LESSONS ON TOMATOES FOR RURAL SCHOOLS. 15 
prevents root rot. Rotation and spraying with Bordeaux are neces- 
sary to combat wilt. As a special treatment for blossom-end rot 
conserve the moisture supply and irrigate if found necessary. 
Insects: Among the insects to be combated in growing tomatoes 
are cutworms, flea-beetle, tomato hornworm, and tomato " fruit 
worm." Cutworms cut down the young plants as soon as set out. 
A good remedy is to use poisoned bait before the plants are set out. 
Dip some green plants such as collard or cabbage leaves, bunches of 
clover or^weeds into a solution of one spoonful of Paris green to a 
bucketful of water. Scatter these over the plat for two or three days 
before transplanting. A mash of bran or cottonseed meal may be 
used for the same purpose. The flea-beetle is a tiny black, jumping 
beetle which feeds upon the tissue of the leaf either in the cold frame 
or after transplanting. To combat this insect add to the Bordeaux 
mixture Paris green or arsenate of lead at the rate of 2 ounces of Paris 
green or 10 ounces of arsenate of lead to each 10 gallons of Bordeaux. 
The tomato hornworm is a large green caterpillar, the larva of one of 
the sphinx moths. Hand picking and killing is the best way to get 
rid of it. The " fruit worm" in its different generations is the same 
thing as the cotton bollworm and the bud worm of corn. It likes 
these plants better than tomatoes. Tomatoes planted near corn or 
cotton may suffer from this worm. Corn planted in tomatoes will 
protect the tomatoes, as the worms like the corn better than toma- 
toes. It injures the tomato by boring into the fruit. Pick off and 
destroy the worms as well as the infected tomatoes. Spray with 
arsenate of lead three weeks or more before the fruit ripens and again 
about a week before ripening spray with Paris green. 
Study questions: What tomato diseases are found in the com- 
munity? How serious has been the damage from diseases? What 
methods have been employed successfully in combating diseases? 
What insects found in the community attack tomatoes? To what 
extent have insects proved injurious? What methods have been 
employed to successfully combat them ? Estimate the damage done 
to the tomato crop of the community by diseases and insects. 
References.— Farmers' Buls. 220, pp. 31, 32; 642, pp. 9, 10. 
Practical exercises. — Club members should prepare and have ready 
stock solutions of lime and of bluestone to be mixed and used to pre- 
vent diseases of plants. See Farmers' Bui. 642, p. 10. Spraying 
should be done before diseases appear. If insects appear, arsenate of 
lead may be added to the Bordeaux mixture. 
Correlations. — Copy in the notebooks replies to the " study ques- 
tions." 
Drawing: Require the pupils to sketch parts of plants and fruits 
affected by diseases. 
Arithmetic: From the estimated damage to the tomato crop by 
diseases and insects develop problems as to the financial loss due to 
