ENTOMOLOGY 351 



Cleanliness is always essential if any house, barn or store is to 

 be kept free from insect pests, and this involves not merely sweep- 

 ing and dusting, but the disposal or keeping under close cover of all 

 food remnants and organic debris of any kind. 



In a general way gasoline comes as near to being a universal 

 insecticide for house pests as anything that we have. It kills every- 

 thing that it touches except eggs, and it hurts neither fabrics nor 

 furniture. It can be poured freely over the edges of carpets or 

 behind baseboards or picture mouldings, and in a few minutes it is 

 gone without a stain. It is decidedly inflammable, however, and 

 must always be used with that point in mind. It should never 

 be used at night, should never -be used in the kitchen when there 

 is a fire in the stove, and there should always be an opportunity for 

 the fumes to escape promptly into the open air. 



In general, two treatments are required for household insects, 

 because none of the destructive methods reach the eggs. It is quite 

 possible to kill off every adult specimen of a species on Monday and 

 then to find on Saturday a lot of young that have just hatched from 

 eggs laid prior to the treatment. 



The most effective material and in a way the simplest in badly- 

 infested spaces is hydrocyanic acid gas. This penetrates every- 

 where, is deadly to all animal life and requires only that the room 

 to be treated should be so tightly closed as to prevent the too rapid 

 escape of gas. 



MANAGEMENT CONTROLLING FIELD CROP INSECTS. 



ESSENTIAL FEATURES. 



In order to adopt a system of farm management for controll- 

 ing field crop insects, the life history, habits and food plants of the 

 insects most injurious on the farms in question must be thoroughly 

 known. Unfortunately there is much yet to be learned about these 

 pests but with the information gathered during the last two years 

 a general plan of rotation and management involving our most 

 important field crops can be proposed. Several of these pests have 

 been under investigation during the last few years and special reports 

 of this work will be issued at the end of this growing season. 



The following are important features in a system of farm 

 management for controlling field crop insects: 



(1) It must be as far as possible a modification of the farm 

 management already in use without eliminating important crops 

 that the farmer desires to grow. 



(2) The intelligent sequence of crops that deprive the insects 

 of food. 



(3) Methods of cultivation for disorganizing, killing or expos- 

 ing the pests that are to be controlled. 



(4) The upbuilding of the soil by incorporating humus; in- 

 telligent and effective cultivation and the intelligent applications 

 of fertilizers. 



(5) Selection of seed and proper harvesting. 



