1812 . 
THE RURAE NEW-YORKER 
327 
Ruralisms 
CARBON BISULPHIDE FOR STRAWBERRY 
GRUBS. 
A Difficult Problem. —Horticultural 
writers appear somewhat at a loss when 
asked for a practical remedy for the 
white grub in strawberry beds. The 
stock advice—and it is good, sound ad¬ 
vice, too—is not to set strawberry plants 
on land recently in sod or matted veg¬ 
etation of any kind, but to use soil that 
has been for two or more seasons previ¬ 
ously in clean cultivation. About 
everyone knows that the destructive 
white grub of fields and gardens is 
the larvae of the common brown May 
beetle that made night hideous before 
the coming of mosquito screens by 
bumping about the walls and getting 
into one’s hair when trying to sleep. 
This grub requires three years for its 
development from egg, which is gen¬ 
erally laid in sod, to adult form, and 
if land is given clean cultivation in late 
growing hoed crops for two or three 
years before strawberries, roses and 
other susceptible plants are set the dam¬ 
age will be reduced to the minimum. 
But there are periods of abnormal de¬ 
velopment of this pest when the beetles 
appear so numerous that eggs are de¬ 
posited even where vegetation is scanty 
and grubs soon are correspondingly 
plentiful. In one locality the past sea¬ 
son from three to five tiny grubs could 
be found about the roots of nearly every 
roadside ragweed. There will be trouble 
there for the next year or two. As it 
is not always possible to secure grub- 
free soil when forming the strawberry 
bed a practical means of killing the 
grub without material injury to the 
strawberry plant is desirable. The com¬ 
mon plan of taking up affected plants, 
hunting for the grub, and resetting is 
of limited utility, resulting in a severe 
check and often death of the plant if 
dry weather ensues. Applications of 
salt, ashes, lime and fertilizers are often 
recommended, but fail to discourage the 
pest and are often too much for the 
plants. Lime and ashes are especially 
objectionable in excess to the straw¬ 
berry plant, as it does not love an alka¬ 
line soil, and these materials tend to 
reduce its natural acidity. 
A Remedy Secured.— In carbon bi¬ 
sulphide, the ill-smelling liquid used to 
put “invisible” patches on shoes and to 
kill weevils in seed, peas, beans and 
stored grain, we appear to have a rea¬ 
sonably safe and effectual remedy for 
the grub pest in newly set strawberry 
plantings, if not in wholesale field cul¬ 
tures. Carbon bisulphide is highly de¬ 
structive to animal life, especially in 
insect form, but not particularly injuri¬ 
ous to vegetable tissues when not in di¬ 
rect contact. Most farmers know how 
readily the destructive larvae of the An- 
goumis grain moth can be destroyed in 
newly thrashed wheat by placing a small 
quantity of this extremely volatile li¬ 
quid in shallow pans or dishes on top 
of the wheat, whether in heap or bin, 
and covering with tarpaulin or heavy 
blankets. The vapors, being heavier 
than air and wonderfully penetrating, 
sink through the grain, soon killing the 
“weevils” but rarely ever injuring the 
germinating power of the uneaten grains 
of wheat. Practically all peas, beans 
and grains stored for seed purposes are 
successfully treated without harm by 
this handy insect destroyer. It was at 
one time largely used by injecting it 
in the soil as a cure for the Phylloxera 
or root aphis that almost destroyed the 
vine industry of France, but is now 
superseded by grafting susceptible varie¬ 
ties on resistant roots. 
Its Effectiveness. —Taking these 
well-known uses into consideration, it 
seems strange that carbon bisulphide 
has not been more extensively tried 
against the destructive root grub in the 
strawberry patch. Select the location 
as carefully as we will, a considerable 
number of heretofore vigorous plants 
will be noticed, during late Summer, to 
languish and dwindle, the outer leaves 
turning red and dying down. A careful 
search under such plants will generally 
reveal one or more grubs feeding on 
the succulent roots. Sometimes these 
are tiny, coming from recently hatched 
ova, at others may be found the larger 
products of previous years’ develop¬ 
ment. Whether large or small they are 
actively destructive, cutting the roots, 
one by one, soon killing or permanently 
crippling the affected plant. If now a 
teaspoonful or two of carbon bisulphide 
be injected in the soil near the plant 
and the opening immediately closed 
with a clod or bit of damp soil the 
grubs will be killed by the suffocating 
vapors that slowly permeate the soil, 
and the plant, freed from its deadly 
parasite, will soon show unexpected 
powers of recuperation. The writer 
first tried this method several years ago 
to save a lot of irreplaceable seedlings 
that were unfortunately set on infested 
soil. The result exceeded all expecta¬ 
tion, as practically every plant that re¬ 
tained root connection with the soil was 
saved. None appeared injured by the 
remedy, and under the few that were 
taken up for examination dead grubs 
were found in almost every instance. 
How Carbon Bisulphide is Used.— 
The method pursued was simplicity it¬ 
self, from one to three holes, two inches 
deep, were punched in the dry soil, four 
01 five inches from the crown of every 
failing plant using a short piece of 
broom handle for the purpose. A “guess 
dose” of about half a teaspoonful of 
bisulphide was poured from the bottle 
without measurement into each hole, 
which was quickly stopped with a clod 
or by pressing the opening together. 
The work was done towards evening, 
when the heat of the soil was declin¬ 
ing, as too rapid evaporation of this 
exceedingly volatile liquid might freeze 
the roots with which it came in contact. 
The strong and characteristic odor of 
the bisulphide could be detected, on 
digging in the soil, for 24 and some¬ 
times 36 hours after the application, 
showing how slow and persistent is the 
diffusion of the vapor under these con¬ 
ditions. How it would work on wet, 
heavy soils has not been determined. 
Further Experiment. —The past 
Summer was hot and droughty almost 
everywhere. Strawberry plants were 
scarce, and had a hard time at best to 
survive in the baked and burning soil, 
and to add to the difficulty grubs were 
preternaturally active in many districts. 
Under such circumstances it appeared 
worth while to apply bisulphide to a 
new planting of ordinary varieties for 
garden purposes. The result was as 
satisfactory as the previous trial with 
rare seedlings. Almost every treated 
plant survived and made good Fall 
growth, while in an untreated check 
row about 40 per cent of the plants died 
from root cutting by grubs, which are 
still in the soil to do further harm, 
where not dug up for examination and 
destroyed. As to the cost of bisulphide 
treatment it should not, in the experi¬ 
ence of the writer, exceed in a small 
way one cent per plant for labor and 
material. Carbon bisulphide commonly 
retails for 30 to 40 cents the pound of 
16 ounces, each ounce of which should 
be sufficient for at least four plants. In 
bulk it is quoted at seven to 12 cents 
the pound, but as it. is only shipped 
wholesale in large drums it is not avail¬ 
able in this form for small growers. Ap¬ 
plication could be made by a couple of 
energetic workers certainly at the rate 
of 100 or more plants per hour. The 
method is surely worth trial by those 
having small plots of choice plants on 
infested soil, whether it is available for 
large growers or not. 
v. 
( To be continued). 
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e asy to 
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DOMESTIC ENGINE & PUMP CO., Box R, Shlppensburg, Pa. 
SPRAY 
FRUITS AND 
, ,. ... v FIELD CROPS 
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rapid wmy. Satisfaction guaranteed. BROWN'S 
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Write postal now. 
THE E. C. BROWN COMPANY 
28 t>t., Bochoster, N. Y* 
FANCY FRUIT MEAHS 
SPRAYED FRUIT 
If you want to know just how well it 
pays to spray, look up market quota¬ 
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poorer ones, which run knotty, wormy, 
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Spraying has more than any other 
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Wherever the value of spraying is fully 
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SPRAY 
PUMPS 
used and valued. They are built by 
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THE DEMING COMPANY 
280 Success Bldg., SALEM. OHIO 
Manufacturers of Pumps fot All Uses 
Agencies Everywhere 
Deming 
Potato3m^^UL30r^ 
fcbl., $3.50633.75. . 
Frulta—Apples, fancy,~TjMI^^5.00fS5.50. 
Peaches, Georgia, bu. basalt; $3.25; pears, 
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Huckleberries, 20-lb. basket, $1131.10. 
Mill Feed— White middlings, bulk, per 
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Detail 
K-b’d un 
Si-b’d a 
K-b’d 
LIME-SULPHUR HYDROMETER ive Fruit-Crowers 
ty.t ma 
PrteeBy M>1! Wlrt> T«s i 
Jar and Instruction*— « 
Arrow Wanted 
CARBONDALE INSTRUMENT CO., Carbondale, Px 
FVu' I..— ■■■— 
Foster Steel and Wood 
STANCHIONS 
Increase Your Dairy Profit 
Little Giant Hand and Power 
SFRA Y E R S 
Increase Your Fruit Profit 
Write for our prices and illus¬ 
trated catalog before buying 
FOSTER STEEL STANOniON 00. 
DOC Insurance Bldg., Rochester, N. Y 
SURE CURE FOR SAN JOSE SCALE 
CHE a PEST UNO BEST 
Jarvis Spraying Compound has no superior. Buy 
from the manufacturers direct and save money. A 
gallon of Jarvis Spraying Compound makes 16 gal¬ 
lons of spray. Compound ready to mix with water. 
Sold in bbl. lots (50 gallons), 30 cents per gallon. 
References—J. H. Hale, the “ Peach King,” or Prof. 
Jarvis of the Connecticut Agricultural College. 
They will tell you there is nothing better. 
The J.T. Robertson Co. BexU, Manchester, Conn, 
SULPHUR 
FOR SPR AYING P URPOSES 
The Best Sulphur for Lime Sulphur Solution. 
Combines easily and quickly with Lime. 
T. & S. C. WHITE CO.. BERGENP0RT SULPHUR WORKS 
too William Strs.t, ... NEW YORK 
FUMA 
fipiiu a kills Prairie Dogs, 
m m m Woodchucks, Gophers, 
and Grain Insects. 
"The wheels of the gods 
grind slow but exceed¬ 
ingly small." So the weevil, but you can stop their 
E with “ Fuma Carbon Bisulphide are doing. 
EDWARD K. TAYLOR, Penn Van, N. Y. 
DON’T HANDICAP 
Your Fruit Crop—give it a chance. 
8pray MODOC 
LIME SULFUR SOLUTION 
now. MODOC is scieutiiically mado 
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killer of San Jose scale, Blister Mite. 
Demand SIODOC 
of your Dealer and toll ns If he cannot 
supply you. Write for valuable spray¬ 
ing olrcular. 
THE MODOC CO., 
108 Fourth St., Fernwood, Pa. 
MODOC 
THE SCALE KILLER 
BUCKET SPRAYER 
For Home and Garden 
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Same 
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material 
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Write us today for 
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BATEMAN M’F’G CO. 
Box 102-B, GRENLOCH. N. J. 
Gould’s Spray Pumps and Jack 
Makes Spraying Easy with Your Engine. 
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on FREE TRIAL 
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