VoL. LX. 
No. 2659. 
NEW YORK, JANUARY 12, 1901. 
II PKR YEAR. 
THE DESTRUCTIVE GREEN PEA-LOUSE. 
IT WILL BE HEBE ONCE MORE. 
What to Do For It 
I have 12 acres of Blue-grass and Timothy sod that I 
intended plowing last Fall, and wished to plant in peas 
for canning factory the latter part of April, but I fear 
the grub and cutworms may destroy it. The seed alone 
will cost me $108. This is more than I would like to 
chance if there is danger of the worms taking it. 
Indiana. reader. 
So far as cutworms and grubs are concerned I see 
no particular reason why Reader should not plant 
the Blue-grass and Timothy sod in peas next Spring. 
I would advise him to be particularly careful about 
planting peas in that section on account of the 
universal presence throughout the Northwest, as far 
as Green Bay, Wis., of that notorious insect known 
as the destructive Green pea-louse, a complete ac¬ 
count of which he will find in The R. N.-Y. for 
August 4, 1900. From facts which are now in my 
possession, and which have been coming to me re¬ 
cently from various sources stretching from Portland, 
Me., to Green Bay, Wis., 
I conclude that unless con¬ 
ditions change rapidly, 
there will be another in¬ 
vasion of the pea louse 
over wider areas the com¬ 
ing Spring. This insect 
was breeding in the open 
field late in October in the 
northeast part of New 
York State and other 
States in the North and 
Northwest. At present 1 
have large colonies in my 
laboratory, where it is 
breeding daily upon cow- 
peas and other peas. It is 
not very fond, however, of 
the former, while it is 
thriving nicely upon the 
green field pea. Two sea¬ 
sons have passed, and this 
little insect has been re¬ 
sponsible for the destruc¬ 
tion of green peas in the 
field to the extent of more 
than $7,000,000; during this 
time, we have had weather 
conditions of quite differ¬ 
ent character prevailing 
throughout the Fall, Win¬ 
ter and Spring of each 
year, and, at the same 
time, the total loss to the 
growers over the area 
where the insect has made 
its appearance in destructive numbers is greater by 
far this year than it was one year ago. Early in the 
Spring we predicted the presence of this insect 
throughout the Northwest and more northern States, 
and sent out a warning at that time, so that persons 
planting peas could be on their guard. 
As a matter of fact, therefore, I unhesitatingly state 
that the Indiana correspondent takes far greater risk 
in planting his peas in the Spring from the attacks 
of the Green pea-louse than he does from their 
destruction by grubs or cutworms or other insects. 
It has been demonstrated beyond all question of doubt 
that where peas have been drilled like wheat it is 
practically impossible to fight this insect with any 
degree of satisfaction. Wherever peas nave been 
drilled, especially the late plantings, and where this 
insect has secured a hold upon them before the bloom¬ 
ing season, they have been invariably killed outright, 
or reduced in vitality to such an extent during the 
past season that they were not worth cutting; on 
the other hand, where the peas have been planted in 
rows from 26 to 30 inches apart, there has been a 
better opportunity afforded for combating this pest, 
and in most cases where persistent and energetic 
work was followed regularly with the brush and cul¬ 
tivator method, cited in the article referred to in The 
R. N.-Y., the peas were saved to a very great extent. 
In one instance, the owner who had planted 600 acres 
canned between 25,000 and 30,000 cases of two dozen 
cans each, while the previous year, where his peas 
were drilled, he lost a total of 480 acres outright, or 
on a cash basis something like $20,000 or $25,000. 
My general advice, therefore, for persons who in¬ 
tend planting peas in the Spring would be for them 
to secure the early varieties, and get them in the 
ground as early as possible. In the central Southern 
States this can be done in many cases in February 
or March, while in the Northern States I realize it 
will not be possible to get them in the ground until 
much later, but wherever the pea is planted for 
canning or commercial purposes, it must be borne in 
mind that every precaution should be taken to have 
the peas in such a condition that this insect can be 
combated by means of the instruments and methods 
now demonstrated, whereby it can be kept in check, 
provided it makes its appearance. So far as varieties 
are concerned, some varieties are more susceptible to 
the attacks of insects than others; as an illustration, 
the variety known as Alaska will no doubt resist to a 
very much greater extent the attacks of this insect 
than the variety known as the French Canner, which 
has a different method of growth, the stem and ter¬ 
minal bud being much more delicate and the leaves 
much more succulent than those of such varieties as 
the Alaska and others of a similar character. The 
varieties known as First and Best and the Alaska 
have been, perhaps, more generally planted in this 
section than any others, but in every case, all varieties 
have succumbed to the attacks Of this insect, where 
they have been thoroughly established upon them be¬ 
fore the blooming season. In making preparation. 
therefore, for the planting in the Spring, the grower 
must prepare himself with the implements for making 
a determined and persistent warfare against this 
pest, with the brush and cultivator method, as soon 
as the creature makes its appearance, by getting the 
peas in the ground early, and with fair weather con¬ 
ditions, the plants getting a start and blooming be¬ 
fore the insect really establishes itself to any extent 
upon the vines, the grower has a very good op¬ 
portunity of securing at least a fair crop, even with 
an invasion of insects following latter. 
Some workers have generally recommended a spray¬ 
ing method for checking and controlling this pest. 
We were of the same opinion early last season, but 
after one season’s work we have practically demon¬ 
strated that no system of spraying is of any special 
value on a large scale, and I would, therefore, dis¬ 
courage the use of spraying apparatus and spraying 
material of any kind upon fields of peas infested with 
this insect, and would especially recommend the use 
of the brush and pan, or the brush and cultivator 
method, both of which 
have been described in 
previous communications 
to The R. N.-Y. 
In the accompanying il¬ 
lustration, Fig. 7, a fair 
idea can be gained of 
the brush-and-pan method, 
which we have used for 
the control of the pea- 
louse. 
[Prof.] W. G. JOHNSON. 
R. N.-Y.—Those who buy 
canned peas have only to 
ask the price of a good 
sample to realize how this 
pea-louse has affected 
trade. In some districts 
the pack was scarcely half 
that of former years. If 
Prof. Johnson is right in 
his estimates for this year, 
there will be more trouble 
than ever. The very fact 
that this insect is so hard 
to fight makes it all the 
more necessary to follow 
as closely as possible the 
few lines of warfare which 
the entomologists have 
been able to work out. We 
give considerable space to 
the matter, as a good ma¬ 
jority of our readers are 
interested In pea growing, 
either in garden or in field. 
Of late years the pea crop has been popular with 
many farmers, who supply canning factories. Prices 
are now so high that it will be a great temptation to 
some farmers to put in a large acreage this year. It 
is our duty to warn them that they must be prepared 
to put up a stiff fight against this pea-louse. The 
cannery shark will take advantage of the high prices 
paid for canned peas to try to work his fraudulent 
schemes in many neighborhoods. His tongue will 
blast your pocketbook worse than the plant lice will 
wilt your peavines. Between the two there will be 
nothing left for you. Of course this pea-louse, like 
many other injurious insects, gives to some growers 
the chance to turn a curse into a blessing. That is a 
singular thought, and yet it is true. The louse is sure 
to reduce the general crop of peas, because the great 
majority of growers will not fight it successfully. 
Therefore those who are able to resist it and thus ob¬ 
tain a fair crop will find that the louse has given them 
a partial monopoly which means a better price. 
FIGHTING THE PEA LOUSE WITH BRUSH AND PAN. Fio. 7. 
