170 Elementary Principles of Agriculture 



produce the destructive maggots. Destroying volunteer 

 wheat starves the summer crop of maggots. Plowing 

 under the stubble destroys the pupae and prevents the 

 summer crop from developing. Late sowing starves out 

 .the early fall crop of maggots. These preventive 

 measures enable wheat farmers to largely overcome the 

 damages caused by Hessian flies. 



236a. The Argentine Ant was first noticed in this 

 country at New Orleans, La., in 1891, and has become 

 a serious pest over much territory. The species is a 

 native of Brazil and Argentine and is supposed to 

 have been brought in on coffee ships from Brazilian 

 ports. Eecently it has been found in several localities 

 in California. The ants forage both day and night, 

 invading dwellings, swarming over all kinds of food, 

 and even attacking sleeping infants. It bites severely, 

 but does not sting. As an agricultural menace, it 

 destroys buds, blooms, fruit, and fosters plant lice and 

 scale insects (^[239). The cotton louse and the sugar 

 cane mealy-bug increase rapidly under the care of 

 these ants. They attack and destroy native ants, and 

 other useful insects. Their nests may be destroyed by 

 using carbon bisulphide, potassium cyanide, or oil. 

 Poisoning is accomplished by using a bait of arsenic 

 in syrup. A jar provided with a perforated top and 

 containing a sponge saturated with the poisoned syrup 

 can be used in the house as safely as out of doors. 



236b. San Jose Scale (pronounced San Ho-se) is 

 easily recognized on fruit trees by an incrustation of 

 minute circular bodies with a pimple-like center, as 

 pictured in figure 100. The insect itself lives under 

 the circular scale. Several generations will be pro- 



