GUIDEBOOK FOR 1943 


ELGETOL SPECIAL 
Ir priorities remain effective, precluding 
purchase of corrosive sublimate for horticul- 
tural use, it will be well to know of the experi- 
ments conducted by Prof. E. I. McDaniel of 
the Dept. of Entomology, Mich. State College 
of Agriculture, who anticipated the scarcity 
and priorities problems and conducted 24 
different tests on 2000 gladiolus bulbs at 4 
different concentrations for 6 differing periods, 
using ELGETOL SPECIAL, a water soluble 
chemical containing as its base 
dinitro-ortho-cresylate and a penetrator 
closely associated to the aromatic sulpho- 
nates. Treatment was applied just before 
planting. All tests appeared to be highly 
successful in killing both thrips and eggs. 
The particular formula tentatively recom- 
mended is 1 qt. ELGETOL SPECIAL per 
100 gal. of water and bulbs soaked 4 hours 
without removing husks and operation con- 
ducted outdoors as the material is known to 
‘possess a certain fire hazard. Normally, these 
experiments would have been continued 
several more years before publication. 
This product is manufactured and sold by 
Standard Agricultural Chemicals, Inc., Hobo- 
ken, N. J., who sell it at the rate of $1.25 per 
pt. or $2.00 per qt., delivered (put up in 
glass jars).. However, we question if it will 
be supplied in single pt. or qt. lots, so unless 
one person needs or a group asks for a case 
lot, even this material may be hard to obtain. 
This is last minute information. 
TARTAR EMETIC SPRAY 
FORMULA REVISED 
Several years age the U.S. Dept. of Entom- 
ology discarded the old paris green formula 
for Tartar Emetic. Since tartar emetic-sugar 
spray is capable of causing severe flower 
injury the department tested dosages of 
lower concentration than first recommended 
in effort to minimize this damage. 
The latest revised Tartar Emetic formula 
follows: Use either U. S. P. or Technical 
grade. 2 lbs. tartar emetic, 4 lbs. brown sugar, 
100 gal. water. 
Interpreted in smaller quantity the new 
formula reads 1 oz. Tartar Emetic, 2 oz. 
brown sugar, 3 gal. water. 
Never combine other insecticides with 
tartar emetic-sugar spray as they usually 
include spreaders which spoil the effect of 
the bait spray. 
To those of you who decide to use Tartar 
Emetic we suggest that you change to Rototox 
as soon as blooms appear and thus avoid 
sticky blooms and foliage. See information 
on Rototox on following page. 
Avoid using sticky Tartar Emetic on open 
blooms. 
If sugar, brown or white, is unobtainable, 
the U. S. Dept. of Entomology suggests 
substitution of 1 tablespoon of (a) light or 
dark New Orleans type of molasses (made 
sodium | 
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from sugar cane) or of (b) one of the com- 
mercial corn syrups containing small quanti- 
ties of granulated sugar or of cane syrup for 
each gal. of water (314 pts. per 100 gal.) 
If Tartar Emetic is scarce or controlled by 
priorities this growing season, the U. S. 
Dept. suggests the substitution of S A L P 
(sodium antimony lacto phenolate) at the 
rate of 2 tablespoons per gal. of spray (6 pints 
per 100 gal.) S A L P may be purchased from 
Merck & Co., Rahway, N. J., or Mallinck- 
rodt Chemical Works, 3600 N. 2nd St., St. 
Louis, Mo., or Calif. Spray Chemical Co., 
Richmond, Calif. 
ROTENONE 
Rotenone sprays in general and Rototox in 
particular were the best insecticides but, like 
rubber, the greater part of it came from 
Malay and East Indies and the government 
promptly ‘froze’ the material and directed 
its further use only for certain fruits and 
vegetables. Effort is being made to increase 
imports from Brazil but we doubt if it will 
be available this growing season. 
THRIPS 
If thrips appear on your plants they must 
be controlled before the bud spikes emerge 
from the foliage. Watch for any silvery gray 
streaks on the foliage. If permitted to in- 
crease unmolested they will extract juices 
from the buds resulting in a burned appear- 
ance, they will eat streaks of color off the 
petals even before they unfold and if they 
unfold at all, the petals may crimp up their 
edges and dry to a dull brown. Even the 
young, lemon colored thrips may do this 
damage to the bud so it is important to kill 
such adult thrips as may arrive before they 
lay eggs, also because the young have the 
bad habit of staying inside the bud and crev- 
ices of the plant where they are hard to reach 
with insecticides. The silvery gray (feeding) 
streaks on the foliage, in badly infested cases, 
turn brown, stopping ‘both plant and bulb 
growth. 
In our opinion, thrips come more into the 
open during the hours of 4-6 P.M., so spray- 
ing is most effective if done at that time. 
Also, the less heat the safer for the plants 
and evaporation is retarded. If plants are 
thirsty when spray is applied, spraying 
hazards are increased. Plants should be 
well watered but the foliage should be dry 
before the spray is applied. Spraying but 
one part of the patch only is inadvisable on 
account of the migratory habits of the insect. 
Above all. we beg our readers not to put 
off inspecting the plants for thrips infestation 
until blooms appear. If they already have 
a good foothold at that time you may have 
a very discouraging task on your hands. 
We recommend preventive spraying. 
once every 10 days after plants are up 6 or 8 
inches until blooming. In any event, have 
your insecticide on hand to use if needed. 
