Controlling Insects, Worms and Rodents 
Good gardening consists not only of proper tillage, irrigation and 
care of the plants but also in combating various pests that will destroy 
or injure the crop. Both dusting and spraying are effective. In the 
western part of the United States, tremendous acreages of vegetables 
are grown and marketed in car load lots. Experiments have shown 
that dust is much more quickly and easily applied, in fact, some of the 
larger growers use airplanes for this purpose. These fly low over the 
ground and the blast from the propeller blows the insecticide evenly 
over the crops. 
On page 89 you will find dust guns listed and described and on page 
88 dust insecticides. Select the type and size of dust gun suited to your 
requirements. Use Aphicide as a dust, do not mix with water, apply as 
it comes from the package. Adjust the duster properly and blow the 
Aphicide with sufficient force to form a smoky dust that will thorough¬ 
ly coat all parts of the plant. Results obtained depend largely on the 
thoroughness of application. 
Controlling Insects on 
Vine Crops 
Striped Cucumber Beetles. These insects 
often appear as soon as the plants come up. 
They are not only very destructive at that 
time but their larva is the small grub or 
borer which works into the roots of the vines, more especially in 
pumpkins and squashes, but to some extent in melons. 
Dust to kill these Striped Beetles with Aphicide No. 10 or Aphicide 
No. 21.—See page 88. 
Attach the discharge of your duster to a funnel-shaped cone which 
you can set down quickly over the plants and blow one blast of Aphi¬ 
cide, then wait four or five seconds and a second hard blast should be 
sufficient to kill all the beetles on the plant or hiding under the plants. 
Aphis or Plant Lice. These very small insects often cause much 
damage. They increase very rapidly and while at first they remain on 
only a few plants and do not seem to spread, if not destroyed then they 
later may spread over the whole field within a few days. 
We go over our fields every few days looking for them. We also 
carry stakes on our cultivators and when we find a plant with aphis on 
it we mark it and see that it is dusted thoroughly at once with Aphicide 
No. 10. This dust is blown under the plants as the Aphids stay on the 
under side of the leaves and the Aphicide must come into contact with 
I them to kill them. Dust not only the plants on which the Aphids are 
found but also all plants within ten to fifteen feet of the infested plants. 
Go back the next day and if you find any live Aphids dust them. If 
not remove the stakes. 
On our own farms we use Aphicide No. 10 and successfully control 
Aphis attacking seed crops. 
If the melons are right, they always sell quickly and command top 
prices—Don’t allow Aphids to destroy the quality of your melons. 
Raise early melons by the use of Hotcaps. We sell them. 
Grasshoppers and 
Cut Worms 
We have found Sodium Fluosilicate superior to 
arsenate for use in poison bait for killing grass¬ 
hoppers and cut worms. It kills more quickly 
and is much less dangerous to livestock and 
poultry. Use 1 lb. Sodium Fluosilicate to each 10 lbs. of bran, mix 
dry thoroughly, add about 1 lb. of molasses or just enough to make a 
crumbly mixture. A few drops of Oil of Anise should be added to the 
molasses before mixing and sometimes a small amount of water. For 
grasshoppers sow thinly along fence rows in the evening or early in 
the morning. For cut worms scatter in the evening about the plants 
where the worms are working. 
Ground Squirrels Ground squirrels and other rodents often dig up 
seed after planting. This can be prevented by 
treating the seed with coal tar. First wet the 
seed and then stir in thoroughly at the rate of one teaspoonfull of 
coal tar to each peck of seed; dry and plant as usual. 
See Page 90 for Special Prices to Market Growers 
87 
