15 
CULTURAL METHODS. 
Cultural methods give greatest promise as remedies. Clean garden- 
ing or farming with fall plowing should always be followed, as these 
form a most valuable measure of prevention of injury by this and 
other insects that are present in the fields. As soon as the crop is off 
the remnants should be gathered and burned. All weeds in the vicinity 
should be kept down thruout the year, including late fall and early 
spring, since, as has already been shown, the common weeds of the 
field and garden are available as alternate 
food plants and serve as the hibernating 
quarters of the aphides, which feed more or 
less thruout the warmer periods of winter. 
On weeds the insects can be found feeding, 
in a climate like that of the District of 
Columbia, until January, ‘‘even after heavy 
frosts or snow,” and again in March. 
CONTROL OF THE MELON APHIS BY NATURAL 
ENEMIES. 
Y) 3 
4, Ly 
44 
The possible control of this pest with 
the assistance of its natural enemies, aided 
by a trap crop, 
is proposed by 
Mr. Sanborn, who . 
has placed at the 
writer’s disposal 
advance sheets of 
his publication in 
which this method 
is described. 
Rape, which is of 
value for hog and 
sheep pasture, is 
the crop advised. 
Kale or mustard a Fic. 6.—Knapsack sprayer in operation, showing method of applying 
underspray. 
should serve the : 
same purpose. This method begins in the fall when the trap crop is 
planted. 
The cabbage aphis (Ap/7s brassice L.) is closely related to, but 
quite distinct from, the melon aphis. It winters over on the trap 
«For several years the writer has observed that these two crops serve as a trap 
for the cabbage aphis, by luring them from cabbage and more yaluable crops; also, 
that they are here largely destroyed and practically held in check by their principal 
insect enemies—which have been illustrated in figure 3; and the idea of employing 
this means of attracting the natural enemies was suggested to the writer in 190€. 
