INSECTICIDES AND EQUIPMENT FOR CONTROLLING INSECTS 51 



WHEN AND HOW TO APPLY INSECTICIDES 



Be prepared to spray or dust whenever an insect infestation threat- 

 ens the crop. Where only a few plants are concerned it may be sufficient 

 to pick off and kill the insects or to remove infested leaves. Find out 

 what insect is present and whether an insecticide should be used; 

 your county agent, Smith-Hughes teacher, extension entomologist, or 

 experiment station entomologist, State department of agriculture, or 

 the Bureau of Entomology and Plant Quarantine of the United States 

 Department of Agriculture can give you the necessary information. 



To get the best results in the control of insects, the spray or dust 

 mixtures must be properly prepared, and the application must be 

 made promptly and thoroughly with good apparatus. Disregard of 

 these factors involves waste of material, possibly injury to the plants, 

 and questionable results. Do not wait until the plants are seriously 

 injured, but begin the treatment as soon as insects or damage is ob- 

 served. Using a watering pot or whisk broom is not spraying and is 

 a hit-or-miss method that covers the plants only partially. The ideal 

 spray is a fine mist, and the best work is done when the entire plant 

 is thoroughly and evenly covered with very fine droplets. In case of 

 dusts an even and thin coating of the dust particles over the plant 

 surfaces is desired. The best results are accomplished by directing the 

 sprays or dusts from below to cover the under surfaces of the foliage 

 and from above to cover the upper surfaces. It is best to stop spraying 

 before the foliage is drenched, otherwise large droplets will form 

 and run off the plant, causing wastage. Spraying with a high pres- 

 sure gives the best results. It is essential to keep the spray mixture 

 stirred during the spraying process. 



The interval between applications will depend upon the weather 

 and the habits of the insects. If rains occur soon after the plants 

 have been sprayed or dusted, it is often necessary to repeat the treat- 

 ment the next day or as soon thereafter as weather conditions permit. 

 If one application does not give good control, repeat the treatment. 



FIRST-AID SUGGESTIONS IN CASES OF INSECTICIDAL POISONING 



When handling and using poison there is a possibility of accident ; 

 therefore the following instructions are given as an aid in such cases. 

 The first step is to rush the victim to the nearest hospital if it is within 

 a reasonable distance, or to obtain the service of a physician as soon as 

 possible. The physician should be informed as to the nature of the 

 poison, the exact time elapsed since the patient received the poison or 

 showed signs of sickness, the extent and kind of first aid that may 

 have been administered, and medicaments available at the place of the 

 accident. 



In all cases where poison has been taken through the mouth into 

 the stomach the first effort should be directed to removing the poison 

 as quickly as possible or to diluting it in the stomach, since a poison 

 diluted with large quantities of fluid is not absorbed so rapidly as it 

 is in concentrated form. Therefore, first aid to the victim should be 

 (1) to induce vomiting and (2) to dilute the poison. When the poison 

 is removed it can do no further damage, and vomiting may be induced 

 by inserting the finger down the throat. It is much easier to induce 

 vomiting when the stomach is full than when empty; therefore, to 



