KUNZMAN, NEW ALBANY, INDIANA 
21 
Controiling Insect and Disease Pests 
Plant diseases are of many kinds. Some, such as 
mildew, leafspot and rust attack leaves. Others, as fire 
blight, damage branches and stems of plants. Some, 
such as root rot, waylay the plant at the roots. Some 
diseases such as mosaic seem to disturb plant life pro¬ 
cesses in some way, no one is sure as to just how. These 
diseases are spread by various agencies as soil, wind, in¬ 
sects, contact, seed, tools shoes of the gardener and birds. 
Some of the better known ways of controlling various 
diseases, depending upon their characteristics, are by 
spraying, dusting, seed treatment, soil disinfection, rota¬ 
tion, planting on new and clean ground, breeding resist¬ 
ant strains, destroying infected portions or crop resi¬ 
dues. 
INSECT PESTS 
Insects are of two general kinds, chewing and sucking. 
The first, such as leaf-eating beetles, grasshoppers, and 
caterpillars, eat tissues or leaves and are controlled by 
a stomach poison applied to the plants. The most sa¬ 
tisfactory poisons are lead arsenate and calcium arsen¬ 
ate. Various others in common use are paris green 
and hellebore. 
Sucking insects pierce the leaves or other covering 
and suck the plant juices from within, so they must be 
killed by some contact poison which kills by its burn¬ 
ing action, poisoning through the breathing apparatus 
or by suffocation. Among these insects are thrips, a- 
phids, scales and mealy-bugs. The chief contact in- 
sectides are nicotine sulphate, nicotine dust, laundry 
soap, pyrethrum powder, dusting sulphur, lime sulphur, 
glue, kerosene, kerosene emulsion, lubricating oil emul¬ 
sion and miscible oils. 
For control of insects and plant diseases, much the 
simplest procedure in the average sized home garden 
(ornamental or vegetable) is to go to the local dealer 
who specializes in garden supplies, buy the chemicals 
needed in prepared form under trade names and use 
these according to the manufacturer’s directions. Be 
sure, of course, to read labels and directions on pack¬ 
age before buying. Buy nationally advertised goods of 
known effeciveness when possible. Also arm yourself 
with printed literature. Much can be done indirectly 
in controlling pests. Keep down weeds that serve as 
plant hosts. Pick off diseased leaves or cut out diseased 
limbs. Pick up fallen leaves that are diseased. Pull out 
wilted down plants. Clean up fence rows and mow adja¬ 
cent vacant lots that might harbor both insects and host 
plants of diseases. 
In the fall clean up and destroy any tops or residue 
in border or vegetable garden that might harbor pests. 
A good control is to spade ground in the fall, and let it 
lie unraked until spring. Sun, wind, cold and birds to¬ 
gether will destroy many insects this way. 
During the growing season keep a daily watch on 
your plants. Don’t wait until they are heavily infested 
to get busy. Dust or spray at first appearance of a 
pest and; with especially dangerous pests, before you 
see any, as a sound preventative. 
