lO 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



January, 191 1 



color and, as its name implies, looks as 

 if it had been dusted with meal or flour. 

 The scale is the worst jjest of the two. 



The best remedy for the scale is to 

 wash the leaves and the stems of the 

 plants affected with a strong soap solu- 

 tion. Soap suds made from common 

 soap will answer, or a solution can be 

 made by thoroughly dissolving an ounce 



of whale oil soap in one gallon of water, 

 or in that proportion. It is best to dis- 

 solve the soap in a small quantity of hot 

 water, then add sufficient cold water to 

 make up the quantity. A moist atmos- 

 phere and a cool temperature are the 

 main essentials in keeping these plants 

 free from insect pests and in good con- 

 dition during the winter. 



Insects that Attack Vegetables 



L. Caesar, B. S. A., Ontario Agricultural College, Guelph 



or bluish asparagus to the young plants just after they appear 



THE common 

 beetle (Crioceris asparagi) and the 

 twelve-spotted red one (Criceris 

 i2-punctata), though comparativey new 

 pests, have already spread over most of 

 Ontario and are causing much loss to as- 

 paragus growers. The plants are at- 

 tacked throughout the whole season, and 

 not only the larvae or slugs but also the 

 adults feed greedily upon them. The 

 two species diflfer somewhat in their 

 habits, but as the remedy for both is the 

 same, we shall not go into details in 

 regard to the difference. 



MEANS OF CONTROL 



The best way to keep this pest in check 

 is to spray the plants carefully from both 

 sides after the cutting season is over with 

 three pounds arsenate of lead to every 

 forty gallons of water. The sticker 

 mentioned under flea-beetles should be 

 added and also two or three pounds of 

 freshly slaked lime, the lime being added 

 solely to insure that any excess of sal 

 soda may not act upon the arsenate of 

 lead and cause it to burn the foliage. 

 As this spray does not kill the eggs it 

 will have to be repeated two or three 

 times at intervals of a week or ten days 

 until the planta'.ion is entirely free of 

 the pest. 



By this method of destroying the in- 

 sects the plants get a chance to grow 

 thrifty and to store up plenty of food in 

 the roots for the following spring and 

 fewer beetles will attack them during the 

 cutting season. Of course the poison 

 cannot be sprayed on plants that are 

 being cut, but new plantations which are 

 not cut the first year should be sprayed 

 quite early to protect them. 



(2) Chickens and ducks. Where these 

 are allowed to run on the plantation dur- 

 ing the cutting season they seldom do 

 any injury to the plants and are very 

 helpful as destroyers of the beetles. 



(3) Frequent cutting gives the eggs 

 in the early season no chance to hatch. 



STRIPED OUCtTMBEE BEETLES 



Every grower of cucumlaers, squashes, 

 pumpkins or melons is familiar with the 

 small beetles, about one-fourth of an 

 inch long, with alternate yellow and 

 black longitudinal stripes ori their wing 

 covers. They are often very destructive 

 and are very difficult to combat success- 

 fully. The chief damage is done in spring 



and when they are least able to withstand 

 an attack. At this season the adult 

 beetles, which winter in the ground or 

 under any good protection are very 

 hungry and during one or two weeks feed 

 very voraciously. At the end of that time 

 mating begins and they become less de- 

 structive and more particular about what 

 they eat, often refusing to touch plants 

 with foreign substances on them. The 

 yellow eggs are laid in the soil near or 

 around the roots and if the earth is damp 

 the young larvae feed on the roots, vines 

 or fruit that may happen to be near them. 

 The new adults that appear later in the 

 season also feed ravenously upon (the 

 vines and fruit. 



The best means of control are trap 

 crops and spraying. It has been found 

 that the beetles prefer squashes to other 

 kinds of cucurbits, hence before sowing 

 the cucumbers or the regular crop a con- 

 siderable number of squashes should be 

 sown around the outside of the plantation 

 to attract the beetles. As soon as they 

 appear they should be heavily sprayed 



every few days with r.rsenate of lead, 

 three or four pounds to fcrtv gallons of 

 water. When the cucumbers or regular 

 crop comes up, spray it with Bordeaux 

 mixture and arsenate of lead of the above 

 strength, repeating the spray several 

 times until after the vines have begun to 

 run. The Bordeaux is added chiefly as a 

 repellant, since the beetles after the first 

 week or so usually refuse to eat plants 

 covered with it. Bordeaux also helps to 

 keep off' the mildew and gives vigor to 

 the plants. Later in the year squashes 

 should be planted and left to attract the 

 greedy new adults. These can then also 

 be sprayed with the arsenate of lead and 

 many of the beetles will be destroyed. 



Advantage should be taken of the habit 

 of the beetles late in the fall to congre- 

 gate in great numbers on old cucurbit 

 fruits and vines, especially where these 

 are gathered into heaps. I have seen the 

 beetles in thousands in such places on 

 frosty mornings. If then the refuse be 

 gathered into heaps after the picking sea- 

 son and on some frosty morning, a cov- 

 ering of straw is thrown over them and set 

 on fire, countless numbers of beetles 

 would be destroyed and the number left 

 for the next season thus greatly lessened. 



COVERINGS 



A very satisfactory way of protecting 

 young plants in the spring on a small 

 scale is to cover them. For this purpose 

 cut a barrel hoop in two so as to form 

 two semi-circles. Then place one of these 

 over the other and at right angles to it, 

 and insert the ends of both in the ground. 

 Two bent wires will of course do instead 

 of the hoops. The frame thus made 



Loadinj Vcfetables aiid Small Froit at Sania 



Immense quaotitiee of early vegetables and small fruits are now produced each year on the 

 south shore of Lake Huron, and shipped by boat to Northern and Western ports. The shipment here 

 Shown consuted of 42 waggons of produce, or apprortmately 100 tens, all grown in Sarnia township 



