INSECTS AND BIRDS. 



273 



two hundred gallons of water sprayed on plants in the 

 form of a fine mist is a standard remedy for biting in- 

 sects. Two to five pounds of arsenate of lead to fifty 

 gallons of water applied in the same way is an even 

 better poison. 



Insects that Suck the Plant. The squash-bug and 

 the harelquin cabbage-bug are examples of the sucking 

 insects. If a large squash- 

 bug is examined, there is 

 found projecting from the 

 under side of its head, a 

 long, slender beak or bill. 

 The same kind of a beak 

 may be found on the head 

 of the cabbage-bug, or a 

 stink-bug. This little beak- 

 forms a tube which is 

 forced into the leaf or 

 stem and serves as a pipe 

 through which to draw the A f <; KING UG - SH ^ G . B AK - 



. & , , (Photograph by Glenn W. Herrtck.) 



sap into the mouth. 



How to Fight the Sucking Insects. Since these in- 

 sects draw their food from the inside of the plant it 

 it is evident that no amount of poison placed on the 

 leaves would kill them. The insects would get none of 

 the poison. Such insects must be killed by putting 

 something like oil, tobacco water, soap, or sulphur on 

 their bodies. This is called the contact method. 



A favorite way of killing these insects is to dissolve 

 i pound of laundry soap in 2 gallons of hot water, and 

 add 4 gallons of kerosene oil. The mixture is then 

 churned or agitated until it forms a creamy white emul- 

 sion which is then diluted with about forty gallons of 

 water. This is known as kerosene emulsion, and is 

 sprayed upon the insects to be killed wherever they 

 may be found upon the plants. Another method is to 

 spray the insects with tobacco water made by boiling 

 tobacco stems in water and diluting the infusion to 2 

 gallons of water for every pound of stems used. 



