102 How to Make the Garden Pay. 



SQUASH VINE BORER. (Algeria cucurbitce.} Our first aim 

 should be to repel the moth, and prevent her from depositing 

 her eggs on the plants. Perhaps this may be successfully ac- 

 complished by placing corn cobs smeared with coal tar, turpen- 

 tine, kerosene, or carbolic acid near the roots of the plants. If 

 we have not been successful in keeping the moth off, we should 

 hunt up and destroy the larvae (borers) when they first begin to 

 tunnel through the main stock near the surface of the soil. They 

 give the preference to pumpkins, squashes, and similar members 

 of the gourd family, but also attack melon and cucumber vines, 

 riddling the stem near the ground, and often cutting off all com- 

 munication between top and root. Discover their location and 

 dig them out with the point of a sharp knife. With squash and 

 other plants which readily strike root from the joints, it is the 



easiest thing in the 

 world to practically 

 prevent all injury. All 

 you have to do is to 

 cover the first joints 

 firmly with fresh soil 

 as soon as the vines 

 begin to run. The 

 be made entirely inde- 



Layered Squash Vine. 



then 



plants, as shown in picture, can 

 pendent of their original roots. 



SQUASH BUG, BLACK. (Anasa tristis^) In July the patches of 

 dark brown eggs may be found on the underside of the leaves 

 of pumpkins, squashes, etc., while the bugs are hidden under 

 rubbish, clods of soil, stones, etc., near the plants. Few things 

 seem to be repulsive enough for them to keep or drive them off 

 the plants, but plaster flavored with kerosene or carbolic acid 

 may be tried. It may at least tend to lessen their numbers. 

 Trapping is yet the only sure remedy. Place pieces of shingles, 

 small stones, or rubbish of some sort about the hills, and examine 

 them for bugs every morning, dispatching them by shaking 

 into a dish containing some kerosene, or mashing them with 

 home-made tweezers consisting of a simple piece of band iron, 



Tweezers for killing bugs. 



and bent as here shown. The bug is repulsive and has a most 

 disagreeable odor, but should be fought with persistency. 



WIRE WORM. (Julus) These are the offsprings of various 

 snapping beetles or elaters, hard, smooth-skinned, white or yel- 

 lowish, worm-like creatures, feeding on potatoes, carrots, the 

 roots of herbaceous plants, etc., and often doing considerable 

 damage to these crops. As beetles, they live on the tender leaves 



