1982 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PRACTICAL HORTICULTURE 



should receive the attention of the grow- 

 er. When they have become adults it 

 is rather more difficult to kill them. Then 

 hand picking, or knocking them off into 

 a pan of kerosene in the early morning or 

 on cool days when they are sluggish, is 

 about the only practical method of deal- 

 ing with them. 



Besides these larger bugs, tomato 

 plants are often attacked by a number 

 of smaller, more delicate bugs. Among 

 them may be mentioned the tarnished 

 plant bug, a greenish-brown insect about 

 one-fourth of an inch long; the sharp- 

 shooters, and the leaf hoppers. One of the 

 latter is the "destructive leaf hopper" 

 (Cicadula), a brownish bug about one- 

 fifth of an inch long. This lays its eggs 

 in the tender branches, causing them to 

 wilt. These wilting branches may be de- 

 stroyed with the contained eggs. The to- 

 bacco sprays will prove effective against 

 any of these smaller bugs even in the 

 adult stage. 



Colorado Potato Beetle 



Leptinotarsa decemlineata 

 Occasionally attacks tomatoes. The 

 best remedy, if the beetles become serious, 

 is a solution of lead arsenate, one pound 

 to from seven to ten gallons of water. 

 Where they are but few, hand picking 

 will prove to be more practical. 



J. R. Watso.n 

 See also Colorado Potato Beetle under 

 Potato Pests. 



Cobn-Ear Worm. See Tomato Fruit 

 Worm, this section. 



Cutworms 



Many species, but all naked larvae of 

 the Noctuid family of moths. 



Remedies to Use 



Spray grass or weeds with poison on 

 ground in preparation for cultivation sev- 

 eral days before plowing; or scatter over 

 the ground before planting a poisoned 

 bran mash made as follows: 



Use one-half pound of sugar or mo- 

 lasses per gallon of water, and use enough 

 of such sweetened water to dampen ,'50 

 pounds of bran. Now add one-half pound 

 of Paris green or white arsenic by sprink- 



ling lightly over the surface of the bran, 

 while vigorously stirring so as to mix the 

 I)oison uniformly through the mass. Vege- 

 tables already planted may be protected 

 l)y a teaspoonful being placed near the 

 base of the plant. 



This poison keeps effective through a 

 longer period if placed under boards or 

 chips scattered through the garden. An- 

 other good poisoned bait is obtained by 

 spraying clover or other succulent vege- 

 tables with poison, mowing the same and 

 scattering it in fair-sized heaps over the 

 infested ground. Make the piles large 

 enough to prevent the under portion from 

 quickly drying out. 



Robins, blackbirds and bluebirds de- 

 stroy many cutworms. 



H. A. GOSSARD 



Grasshoppers 



Many species. 



These attack tomatoes in common with 

 other plants, and in occasional years there 

 is an outbreak of a serious nature. In 

 the tomato field the best method is prob- 

 ably one of the poison baits. The most 

 successful is the following "Minnesota 

 mixture: 



Sodium arsenite (commercial), one 

 l)ound; horse manure, 120 to 150 pounds; 

 cheap molasses, one pint. The arsenite 

 and molasses should be dissolved in 

 enough water to moisten the mass. 



It has been found that field crops may 

 be protected and the grasshoppers killed 

 by spraying with the following: 



Commercial arsenite of soda, three 

 pounds; molasses, one and one-half gal- 

 lons; water, 180 gallons. 



Green Soldier Bug. See Bufis, this 

 section. 



Leaf-footed Plant Bug. See Bugs, this 

 section. Also under Squash Pests. 



Leaf Hoppers. See Bugs, this section. 



Potato Fi.ea Beetle. See Potato Pests. 



Pumpkin Bug. See Bugs, this section. 



Scniltropical Army Worm 



Prodenia eridania 

 This insect is related to the cutworms. 

 The fore wings are gray with brown mark- 

 ings, and the hind wings are pearly white. 



