April, 1919 
WISCONSIN HORTICULTURE 
101 
tary. Also experience or benefit 
from bees. An instance was cited 
in one of the 1918 issues where it 
was thought bees were account- 
able for a larger setting of berries 
than would have resulted other- 
wise. They are pollen carriers we 
know. 
The E. P. Arp in family were re- 
cently made happy by the safe re- 
turn of their son, Captain Ed- 
mund Arpin, who entered the 
service in the early stage of the 
war. Capt. Arpin was one of the 
few survivors of his regiment in 
one of the great battles “over 
there.” 
Word from Chas. A. K. Rankin 
tells of his release from service 
and entry again into civil life. 
Happy the day when peace and 
safety reign and our boys once 
more in their home circles. 
Cranberry marshes are still dor- 
mant. Though we have had a 
wonderfully mild winter for Wis- 
consin, with ice now disappearing 
from the Wisconsin River and 
smaller streams. Marshes in the 
Cranmoor district are still so sol- 
idly frozen that at this time, late 
in March, teams can be easily 
driven over them. 
Referring to last year, one of 
our eastern growers writes as fol- 
lows : “It has been a hard year for 
me as for many others, but I am 
glad to have paid expenses to Jan- 
uary 1, tho I shall not to the end 
of my .fiscal year. The high prices 
now to be had for cranberries (if 
one has any) did not benefit me 
for mine were sold early, mostly 
before the sugar embargo was 
raised. In fact we kept the mails 
hot in importuning the Food Ad- 
ministration to allow the sale of 
half a pound of sugar with each 
quart of cranberries. I think 
probably we did help to get the 
first allowance, but probably the 
signing of the armistice effected 
the later one. I was thankful that 
I could sell all of my fruit on the 
reputation of my brand, but it 
would have been practical ruin 
for many small growers if the 
market had not improved.” 
The above experience is true of 
most cranberry growers last year. 
With the extremely high prices of 
it seemed almost hazardous to har- 
it seemed almost hazardous to har- 
vest a berry. The feeling is one 
of thankfulness that we were sav- 
ed from heavy losses, even tho 
the producers generally were not 
benefitted by the later high prices. 
How to Control the Onion Thrips. 
The onion thrips is an insect so 
small that it is almost invisible to 
the unaided eye, but it is prolific, 
and the most serious menace to 
the onion-growing industry of this 
country. It causes an annual loss 
to this crop alone estimated by 
specialists of the U. S. Depart- 
ment of Agriculture to be at least 
$2,250,000. Though the insect has 
a particular liking for onions, it 
preys upon other garden and 
truck crops, such as cabbage, cau- 
liflower, cucumbers and melons, 
and also has a ravenous appetite 
for greenhouse and many orna- 
mental plants, particularly roses. 
To aid growers in identifying this 
insect and preventing the losses 
for which it is I’esponsible, Farm- 
ers’ Bulletin 1007, “Control of 
Onion Thrips,” has recently been 
published by the U. S. Deparlment 
of Agriculture. The first indica- 
tion that an onion field has been 
attacked by thrips, says the bulle- 
tin, is shown by the leaves, which 
become whitened. In advanced at- 
tacks the leaves are curled, crink- 
led and twisted, and finally die 
down permanently. To control 
this pest, begin spraying with nic- 
otine sulphate solution as soon as 
there is any evidence of the insect. 
If spraying is delayed until hun- 
dreds of young thrips are present 
the ci'op will be seriously injured. 
The spray material is made by the 
following formula : % pint of nic- 
otine sulphate (-10%), 4 pounds of 
dissolved soap, and 50 gallons of 
water. Spraying should be done 
thoroughly and applied as a fine 
mist. 
It is not advisable to plant 
other crops, such as early cabbage 
and cauliflower, upon which the 
thrips feed, near the onion fields. 
After onions, cabbage and related 
crops are harvested, the field 
should be cleaned up to destroy 
any breeding places of the insect. 
They will continue to thrive on 
any portion of these plants or 
weeds that might remain in the 
field. It is a good practice to plow 
as deeply as possible and harrow 
the ground after harvest. Much 
of the injury can be avoided by 
planting as early as possible and 
by using quick-acting fertilizers 
after the onions are well set or 
the bulbs have begun to form. 
Onion fields should be watched 
constantly and the plants should 
be kept growing thriftily, since 
once the plants become checked in 
their growth from any cause the 
thrips will multiply more rapidly 
than ever and it will be a hard 
fight to save the crop. 
Sage, dill, and other herbs are 
easily grown in the garden. 
