82 



[June, 



|k Vegetable (|ipifoi. 



SEASONABLE HINTS. 



Many tillers of the soil entertain the idea 

 that the only object of cultivation is the kill- 

 ing of weeds, while in reality a good gardener 

 should have no weeds to kill. Weeds should 

 serve him only as reminders of his remiss- 

 ness in cultivating his crops at the proper 

 time. The principal object in stirring the 

 ground is to keep the soil light and loose, 

 that air and moisture may penetrate it and 

 that the roots may spread easier in search for 

 their necessary food. . . 



Early Cultivation is, therefore, an impor- 

 tant means of success. All growing plants 

 should be cultivated, and the entire surface 

 of the ground around them stirred and loos- 

 ened as soon as the rows become visible, 

 whether there are any weeds to be seen or 

 not. There are enough of them in the ground 

 just ready to push forth, and this early culti- 

 vating prevents them from making much 

 further progress. The early cultivation of 

 slow-germinating vegetables is considerably 

 facilitated by sowing a few Badish seeds in 

 'the drills. These do not interfere in the 

 least, and grow so quickly that the rows 

 become plainly marked before the other 

 seeds have sprouted. 



Bales are used too little in the garden. A 

 narrow steel rake or a six-tined prong-hoe 

 are far more efficient implements for stirring 

 the soil around small plants, and easier 

 handled, than a common hoe. 



Asparagus should not be cut later than the 

 middle of June, after which time the bed 

 should be well cleaned and cultivated, and 

 left to itself for the remainder of the season. 

 There is no surer way of killing an Aspara- 

 gus bed than to keep on cutting all summer. 

 We know of some who have succeeded admir- 

 ably in this way. 



Rhubarb is generally not much used after 

 berries begin to ripen, and goes to waste. It 

 may easily be preserved, however, by paring 

 and cutting the stalks in small pieces as for 

 stewing, and then stringing and drying them 

 like Apples. They may then be used, at any 

 time, for pies and other purposes, and are 

 almost as good as fresh stalks. They may also 

 be stewed and preserved in jars like fruits. 

 The flower-stalks, although ornamental, 

 should be cut off whenever they appear. 



Ohra is one of our undeservedly neglected 

 vegetables. It is as easily grown as Corn 

 and requires about the same treatment. The 

 young, unripe pods, which are the part used, 

 make delicious soups, not only when fresh, 

 but they may be sliced and dried, and used 

 the year round for this purpose. 



Siveet Herbs. — Under this name are com- 

 prised Sage, Thyme, Summer Savory, Sweet 

 Marjoram, and a few others, all of which are 

 but rarely found in private gardens, yet they 

 are valued and relished for seasoning various 

 dishes, and as they may be easily dried and 

 preserved the year round, they deserve more 

 general attention. Their cultivation is 

 simple. The seeds are sowu in a hot-bed or 

 out-doors as early as the season permits, in 

 rich mellow soil, lightly covered and watered 

 when necessary. The plants have to be 

 carefully kept thinned out and clean from 

 weeds until they have grown large enough 

 for transplanting. 



THE POTATO BEETLE AND ITS 

 DESTRUCTION. 



The Potato Beetle was first discovered in 

 the mountains of Colorado, where it fed on 

 some wild species of Solanum — the genus to 

 which the Potato belongs. The beetle was 

 therefore known to entomologists for some 

 time before it became a pest to the farmer. 

 When the far West became settled up aud 

 the Potato was cultivated near the native 

 haunts of the insect, the means for an easy 

 livelihood were furnished, and also a method 

 of comparatively rapid spreading of the pest. 

 It was first observed as injurious to the 

 Potato-crop in 1859, since which time the 

 Beetle has established himself throughout 

 Potato-growing regions of the United States 

 and the Canadas. 



HABITS OF THE BEETLE. 



The pest in question is so familiar to many, 

 if not to most, of those who will read this 

 article, that a brief description will suffice. 

 The beetle is about half an inch in length, 

 and is easily recognized by the ten dis- 

 tinct black lines, with a yellow background, 

 on the upper surface of the wing-covers ; in 



I fact, the specific name is given in this pecu- 



[ liarity, namely: [Doryphora~\ decemlineata. 

 The whole name, when put in English, reads: 

 "The Ten-lined Spearman." 

 The beetles, or perfect insects, come from 



! the ground in early spring, a fact well kuown to 



| many Potato-growers, who have found them, 

 as it has been remarked, " standing around 

 the hills watching and waiting for the young 



I Potato-plants to show themselves above [ 



j ground." I have many times removed the 

 breaking crust over a hill of plants and | 

 found as many as seventeen f ull-growu beetles 

 that had reached their feeding-ground thus 

 early in the life of the Potato-plant. The 

 eggs are laid soon after the beetles come from 

 the ground. They are oval, of a dark orange 

 color, and are dejjosited in patches of ten to ; 

 forty on the under side of the Potato-leaves, 

 a single beetle laying from 500 to 700 eggs. 

 The grub, " worm," or larva state is reached ! 



i in about a week after the laying of the eggs. 

 The "worms" are of a reddish color, with 

 double rows of dark spots along their sides. 



i They eat with great rapidity, and if present 

 in considerable numbers will soon strip a 

 Potato-field of its foliage. As the worms in- 

 crease in size they are yellowish, plump, and 

 disgusting. In three weeks they go into the 

 earth and change into the inactive or pupa 



! state, in which they remain for two weeks, 

 and come out the perfect insects or beetles. 



There are three broods ; the last one ap- 

 pears late in the fall, and the larvae enter the 

 soil and remain there until the following 



I spring. 



The mischief is principally done by the 

 insect when in the grub state, although the 

 beetles are large eaters. 



THE DESTRUCTION OF THE PEST. 



This is the most important part of the 

 treatment of the Potato Beetle. It is clear 

 that if all the beetles could be destroyed in 

 j the spring as they issue from the grub there 

 would be very little further trouble. Any 

 means of killing off the first brood is there- 

 fore of importance, such as brushing them 

 from the vines, and burning, poisoning, etc. 

 In the second place, if the eggs are sought 

 for and destroyed, the trouble of the season 

 will be nipped in the bud. The eggs, from 



their bright color and being in clusters, can 

 be readily seen and removed by turning up 

 the foliage with a pole or a hoe-handle, and 

 pinching off the leaves bearing clusters of 

 eggs. 



Experience — and a sad one — has taught 

 that the most satisfactory method of destroy- 

 ing the Potato pest is by applying poison to 

 the vines. Paris green has served well in 

 this capacity for a number of years. It is an 

 arsenite of copper, a deadly poison, and well 

 adapted as an insecticide. The methods of 

 using the Paris green are numerous, but are 

 naturally divided into the dry and the wet 

 application. When used in the dry state it 

 needs to be mixed with thirty to fifty times 

 its bulk of flour or plaster. The dusting 

 should be done when the dew is on, or just 

 after a rain, that the poison may be held by 

 the wet leaves. The number of dusters and 

 sifters that have been devised is large, some 

 patented and others not. 



The wet method of applying the "green" 

 is preferred by some growers. The poison is 

 mixed with water, one tablespoonful to a ten- 

 quart pail of water. The powder is not sol- 

 uble in water, but simply mixes in it, and 

 quickly settles to the bottom of the vessel, 

 unless the water is freqently stirred. A large 

 watering-pot with a fine rose may be used for 

 sprinkling the poison. If the crop is a large 

 one, it will probably pay to have one of the 

 patent poison sprinklersor "spray machines," 

 by means of which a large area can be cov- 

 ered in a short time. 



The London Purple is now much used as a 

 poison for the Potato Beetle. It is also an 

 arsenic compound, and is a by-product, or a 

 ' ' refuse " left in the manufacture of dyes. 

 The Paris green is more costly, and on ac- 

 count of its expensiveness is much adulter- 

 ated. The London Purple is, therefore, of 

 more uniform quality. Its color and ease of 

 mixing with water also make it equal if not 

 superior to Paris green. Experience teaches 

 that the liquid mixture should consist of one 

 pound of the "Purple" to a hundred gallons 

 of water. All that has been said as to the 

 methods of application of Paris green apply 

 with equal force in case London Purple is 

 employed. 



A WORD OF CAUTION. 



These two substances are deadly poisons, 

 and must be considered as such, and should 

 be used and preserved with the greatest care. 

 There is danger from inhaling the dust when 

 applied in the dry way. The greatest care 

 should be exercised in storing the poison that 

 it be put where it will be out of harm's way. 



Dr. Byron D. Halsted. 



[The greatest danger in the use of Paris 

 green or London purple is while handling 

 these poisons in the pure state, when mixing 

 them with plaster or flour or water, and 

 unless a separate, secure room can be de- 

 voted to the mixing and storing, one feels 

 never safe while the "stuff" is about the 

 place. ' ' Hammond's Slug Shot "is free from 

 this objection at least, as it is prepared ready 

 for use, and, unless handled with reckless 

 carelessness, may be used without danger. 

 The extreme fineness of the plaster used in 

 its preparation adds considerably to its fer- 

 tilizing value. We have tried this prepara- 

 tion repeatedly during the past few years, 

 and were so well pleased with it that last 

 summer we used it exclusively on ten acres 

 of Potatoes.— Ed. ] 



