55o 
TUB-RURAL NEW-YORKER 
July 22, 
not suffer disastrously from insect attack in either case. 
Ohio State Entomologist. h. a. gossard. 
An Argument Against Sod. 
I list herein a few insects, in what I should regard 
the order of their importance to apple growers in typical 
localities of the United States: 1. Codling moth. 2. 
Plum curculio in both apple and plum. 3. Leaf-eating 
caterpillars, such as canker-worms and tent-caterpillars. 
4. The Apple aphis. 5. The Woolly aphis. 6. Borers. 
In considering the Codling moth first; as many of 
your readers doubtless know, the larva when full 
grown, either lets itself down from the apple, as a rule, 
or the apple dropping, it crawls from the apple and 
generally toward the tree trunk, and there pupates. 
However, if it meets on this journey any protec¬ 
tion, such as would be afforded naturally in an 
orchard left in sod, it would be very apt to pupate 
in such a situation; therefore, 1 regard a sod 
orchard as undesirable with reference to the Cod¬ 
ling moth. The Plum curculio we are finding here, 
and to my knowledge in some other States also, 
almost as important a pest upon the apple as the 
preceding. The Plum curculio, in going through 
its transformations, pupates an inch or more below 
the surface of the ground. One of the suggested 
remedies, and a remedy that has been found good 
in this connection, is working of the soil of the 
apple orchard in July and August; shallow plowing 
followed by two or three harrowings between the 
middle of July and the middle of August.* This, of 
course, is out of the question if the orchard is in 
sod. Furthermore, while the adult beetle of the 
Plum curculio flies a long distance sometimes to 
find a suitable place to pass the Winter, it is a 
fact that they do hibernate, for the most part, 
under the fruit trees which they have been infest¬ 
ing, particularly if there is rubbish there, or if the 
ground is in sod which is not disturbed. We can 
refer to the last four groups of orchard pests men¬ 
tioned, in a general way, by saying that anything on the 
soil which offers protection, either during Winter or at 
other times, is undesirable, and sod does in a great 
measure offer that protection. In a general way it may 
be said of all insect life that protection of any kind, in 
the shape of rubbish, or anything approaching rubbish, 
encourages the increase of the insect. The insects which 
I have given I regard as the chief enemies of the hor¬ 
ticulturist, and none of these, so far as I am aware, 
would leave the fruit trees for any other plant. There¬ 
fore, while sod may be useful in conserving moisture, 
and useful in a snowless Winter, to some extent in 
protecting roots, I do not regard its presence in an 
orchard as desirable. f. l - washburn. 
Cultivation Destroys Many Insects. 
It is safe to say that cultivation tends 
to the reduction of destructive insects. 
This operates in two ways; by the re¬ 
pression of weeds, which, being the 
favorite food plants of an insect, often 
constitute centers of infestation to ad¬ 
jacent crops, and by the destruction of 
the insects through the disturbing of 
the soil. Disking Alfalfa fields in 
early Spring, after the frost has left 
the ground and before vegetation is 
well started, will destroy native grass¬ 
hopper eggs in the soil, kills native 
grasses, the natural food plants of the 
insects, and will often increase the 
yields of the first and second crops of 
Alfalfa by one-third. Cultivation be¬ 
fore the planting of corn to destroy 
smartweed and Crab grass tends to 
starve out the Corn root-lice and af¬ 
fords protection to the corn which is 
proportionate to the thoroughness of 
the work. Investigations of the out¬ 
breaks of the Buffalo tree-llopper, an 
insect of increasing importance to the 
western apple growing public, showed 
that the trees that were much injured 
by this insect were grown in weeds 
and grasses, cultivation during August 
and September having been suspended for one reason 
or another, and the orchard weeds allowed to grow un¬ 
checked. Orchards where cultivation was not neglected 
showed almost entire freedom from this pest. Com¬ 
plete reliance may be placed in clean culture for the 
control of this insect. The Tarnished plant-bug will 
thrive in Timothy overgrown with golden-rod and white- 
top (Erigeron annuus), and in migrating to adjacent 
orchards has caused severe injuries to the fruit trees. 
Young apple orchards started in partially broken sod 
have been ruined by grasshoppers breeding in the sur¬ 
rounding grasses. 
Many important pests spend a portion of their lives 
either in or about the surface of the ground. Cut¬ 
worms, wireworms and white grubs thrive in the sod, 
and much can be accomplished toward their destruction 
by timely plowing of the ground, followed by thorough 
harrowing. Likewise the Plum curculio, Yellow-necked 
apple tree caterpillar, Rose bug, Pear midge, Cherry 
maggot, Apple maggot and Grape fidia are susceptible 
to the disturbance of the soil by cultivation. Other fruit 
pests might be mentioned which are amenable in part 
to such practice. There is some truth in the statement 
that grass in an orchard may furnish protection to the 
trees from certain insects. For instance, fruit trees in 
sod seem to be less ravaged by climbing cutworms than 
trees growing in bare ground, as the grass is apparently 
more attractive to the creatures as means of subsistence 
than the foliage of the trees. But for the larger number 
of important orchard pests greater protection would be 
secured by judicious cultivation. Of course one can 
recall to mind the histories of a number of orchards 
which tend to show, that, while theoretically cultivation 
is destructive to certain insects, yet in its practical oper- 
tions very little difference with respect to these pests 
can be detected in orchards that are systematically cul¬ 
tivated as compared with those grown in sod. But 
while in this quandary we should not be unmindful of 
the migratory habits of insects and of their “ups and 
downs” occasioned by weather conditions and parasit¬ 
ism, which, acting as balancing forces, may often obscure 
the good results of cultivation and neutralize the effects 
of a contrary practice. Leaving out of consideration 
the comparative values of the various methods of or¬ 
chard management in other respects, which are often 
determined by local conditions, and granting all other 
things equal, I think there is very little question but 
timely tilling of the soil is very detrimental to many 
orchard pests, and that many of them are destroyed 
which might escape if cultivation was not practiced. 
Geneva Exn. Station. P. J. PARROTT. 
R. N.-Y.—There is no hard and fast rule applicable to 
all orchard conditions. In localities badly infested with 
injurious insects that harbor in sod, clean culture is 
doubtless advisable. Pasturing with sheep or hogs, which 
is a modification of both methods, finds favor with many. 
ASPARAGUS IN MICHIGAN. 
We have had less trouble this year than usual in 
keeping our asparagus reasonably free from weeds. 
This was done with the frequent use of the weeder. 
A little, of course, is broken down, but the benefit far 
exceeds the injury. To get the best out of a weeder, it 
must be remembered that it does not destroy, but pre¬ 
vents weeds; use it freely as soon as weeds are in sight, 
or even before, and when the ground is dry, and results 
will usually be satisfactory. With us the yield fluctu¬ 
ates, but it is reasonable to expect that it will be less as 
the field grows older. Of the past five years, 1001 gave 
the poorest yield, 1904 the best; in price 1002 was the 
best and 1004 the poorest. The rust gave us quite 
a scare a few years ago, but has given but little 
trouble for the past two years, and I believe that 
with proper care and fertilizing the crop will be 
able to take care of itself. I have tried various 
brands of commercial fertilizer, but with such in¬ 
different results that I have secured a reserved seat 
on the manure wagon; it is not so pleasant to ride 
there as in an auto, but it is safer—at least for a 
farmer. There is little probability of using too 
much manure unless it should be so coarse as to 
interfere with cultivation. I suppose most growers 
find their asparagus rows weedy at the end of the 
cutting season; these should not be left, and to 
remove them by hand is an expensive undertaking, 
so for the past three years I have adopted the fol¬ 
lowing method: Immediately after the last cut- 
ing I go over the rows with a plow, cutting off 
all weeds, grass and the accumulated small aspar¬ 
agus stems; run over the ground with weeder or 
light harrow to scatter and kill the weeds and fine 
the earth; then reverse the operation and turn two 
furrows on top of the row. The young shoots will 
come through this, and will have a good start of 
the weeds. 
The beetle has been very troublesome here this 
year. To keep them as much as possible from gnawing 
the edible grass, and depositing their eggs on it, we 
allow the small stems to grow for a week or 10 days, 
but they must be cut before the larva has time to de¬ 
velop. I have not tried spraying either for rust or 
beetles. Late in the Fall (the day before the ground 
freezes, as nearly as I can guess it) I go over the field 
with a disk harrow, the idea being to throw the beetles 
out of their Winter quarters. I think 1 have destroyed 
many in this way. Whether or not to increase the 
acreage would depend chiefly on the matter of fertility 
and help. If soil is naturally fertile, or if a good sup¬ 
ply of fertilizer is available, and the question of help 
can be adjusted, there is no crop that I would rather 
plant now than asparagus, for I believe 
the market would absorb much more 
at reasonably good prices. 
Berrian Co., Mich. l. w. ruth. 
STRAWBERRIES LARGE AS 
APPLES. 
Last year we printed pictures of the 
Dixon strawberry. This new variety 
probably grows the largest berries of 
any now in cultivation. Emil Graef. 
the originator, brought us a full quart 
box which contained just seven berries. 
The quality of the Dixon is good, and 
the vines are said to be vigorous and 
healthy. It gives one a curious sensa¬ 
tion to sit down and munch a straw¬ 
berry about as he would an apple. It 
is a question whether such fruit will 
have a standard value. As a novelty 
most growers would like to grow a 
few, but we doubt if such giants would 
outsell medium-sized fruit in the long 
run. Fig. 230 shows one of these 
big berries. 
SUCCESSFUL ALFALFA FIELD. 
At Fig. 231 is shown an Alfalfa 
field on the farm of D. C. Lewis, Mid¬ 
dlesex Co., N. J. It is very difficult to 
snow Alfalfa in a picture so that one can realize 
just what the crop looks like. This field is a great suc¬ 
cess. On page 293 of this year’s R. N.-Y. Mr. Lewis 
told us how the field was started. He had tried several 
times to get this crop under way, but was unable to 
make it succeed until he brought soil from a successful 
field and scattered it over the ground. Where this was 
done the Alfalfa came in rank and strong, with an abun¬ 
dance of nodules on the roots. The seeding was done 
August 12, after a crop of early potatoes. This is the 
best seeding Mr. Lewis can do, as the potato ground 
is thoroughly worked and in good condition. He sows 
Alfalfa alone in late Summer because the seed starts 
well then and weeds are best controlled. 
THE DIXON STRAWBERRY. EXACT SIZE. Fig. 230. 
ALFALFA FIELD AT CRANBURY, N. J. Fig. 231. 
