THE RASPBEERY FIELD THE FIRST SEASON 1 47 



Mr. Wright : Last year I set out my raspberries the same 

 way, and this year I had about five stalks in each hill. Puddling 

 is all right, but it is not necessary if the ground is prepared in 

 the proper manner. 



The President : I believe in putting in water, because it 

 brings the roots. in contact with the water so that every root 

 touches the soil. Where you simply tread it down with the foot 

 that will not do. 



THE GASOLINE TORCH AS AN INSECTICIDE. 



H. J. BALDWIN, NORTHFIEI.D. 



Some one has said, "He is a fool that offers free advice unso- 

 licited." If this is so, let me be the fool for a little and offer a 

 short article for our "Horticulturist" — and, by the way, won't 

 others do the same and make our magazine a medium whereby we 

 can exchange ideas and be helpful to each other? Don't you 

 hear Secretary Latham say, "Amen?" 



I am especially interested in vegetable and small fruit grow- 

 ing, and as I have had lots of trouble with insect life I want to 

 tell you how I got rid of one of them, the squash bug. 



Some three years ago there appeared in this vicinity the big 

 black squash bug, and two years ago it damaged our crop very 

 badly. This bug has been a nuisance in other parts of our state 

 also, and a friend of mine who used to live in Missouri told me 

 that in some localities there they were so bad they had to give up 

 raising squashes entirely. These bugs belong to the same family 

 as the box elder bug and have similar habits but are larger; when 

 crushed they smell horridly. 



I observed that they lived in colonies and often would find 

 thousands of them on a few square feet, ranging in size from the 

 head of a pin to the size of my finger nail or larger. What to do 

 with them was a problem, as being suckers poison would not 

 work. I hit upon this plan : 



• I bought an electrician's gasoline soldering torch and burned 

 them up, and with a little care I did not damage the vines at all. 

 Taking them in time, I could tend a large patch in a short time, 

 as the tool does quick work. I don't think I left a dozen bugs to 

 go into winter quarters. Now this is only one of the many uses 

 for -this tool. I found it worked finely for the striped pests. 

 Early in the morning these bugs wont fly, but as soon as they 

 hear the noise and feel a little heat they crawl away from the 

 hills and just the passing of the flame over them kills them in- 

 stantly. 



I would catch a swam of them when they first came out and 

 leave hardly a bug. A little care will prevent scorching the 

 plants. Along in October I left a few green squash in the field, 

 and when covered with the bugs on warm days I would in a few 

 minutes kill them off. 



Tie this tool to a pole, and you can burn off the tent cater- 

 pillars from the apple trees or kill the box elder bugs. 



This tool should not be used in the hands of children, as one 

 could easily set fires that would do great damage if at all careless. 



