The Beet 



165 



destruction of its wild food plants ; with some crops the injury 

 may be avoided by growing the plants either early in the 

 spring or late in autumn, when the insect is less abundant. 



Sugar-beet webworm {Loxostege sticticalis). — A yellowish 

 white caterpillar marked on the back with three dark stripes, 

 about, 1 in. in length when full-grown, that devours the leaves 

 and covers its feeding grounds with a slight silken web. Con- 

 trol: Spray with 3 lbs. paris green in 100 gals, of water to 

 which 6 lbs. of whale-oil soap or 3 lbs. of lime are added, 

 or dust the plants with paris green, 2 to 4 lbs. in 100 lbs. 

 air-slaked lime. 



Hawaiian beet webw^orm {Hymcnia fascialis). — A small 

 slender pale green caterpillar which skeletonizes the under- 

 side of the leaves ; restricted to the Southern States. Control: 

 Spray with arsenate of lead (paste), 2 lbs. in 50 gals, of water, 

 taking care to hit the underside of the leaves. 



Spotted beet webworm {IJjimenia perspectalis) . — A small 

 shining green caterpillar marked with rows of small black 

 dots that at first skeletonizes the leaves but later eats the 

 whole leaf; restricted to the Southern States. Control: Same 

 as for the preceding species. 



Southern beet webworm (Pachyzancla Mpunctalis) . — A 

 glossy dark dirty green caterpillar, about % in. long when 

 full-grown that devours the foliage, folding and webbing the 

 leaves together with silken threads. Control: Same as for the 

 spotted beet webworm. 



Two general types of beets are grown for vegetable- 

 gardening purposes: the short-season turnip varieties 

 (Fig. 76) and the main-season long-rooted varieties. Cer- 

 tain oval half -long types are intermediate in season. The 

 long-rooted varieties are less popular than formerly, for 

 the turnip varieties may be grown in autumn for winter 

 use, and fresh beets are to be had from the South in 

 winter. Formerly the long blood beet was used for stock- 

 feeding to some extent, but the mangel-wurzel has largely 



