26 JAMESTOWN CONGRESS OF HORTICULTURE 



San Jose scale, of a lady-bird beetle which there keeps the scale in 

 check is familiar to most of you. While the lady-bird thrived for a 

 while in its new home, it became itself the object of attack from 

 other predatory insects, and the absence of suitable scale food, due to 

 the general spraying of orchards, where it had been introduced, led to 

 its extinction, except perhaps in one or two localities in the South. At 

 the present time large importations into Massachusetts from Europe 

 are being made of enemies of the gypsy and brown tail moth, but the 

 outcome of the work cannot yet be indicated. In a few instances 

 insects have been found to be quite susceptible to bacterial or fungous 

 diseases, and attempts have been made to propagate and disseminate 

 these to secure their destruction. Notable instances are the use of the 

 so-called "Muscardine" fungus years ago in the middle west against 

 the chinch bug; the more recent use in Florida of the fungus Sphaero- 

 stilbe against the San Jose scale, and the work at the present time in 

 the same state with the Aschersoriia diseases of the orange white fly. 



Cultural Methods. Numerous methods may be practiced for avoid- 

 ing insect injuries by the farmer and fruit grower, which involve no 

 outlay in time and labor not essential to proper crop culture, such as 

 clean culture and fall plowing where practicable, the early destruction 

 of crop remnants, the use of fertilizers to keep plants in vigorous and 

 healthy condition, crop rotation, and in orchards prompt removal of 

 diseased and dying limbs and trees, etc. Indeed in the case of staple 

 crops, such operations are about all that may be done. 



Winter wheat is largely protected from the fall swarm of the Hes- 

 sian fly by delaying seeding in the fall until the insects have made their 

 appearance, and died without ovipositing. Injury from the cotton boll 

 weevil is best avoided by planting the crop as early in the spring as 

 possible, and forcing a quick production, by chopping the plants out 

 wide in the rows, the liberal use of fertilizers, and frequent cultiva- 

 tion. In this way, a profitable crop of cotton may be insured before 

 the weevils are sufficiently abundant as to destroy the squares as fast 

 as they are produced. The early picking of the crop and destruction of 

 the plants in the fall and before the beetles go into hibernation destroys 

 them in enormous numbers, as they feed only on cotton. The cultiva- 

 tion of vineyards in the spring as the shoots are pushing out, largely 

 destroys the soft helpless pupae of the grape root worm then near the 

 surface of the ground. Similarly the plum curculio may be reduced to 

 an important extent by cultivation of orchards during a period of a 

 month, beginning about six weeks after blooming. Liberal use of fer- 

 tilizers will often enable plants to outgrow insect attack. This is well 

 illustrated in the case of the black peach aphis; in Michigan, where 

 the pest is quite troublesome, trees suffering from aphis attack are 

 readily brought out by liberal use of stable manure. Many similar 

 instances might be cited. In the use of cultural methods it should be 

 borne in mind that the work must be done advisedly as in the case of 

 spraying and with special reference to the particular insects to be con- 

 trolled. 



