250 One Thousand Questions in Agriculture 



You have to do with the bean weevil. The eggs are inserted by 

 the insect while the beans are still green in the pods; subsequently 

 the eggs hatch and the worm excavates the interior of the ripened 

 beans. The beans can be protected after ripening by heating care- 

 fully to 130° Fahrenheit, which will destroy the egg, or the larva if 

 already hatched. Of course, this heating must be done cautiously 

 and with the aid of a good thermometer for fear of destroying the 

 germinating power. The work of the insect can also be stopped by 

 putting the beans in a barrel or other close receptacle, with a saucer 

 containing about an ounce of carbon bi-sulfid to vaporize. Be careful 

 not to approach the vapor with a light. After treatment for one- 

 half hour, the cover can be removed and the vapor will entirely dis- 

 sipate. This is a safer treatment than the heating. Similar methods 

 of control can be used on other pea and bean weevils. 



Slugs in Garden. 



Can yon adTJse me how I can get rid of slugs in my garden? 



When barriers of lime, ashes, etc., are ineffective, traps consist- 

 ing of pieces of board sacking and similar materials placed about the 

 field prove inviting to the slugs. They collect under these and by 

 going over the field in the early morning they may be put into a 

 salt-water solution or otherwise destroyed. Arsenical sprays applied 

 with an underspray nozzle to the lower surface of the leaves will 

 help control the slugs. Poison bran mash consisting of 16 pounds 

 of coarse bran, 2 quarts of cheap syrup, and enough warm water to 

 make a coarse mash, is very good for cutworms and should be equally 

 effective for slugs. It should be placed in small heaps about thef 

 plants to be protected. Cabbage leaves dipped in grease drippings 

 and placed about the fields also prove attractive bait for the slugs, 

 which may then be collected there. If a person has a taste for 

 poultry, the keeping of a few ducks may solve the slug problem with- 

 out further bother. Cultivation or irrigation methods that give a 

 dry surface most of the time also discourage these pests. 



Cause of Mottle Leaf. 



What is the cause and cure of mottle leaf of citrus trees? 



There are apparently a number of causes of this trouble, all more 

 or less obscure and hard to overcome. It is generally thought that 

 it is due to poor nutrition, whatever the reason for poor nutrition 

 might be. The presence of a nematode or eel worm on the roots 

 has found to be a cause of mottle leaf in many cases. Poor drainage, 

 too sandy soil and a number of other things frequently cause it. 

 Whatever the cause, no one good method of cure has been found. 



Potato Scab. 



/ think most of my potatoes zvill have some scab. Will you please 

 tell me if my next crop would be apt to have scab, provided I got good 

 clean seed and planted in the same ground? 



