72 Subtropical Vegetable-Gardening 



Poison bait becomes very useful in combating cut- 

 worms, grasshoppers, crickets, and similar pests that are 

 not easily reached by poisoning the foliage or cannot be 

 reached with contact insecticides. A teaspoonful of ar- 

 senate of lead, paris green, or zinc arsenite, mixed evenly 

 with a quart of dry bran, shorts, or cottonseed meal should 

 be used. Enough water is added to make it into a paste 

 that can easily be molded in the hands. If a quantity of 

 molasses or sirup is added, it will increase the moisture- 

 holding capacity and also make it somewhat more attrac- 

 tive to certain insects. 



GASEOUS INSECTICIDES 



Bisulfide of carbon proves very serviceable in destroying 

 insects that are infesting seed and seed-storage rooms. 

 It also proves useful in a limited way in treating seed-beds 

 for destroying ants. One pound of bisulfide of carbon 

 will be needed for about 1,000 cubic feet of tightly closed 

 space. This amount will be almost sure to kill all the 

 animals within the inclosure in twenty-four hours' time. 

 For destroying insects that are infesting seeds, a propor- 

 tionately smaller amount should be used after placing the 

 seeds in a box that can be tightly closed. For destroying 

 ants' nests, a hole should be punched in the ground with a 

 ^-inch or f-inch dibber in or near the ants' nest and one to 

 several teaspoonfuls of the carbon bisulfide dropped in 

 the hole, and the hole covered carefully, firming the soil 

 above. 



Formalin is useful in combating the root-knot worm in 

 seed-beds, where it is probably more effective than the 

 carbon bisulfide. One part of the commercial formalin is 



