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MENACE IN MARCH 



i^ OF MUM MIDGE 



The writer of this article has had a twofold opportunity, first as a grow- 

 er and later as a traveling salesman, to inform himself on the subject. The 

 knowledge gained from his own experience has been supplemented by ob- 

 servation and inquiry at the numerous ranges he has visited. 



jS JIIIIIIIHn 



N EECENT years it has 

 been my privilege, in ful- 

 fillment of my regular du- 

 ties, to call on most of the 

 leading florists in six 

 states lying west, north 

 and east of Chicago, and 

 also in a part of four ad- 

 joining states, Kentucky, 

 West Virginia, Pennsylva- 

 nia and New York. Having been, 

 earlier in my experience, a grower of 

 both large chrysanthemums and pom- 

 pons, I usually take the liberty to in- 

 spect the stock at the places where I 

 call and I am much surprised to see to 

 what an alarming extent the midge — I 

 mean the mum midge, which is entirely 

 different from the midge that affects 

 the roses — has found a footing and 

 what tremendous damage it is doing. 



A Sly and Elusive Enemy. 



For example, one grower, on dis- 

 covering the ravages of the mum midge 

 on his place, discarded hig entire plant- 

 ing stock of 10,000 fine benching plants 

 last May and secured new stock, while 

 another grower, not knowing that his 

 stock was infested, suf- 

 fered the consequences 

 last fall. In the latter 

 case the foreman -.m- 

 plained of the soil, be- 

 lieving that in it lay the 

 cause of the crippled fo- 

 liage and bull-headed 

 growths. As I examined 

 his stock, I found that it 

 was entirely free from all 

 insects except midge and 

 I learned that his mum 

 crop always had been ex- 

 cellent until that season. 



At still another place I 

 inquired whether there 

 had been any trouble with 

 the midge and the grower 

 informed me that either 

 the soil or the water had 

 been causing crippled 

 growth, as he felt sure 

 there was no disease, be- 

 cause the foliage held its 

 color. Again the mischief- 

 maker was midge. 



In June, 1919, the Wis- 

 consin florists met at 

 Fond du Lac, Wis., and 

 the question of how to 

 combat the midge was 

 brought up for discussion. 

 To the best of my ability, 

 I told the assembled flo- 

 rists how to fight the 

 pest. I also warned them 



that the midge was getting busy at 

 many places where its presence was not 

 suspected and I urged all to be on their 

 guard against the first appearance of 

 the insect. But, as is too often the 

 case, many of them merely waited for 

 developments, like the man who post- 

 pones securing fire insurance until after 

 his place has burned down. 



Conquered by Nicotine Spray. 



As I have read the many inquiries on 

 this subject that have recently ap- 

 peared in The Eeview, I have realized 

 more and more clearly that many fine 

 houses of mums are likely to be ruined 

 the coming season unless improved 

 methods are' used in combatii^ the 

 midge. In deciding to offer my sugges- 

 tions on the subject through these col- 

 umns, my reason is that The Eeview 

 reaches close to 100 per cent of the 

 trade. Therefore, in speaking through 

 The Eeview, I am making it possible 

 for everyone concerned to have the 

 means of conquering this dangerous 

 pest, if my idea is correct. And I 

 could name a certain well-known florist 

 whose stock of 14,000 plants was badly 



White Spots are Eggs Laid in Leaves fay the Midge. 



infested with midge last May, but now 

 has been entirely freed from it by the 

 use of my method, namely, persistent 

 spraying with nicotine. This grower, 

 after making many attempts to clean 

 out the midge in a general way, be- 

 came desperate and determined to spray 

 with nicotine every twelve hours with- 

 out fail for ten days, and he conquered. 



Now, please be cautious. This con- 

 quest was possible in so short a time be- 

 cause this same grower had been using 

 nicotine in spray form regularly, prior 

 to the time he decided to use it every 

 twelve hours. This was in spring, when 

 the insects hatched particularly fast. 



The mum midge is a small insect. 

 When it is full-sized its length is about 

 equal to the diameter of an average pin- 

 head, and its width is about one third 

 of its own length. 



Its Appearance and Actions. 



In the earliest stage of its life 

 its color is the same as that of the leaf. 

 In middle age it is somewhat yellow. 

 When at work or about the time it 

 leaves its nest it is reddish in color and 

 has two fleecy wings, which apparently 

 are not of sufficient 

 strength to be used in fly- 

 ing. It seems that these 

 wings are only useful in 

 helping the insect to keep 

 its balance. 



As far as can be ascer- 

 tained, during the warm- 

 er months its hatching pe- 

 riod is eleven to eighteen 

 days; during the winter 

 months the period must 

 be longer. The midge 

 buries its eggs in the ten- 

 derest growth of the 

 plant. It multiplies ex- 

 tremely fast. 



As already stated, two 

 to three weeks elapse be- 

 fore the egg is hatched. 

 During this time, espe- 

 cially in summer, the 

 growth of the plants is 

 rapid, and wherever an 

 egg is buried there is a 

 scar on the leaf or stem. 

 I have known of numerous 

 instances in which there 

 were as many as fifty eggs 

 per leaf. As the leaf 

 grows, the scars prevent 

 its maintaining its nat- 

 ural shape and so it is 

 badly crippled and un- 

 dersized. The eggs in the 

 stem, if more numerous 

 on one side than on the 



