual report, was found this spring to have attacked 
