I72S 
RURAL. NEW-YORKER 
November 13, to 20 
Burning the Headlands to Clear Out Japanese 
Beetles. Fig. 557 
of their insurance was written in the South. The 
rates have varied all the way from 3 per cent to 12 
per cent, depending on the risk involved. That risk 
would be determined by the locality, the liability to 
frost or disease and the general character of the 
potato grower. In the district of Northern New 
Jersey, or near New York City, an allowance of .$200 
per acre was permitted. In some of the farm dis¬ 
tricts of Maine $250 per acre was given. This in¬ 
surance guarantees a certain income from an acre 
of potatoes, and under the conditions the grower 
contracts to perform his work in a certain way. He 
must use high-class seed, and use a certain amount 
of high-grade fertilizer. The soil must be in a first- 
class condition and cultivated properly. As part of 
his contract, the grower agrees to do these things, 
and he would naturally forfeit his interest if-he did 
not live up to the contract. 
Last Spring the insurance was figured on the basis 
of a high potato price. After the slump this Fall it 
is likely that the insurance companies will meet 
some heavy losses. Last Spring many of the growers 
felt that the six per cent premium was too large. 
As prices have turned out it is evident that the in¬ 
surance companies did not make any money at such 
a premium. The company is not ready now to in¬ 
sure for next year. It is probable, however, that 
when Spring comes they will be prepared to insure 
the crop in much the same way. They may make a 
change in the method of figuring the income from 
an acre. In some speculative crops their offer would 
probably be to insure a certain yield at a stated 
figure, rather than to insure a certain amount of 
income. Naturally it will be impossible to figure 
out the risk properly until later in the season, when 
the prices of seed, fertilizer and implements can be 
worked out. 
It is evident that this plan of insuring crops is to 
develop. This insurance acts both as a protection 
and credit. If the farmer can insure his crop with 
a reliable company he is reasonably sure of a cer¬ 
tain income from that crop, and with such insurance 
he would be more likely to obtain fair credit from 
a bank or money-lender than he otherwise would 
be Sometimes this is a matter that must be figured 
out with great care, so as to make a fair proposi¬ 
tion for both sides. We have asked the insurance 
company if they would be willing to grant insurance 
on an outfit of fruit trees. Can we make arrange¬ 
ments to insure against misfits from the nursery? 
This matter has been up several times in the past, 
but formerly insurance companies were not disposed 
to take hold of it. Now that the potato crop is 
being insured, they feel that it might be possible to 
work out some protection for the fruit grower. It 
would mean considerable risk and a 
long-time investment, as it might be 
some years before the trees could come 
in bearing to prove whether they were 
true or not. We think it likely that in 
the future farm insurance of this sort 
will be worked out. In such a case 
the character of the nurseryman would 
have to be considered, and some form 
of guarantee on his part would be de¬ 
manded. This side of the business, how¬ 
ever, is developing, and there seems no 
reason why in the future the farmer 
should not be able to insure his grow¬ 
ing crop in much the same way as a 
merchant can insure his stock of goods. 
Dangerous Japanese Beetle 
Part IT. 
A LL during the past year no field- 
grown nursery stock with soil 
around the roots has been allowed out 
of the district, for fear that grubs might 
thus be carried out. This has worked great hard¬ 
ships' on many large nurseries in the district, but 
was entirely unavoidable. The danger of spread lay 
in the likelihood of carrying out beetles in green 
corn, cabbage and other vegetables or fruits where 
they might hide. Posters were displayed along 
roads to warn motorists against carrying away any 
beetles which might fly into their machines. School 
children collected the beetles, for which they re¬ 
ceived SO cents a quart. Each dead beetle means 
50 less next year, so this method is effective in keep¬ 
ing down the spread. During this Summer over 
1,500,000 beetles were hand collected by children. 
Most important of all was a barrier one mile wide 
around the infested area of 25 square miles. In the 
outside one-half mile of this barrier all vegetation 
was kept sprayed with a poison which repels the 
beetles. The half-mile inside of this sprayed area 
was cleared as far as possible of all vegetation by 
means of oil flame throwers and hand clearing. This 
cleared area was under constant patrol by students, 
who hand collected any beetles discovered. Scouts 
scoured the country outside of the barrier to see if 
any beetles crossed the frontier, and destroyed them 
if any were found. Attempts were continued to find 
a successful poison. Vegetation and feeding places 
within the infested area were kept sprayed with 
these poisonous compounds. Various methods of 
trapping were tried. Last year light traps at night, 
such as are used to catch moths, were tried, but 
without success. 
PARASITES NEEDED.—All this warfare was. 
defensive in purpose. A Government, entomologist 
was already in Japan searching for the enemy. It 
must be there, because in Japan this beetle is quite 
well controlled, and does not spread rapidly. This 
can only be the result of a natural parasite. This 
enemy is unquestionably one of the digger-wasps, 
which are known to be a parasite of the white grub. 
His method of attack, although effective, is anything 
but sportsmanlike. The digger-wasp is not much 
bigger than a house-fly, but with the shape and 
stinging abilities of a wasp. He digs into the ground 
until he locates a white grub, lie then stings this 
grub and paralyzes it without killing it. Killing 
would spoil his* plan. The grub being paralyzed, the 
wasp deposits an egg on it. When this egg hatches 
into a tiny worm it finds a nice, fresh white grub, 
unable to protect itself, and ready to be consumed. 
This paralyzed grub constitutes the food of the 
smaller worm, the digger-wasp, until the latter 
matures and emerges to repeat the performance on 
another white grub. As soon as this digger-wasp 
is located in Japan it will be sent to this country 
and propagated in large numbers, and then released 
in the area infested by the Japanese beetle. 
DAMAGE NOTED.—So far the damage has not 
been very serious, as the beetle has fed largely on 
certain weeds, particularly the smartweed. In feel¬ 
ing, the leaves of trees and shrubs are skeletonized 
so that they turn brown and fall off. On fruit trees 
the actual damage to the production of fruit would 
not be apparent until the leaves are destroyed during 
successive years. The beetle is unquestionably a 
serious menace to small fruits, orchards, cereals and 
forage crops. It damages corn by eating the silk, 
thus preventing proper fertilization. If allowed to 
go uncontrolled it would no doubt spread over the 
entire Eastern section of the United States and in 
time cause injury which could not be estimated. 
MORE WORK NEEDED.—Now that this beetle 
has escaped from the barrier its method of control 
will be much more difiicult. To prevent its spread 
Japanese Beetle Damage on Apple. Fig. 559 
» 
from the newly-infested areas the quarantine will 
have to be extended, which involves great difficulties 
in an area as densely populated as the city of Phil¬ 
adelphia. portions of which are within the infested 
area. The next steps which will be taken by the 
Bureau of Entomology have not been definitely de¬ 
cided upon, but increased efforts will be made to 
find the natural parasite of this pest. Plans for 
continuing the war against this beetle will be de¬ 
veloped this coming Winter. There is grave dan¬ 
ger of a serious spread, and farmers throughout the 
Atlantic coast should keep on the lookout for the 
grubs of the beetle, which may be carried in earth 
on nursery stock. Some of the largest nurseries in 
America are within the newly-infested area, and 
many of these have not been placed under strict 
quarantine at present. max watsow 
Crop from Otic Seed of Hubbard Squash ; 245 Bounds. Fig. 
The Value of a Single Seed 
I ain sending with this photo of 10 Hubbarl 
squashes (Fig. 558) grown from one seed—115 
pounds. By its side was another vine carrying 11. 
weighing 132 pounds, a total of 277 from two seeds. 
To my mind there is a lesson here for every grower. 
Somehow as years pass, and I seek to compass the 
possibilities of nature, there grows within me the 
certainty that we fail to realize the potentiality of 
the soil, and what it is waiting to do for us, if we 
will but give it a chance. The man who has deter¬ 
mined intelligently, by actual experience, to what 
his soil is best adapted and what it needs is well 
along on the road to prosperity, but he who is alive 
to the value of a single seed and gives it the chance 
to spread and grow, has made greater progress. 
More and more is this lesson forced as I realize how 
U 
wasteful we are in seeding, and how grasping in the 
attempt to force multiplied growth on a given area. 
When we get filled with the thought of what a single 
seed can accomplish, and then give it the best chance 
possible, we shall approach maximum yield. What 
that is no man has yet determined. Infinite possi¬ 
bilities lie hidden in every foot of soil, waiting the 
coming of man with plow, harrow, cultivator and 
seed adapted to that special condition. When will 
we learn the lesson that profit comes from conform¬ 
ing to nature, not in fighting her? 
The yield of 145 pounds of squash from one seed 
was made possible by just giving that seed, and the 
plant, a free chance to grow and a fair amount of 
food during the season. No feeding of the plant 
during growth was attempted, as that always affects 
quality of product. This yield is on a par with 24 
pumpkins, 153 pounds, from one seed, 
1)4 well-filled pods from one bean vine, 
three well-filled ears of corn on one 
stalk, 24 potatoes, 17 large enough for 
market, from one bit of seed, and a 
half bushel of tomatoes from one plant. 
If these yields are seemingly abnormal 
I am satisfied they but tell the willing¬ 
ness of nature when we follow its lead¬ 
ings and conserve growth. If ever we 
approach any such yields on a large 
scale, it certainly will be when we have 
learned to reduce seed and place a just 
value of the possibilities of each and 
every plant. Years have proven that 
three stalks of corn, every three feet, 
will give a greater yield than more, 
and sometimes there comes the con¬ 
viction that there is a profit in further 
saving of seed. I found a man in 
Massachusetts who gets a tremendous 
yield from his peas, beyond anything 
I have ever known by setting his beau- 
558 (Continued on page 1730) 
