June, 1918 
61 
THE 
How to Get Rid of the Rose Bug. 
The Rose chafer, or common Rose 
bug, one of the so-called May beetles, 
is probably the most persistently an- 
noying and destructive pest of the 
June Rose garden, as it makes its ap- 
pearance as soon as the Roses begin to 
bloom and continues its ravages well 
through the June blooming season. 
Unlike most other insects the chafer 
prefers petals to foliage and rapidly 
eats its way into the very center of 
the choicest flowers, completely de- 
spoiling them. It is a difficult pest to 
control, but there are several known 
ways to exterminate them and success 
will follow a persistent effort. 
Spraying the Roses with paris green 
or arsenate of lead will kill the bugs, 
but it is rather risky to poison Rose 
blooms, and I would not advise poison 
except where it is known to be abso- 
lutely safe to use it. 
Wood alcohol sprayed on the infested 
blooms with a fine atomizer will kill 
the bugs by contact. This is another 
dangerous remedy to use, as wood 
alcohol is highly volatile and its fumes 
are dangerous to the eyes, and one 
might seriously impair his eyesight, or 
possibly lose it altogether by being 
careless and inhaling it. 
Mrs. Ely, in her book, "The Practical 
Flower Garden,” gives a tested remedy 
which she obtained from the Garden 
Club of Philadelphia, and she vouches 
for its efficiency. It is a mixture of 
Three pints of sweet milk, (may be 
skimmed) ; 
Three pints of kerosene oil; 
One quart of water. 
Put the above in something that can 
be shaken, such as a demijohn— shake 
for a few minutes, add one-half pint of 
the resultant emulsion to a gallon of 
water, stir well and spray the Rose 
bushes, also wet the ground thoroughly 
over the roots, and apply it gently with 
the fingers to the buds. It should be 
used every ten days from May 1 to the 
middle of June. The larvae live in the 
ground and feed upon the roots of the 
Rose bush, and the drenching of the 
soil with the mixture seems to prevent 
their hatching out. 
Rose bugs can be easily shaken off 
into a can of oil, for when disturbed, 
unless well buried in the petals, they 
feign insensibility and drop off the 
flower. Their extremely long legs en- 
able them to make a quick "get-away” 
so that hand picking embraces some ele- 
ment of chance, thereby appealing to 
the true sportsman ! Hand picking is 
my own way of keeping the pest in abey- 
ance. I carefully and persistently 
watch for the first ones to appear and 
destroy them by violence — generally 
"strafing” them between the sole of my 
shoe and any convenient stone or brick, 
not having any special device for the 
purpose, like, according to the familiar 
old story, the farmer boy who sent 25 
cents in answer to the advertisement 
of a simple and absolutely sure potato 
Obe Tlower (Brower 
ROSE 
bug killer, and received by mail two 
blocks of wood with the instructions : 
"Place bug on one block and press 
firmly with the other.” 
H. G. Reading. 
Snap the Sparrow. 
[C. R. Hinkle in Wisconsin Horticulture ] 
The Bluebirds were calling loudly for help. 
I had heard the call before, when the pesky 
English Sparrows took forcible possession 
of the bungalow I had built for Bluebird ten- 
ants only, whereupon a new house was put 
up for Mr. and Mrs. Bluebird and, after 
several visits of inspection, they had con- 
cluded to take it and were moving in. And 
now they were appealing again, urgently, in- 
sistently, and evidently directly tome. What 
was the trouble ? A brazen English Spar- 
row visitor on their front porch, uninvited 
and unwelcome ! Something had to be done. 
It was no use to try that rifle again, for 
the Sparrow is too wise to stay within gun- 
shot and anyway that gun appeared to 
have a crooked barrel when used by me. 
So I borrowed my neighbor’s sparrow trap, 
one of those big wire affairs, costing $5 and 
highly recommended (.by the maker). Re- 
sult ; two sparrows caught in three days and 
the Bluebirds still coming to me at intervals 
and telling their troubles. Something more 
had to be done. 
I prepared for action and placed on the 
ground near the fancy trap half a dozen 
ordinary snap spring mouse traps, of the 
“three for a nickel” variety, and I must con- 
fess that I looked furtively around to see if 
anyone was watching this seemingly foolish 
act. Result : forty sparrows in a couple of 
weeks, while the scientific trap was catching 
eight ; the place free from the sparrow nui- 
sance, except an occasional scout from an- 
other colony who never returns to tell his 
tale, and peace and harmony in the Bluebird 
home, where little Mrs. Bluebird is sitting 
and is being attentively fed by her devoted 
and industrious husband on “June-bug 
grubs” and worms from my Gladiolus Gar- 
den. 
Not another bird goes near the mouse 
traps but I have had one woodpecker and 
one blue jay in the wire cage. Moreover 
one mouse and one gopher have been added 
to the list of victims of the mouse traps. I 
would advise, however, that they be set in 
the open pathways very near the house. 
Here the audacious sparrow does not hesi- 
tate to venture, while other and more modest 
birds might be protected by their natural 
timidity against the danger of the trap. 
The U. S. Department of Agriculture is- 
sues Bulletin No. 493 entitled, “The English 
Sparrow as a Pest.” In this is said: “The 
English Sparrow among birds, like the rat 
among mammals, is cunning, destructive and 
filthy. The annual loss caused by these 
birds throughout the country is very great. 
It reduces the number of some of our most 
useful and attractive native birds, as blue- 
birds, house wrens, purple martins, tree 
swallows, cliff swallows and barn swallows, 
by destroying their eggs and young and by 
usurping nesting places. It attacks other 
familiar species, as the robin, wren, red eyed 
vireo, cat bird and mocking bird, causing 
them to desert parks and shady streets of 
towns. Unlike our native birds whose place 
it usurps, iThas no song, but is noisy and 
vituperative.” 
The sparrow is a scavenger; he comes 
around three times a day, after meals, evi- 
dently to pick up crumbs. Bait the trap 
with a little pinch of bread,— let him try to 
pick it up. Snap! He gets it ! 
You “ Swat the Fly,” why not “ Snap the 
Sparrow ?” 
Lily of the Valley. 
Beds of Lily of the Valley become 
crowded after a few years, and unless 
the crowns are replanted they become 
weak and fail to flower. Trench the 
ground and mix with it a liberal 
amount of decayed manure, leaf-mould, 
and if the soil is of a heavy, retentive 
nature, a quantity of old potting soil or 
sand. Lift the crowns carefully and 
select the finest for pot culture or for 
planting in special beds. Plant the 
crowns in rows made 12 inches asunder, 
and allow a space of 6 inches between 
the crowns. Small crowns planted in 
reserve beds will make good plants, 
suitable for putting into permanent 
quarters next year. Give the beds that 
were planted last year a light top- 
dressing of decayed manure and leaf- 
mould, after all weeds and rubbish 
have been removed . — The Garden, Lon- 
don. 
Flowers at the Creamery. 
Oh shucks, some of the busy butter- 
makers will say, here is the same old 
story. But it is this way. Our good 
friend, John Grosser, buttermaker at 
Geneva, Minnesota, writes: "Would 
you please write something about 
flower gardens in the Dairy Record! 
Just now is the time to get the boys in 
line !” If you know Mr. Grosser, you 
know that he is very much in earnest 
in whatever he undertakes and that he 
practices what he preaches. He does 
plant flowers and cares for them, and 
his creamery grounds are known far 
and wide as being among the finest in 
the land. So we are glad to join him 
in his plea for a little beauty around 
the creamery and for the fine, healthy 
fresh air exercise the work furnishes the 
indoor worker. The "Creamery Beau- 
tiful” idea, in Iowa, where it has been 
put into a contest as well as in any 
other state, is not a fanciful dream by 
any means, but is a matter of real 
business value to any creamery. High 
grade butter means cleanliness, purity, 
fragrance and beauty, and real co-op- 
eration is built on fellowship of men, 
kindness and goodness of heart. Hence, 
the creamery, as an emblem, should 
stand in the midst of a lawn with 
shrubbery and flowers. As good ad- 
vertising for pure butter, both to pro- 
ducers and consumers, there is nothing 
better and nothing cheaper. 
And it is the finest kind of fun. We 
know. We, too, putter around on a lot 
every fine Spring morning from five to 
seven, dig and hoe and plant. Very 
amateurish, you know, lots of mistakes 
and all that, but we get pretty close to 
Mother Earth just the same and see the 
day while it is new and fresh, and 
watch flowers and garden stuff come 
up. It is fine for soul and body, there 
are no gasoline or tire bills, and far 
more thrilling than any cowboy or sob- 
story movie in five reels. Try it and 
see . — The Dairy Record. 
