rao mete bates po annenanenen reek ne nant berate eteneennr—seneweornseterey aes ht a i ll a ia Hi} | i) Rai Ht | HH i Wh i) i o Al a | HK Hn it i a : v et i i i an i | Wii aH HT iT Hi noeneennerren ene saaren ana nenn ae ene ener TAT ee eer ne en Tenn eens aeeekl naeseeenoemenmanerennt i i Hi a HH i | i ' / ii il He il 1 i i] | | i : i | | “ « as, & : io A : f q NINTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE STATE ENTOMOLOGIST MINNESOTA FOR THE YEAR 1904. THIRD ANNUAL REPORT OF F. L. WASHBURN. AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION, ST. ANTHONY PARK, MINN. DECEMBER, 1904. LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL. STATE EXPERIMENT STATION. St. ANTHONY PaRK, Minn., Dec. I, 1904. His Excellency, S. R. Van Sant, St. Paul, Minn., DEAR Str: The fact that we have had little injury this year from the Hessian fly and the chinch bug need not fill our farmers with a feeling of security as regards these pests, and occasional grasshopper visitations, for with the crop conditions in Minnesota, we will undoubtedly always have the first two pests, and at times be troubled with grasshoppers. The Hessian fly has been heard from in a few counties, but there has been but little injury this year, and little or no injury from the chinch bug. I have occa- sionally received reports which would indicate the presence of the frit fly on wheat, though no specimens have ever been sent, and I have personally not met with the pest here. . We have been surprised by the introduction of the European willow and alder borer attacking our Carolina poplars, introduced in this country many years ago, and gradually working its way westward. This beetle is treated of on page 115. Your Entomologist has deemed it advisable to insert in this report a key to insects affecting the blackberry, raspberry, straw- berry, currant, gooseberry, grape and melon, for the use of mar- ket gardeners—this key being a continuation of the one published last year on insects affecting fruit trees. It is to be hoped it will be useful. In this connection I wish to call attention to the fact that reports of the State Entomologist are planned to form a series of references for farmers, fruit growers, market gardeners and others, and to be of special use should be preserved so that they can be referred to from time to time when conditions call for reference. I have aimed in this report, as in previous reports, to keep in mind the fact that these publications are for the use ili of our farmers, and hence have given practical suggestions in a simple form, publishing my own experience as far as possible, or that of other workers who have met success in the same lines. During the past year the State Entomologist has delivered eleven lectures to farmers and others at Wrenshall, Starbuck, Battle Lake, Alexandria, New London, Madison, Willmar, Bran- don, Braham, Renville, Warren and elsewhere. ‘These lectures were free to citizens, costing only the expense of providing a place for the lecture. In almost every case the lecture was illustrated with lantern views, and we are especially well prepared, through the purchase of a fine lantern, to continue this work, which appears to be thoroughly appreciated, during the coming winter. A number of press notices have been mailed during the year; a special report upon the Flour Moth, conditions seeming to re- quire this, was issued on February 29th, and Press Bulletin No. 19, dealing with the food habits of some of our common birds, was printed on May 14, 1904. It is the intention of a joint com- mittee from the Audubon Society, the State Horticultural Society and the Board of Education to place this bulletin in the hands of the teachers of our common schools, in order to inculcate in the young pupils an interest in birds, and a love for the useful species. From the first day of May to the first of December, this de- partment has written 1,076 letters, an average of about 154 a month. These letters were largely in answer to inquiries regard- ing insect pests. In addition many circulars and numerous postal card notices have been mailed. In allotting the printing of reports we have felt it incumbent upon us to place the business with a printing house where we are certain not only of reasonable prices, but also of excellence of work and material, and dispatch in the completion of the job, be- lieving it poor economy to have the work done by some house where protracted delays seem inevitable, where the material used is of an inferior grade, and the execution poor, although such house may offer the lowest bid. Believing that this office is established for the best good of the farmers, we have seen fit to include in this report a chapter dealing with gophers, field mice, rabbits, etc., which are always a menace to the farmer and the fruit grower. The need, too, % 1V of more thorough knowledge regarding the food habits of our birds has prompted the Entomologist to include Press Bulletin No. 19. We have also included an article on the common Amer- ican toad, which is, without doubt, one of the most useful factors available for the farmer and gardener in keeping down injurious insect pests upon his place. The useful habits of this little animal are far too little known and appreciated, and instead of its being an object of aversion or persecution, its presence in our garden should be encouraged in every possible way. Since the publication of the special report upon the Mediterranean Flour Moth, further work has been done by the Entomologist with this destructive pest, and the report as revised is included herewith. Carrying out the plan outlined in last year’s report, we have inaugurated a campaign against the destructive leaf hopper, and results of the work are given in this volume. We have also found the Plum Curculio attacking apples, in some orchards causing a loss as high as ninety per cent of the crop, and, therefore, thts insect, which is commonly associated with the plum, has been discussed in connection with its work on apples. The Cottony Maple Scale has been extremely abundant and destructive this year, attacking our shade trees in the Twin Cities and the suburbs, and in various towns throughout the state, and in neighboring states. Directions are given herein for control- ling this pest. So many letters are received, asking for suggestions for com- bating certain common pests of the vegetable garden, such as cabbage maggots, cut worms, cabbage butterflies and the like, that the writer has thought it expedient to include herewith the latest remedies for these various pests which are so abundant everywhere. The Entomologist’s own experience in his flower garden has suggested to him also the advisability of placing in the report a short chapter of suggestions to those raising flowers, as to the best way to control certain insect pests, which are apt to be unwelcome visitors in the flower garden. Additions have been made to the museum collection of insects during the year, and as this letter is dictated we have just received two boxes of insects from Japan, sent by a friend there, who has had our wants in view even in the midst of other engrossing in- ‘ Xd a leah neal Vv terests. The entomologist has maintained a small apiary at the Station for experimental purposes. The director of the Experiment Station has been asked to allow the department a small orchard and garden space for ex- perimental purposes. The needs of my department in these par- ticulars are again emphasized. The department also needs an insectary, a small glass building resembling a greenhouse some- what, and costing, with heat and water connections, about $2,500, such as one finds at all well equipped experiment stations, where the life histories of Minnesota insect pests may be studied and remedies tested. It is to be hoped that relief from the .crowded condition in our rooms may be obtained before long, either by being given adequate quarters in the new general building, or by being allowed a modest building for the sole use of this depart- ment. Considerable time of the Entomologist and assistant in late fall and winter is taken up with teaching. A course in entomology for the graduating class of the Agricultural School is carried on between October and Christmas, and at the same time a course in economic and forest entomology for college students. In addition we lecture to a class of farmers in the short course on insect ene- mies of agriculture. The expense of printing the annual report of the state ento- mologist has been materially reduced since 1902, at which time the present incumbent was elected to the chair of entomology in the University by the board of regents. This is shown by a de- crease in: the printing bills, notwithstanding a very large increase in the mailing list. I wish to call attention to the reports from correspondents on page 121, as affording me means of keeping in touch with the insect conditions in various parts of the state during the summer months. I wish further to call your attention to the excellence of the illustrations in this report. We believe it will rank in this respect as equal to most of the reports from similar offices in this country, and as the superior of many. This is due largely to the effective efforts of a well qualified artist, and to the excellence of the photographs, made for the most part by our assistant, Mr. A. G. Ruggles, in whose hands we have left prac- tically the entire work of photography. I wish further to ac- vi knowledge courtesies from various departments of the station, which were very generously offered to further this work; to various farmers, nurserymen and other citizens, who have done all they can help the Entomologist; to the Department of Agri- culture at Washington; to those few who have so generously responded in loaning me cuts or illustrations for use in this report, and to the loyalty and painstaking efforts of my office force. Acknowledgments are also due the Great Northern, Northern Pa- cific, Great Western, Minneapolis, St. Paul & Sault Ste. Marie, Minneapolis & St. Louis, Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha and the Duluth & Iron Range Railroads for courtesies in the shape of transportation for the Entomologist and his assistant. The Art Engraving Company of St. Paul is to be congratulated on its fine work in connection with the photographs in this report. Finally, my dear sir, permit me to say in this, my last report to your Excellency, how much I have enjoyed the work under your administration, how proud I am of the opportunities afforded, of the appreciation of the work as shown by citizens of Minnesota, and of your kindly interest and helpfulness during the past three years. Most sincerely and respectfully yours, P.-L WASHBURN, State Entomologist. - vil FINANCIAL STATEMENT FOR FISCAL YEAR, AUG. 1, 1903, TO 1903. juney s2: 31. July Aug. Aug. Aug. Aug. Aug. Aug. Aug. Aug. Aug. 2 Aug. Aug. Aug. Sept. Sept. Sept. Sept. Aug. Sept. Sept. Sept. Aug. Sept. Sept. Sept. Sept. Sept. Sept. Sept. Sept. Sept. Sept. Oct. AUG. 1, 1904. PNGarmneD eclcerey Cer CO s..o eens eee eee etna Wil @ctieriale OkahVoychne Aen yin oath Sie aus ee Bes SERA IAIS C OPPS Clem COs eh area em re bei Pewee wus tea ochlener) GiCor 2 So eis eases tare whe. 2 AMacHsiecn CHurch DUlletinivileSsn te winehi sob Atami tule mole tan enc shoe se eee ce sivteesc cus Americana DE mtomolocicale Cons. abies seese Waning, 22 1eDie| bye ets eas ee) Sealer Semi Gases Dust Sprayer Mfg. Co., Cyclone sprayer....... Waimea aera, ial Bit] Yeas eu Seis eee Roe SORE Rao IE LaveenteOnnl acktae sey anhihtl alan Mieseete te ee ik fem OA kee eaters aloes Wie Geallohnson= ssetr ccd cee ees aoa Sem gee mao Ney Valllite mas Sr ostcrrewoters aetcuctee ies, Oo Sepa oaks Edith Reed, drawings for report............... F. L. Washburn, traveling expenses, Stearns, Meeker and Chisago counties.:..........0- NelOpal Grsamlh@ cl dle maciw apres cote seme cents She dee tees A. G. Ruggles, traveling expenses, Clay, Mar- ShallmandmePolleicountiess meee. Adeee beens wae Noo Ga i ood (SC ear ar gt Oa Oe Pe eg Piitsptrete late Glass COs. xr ocs< ata nec. o aoe pagratin ity, eel.aG Ol: an a aeten its The ow See American! ntomologicall (Cov sa. 4.41 n ee Were RNOOtiL COs pts eee: EN et acme ete Weg ARR A TANGRICY SS IE 0 Pore eo i er arte Diomeetesahes sie COMPETE esreee hicks. ce btennc aaa ney, Beperinnentey stanton «nied shu 6 ols cb eessacts Ruthie klolmberou ieldewonke .s-ces ss. secs «ests Ome. Moorewiveldewomnlkess sores hie eee IR, Ieabavelopmicieuneltel syyorl<, Woo abode Gaeoos Coe RO ee Caen S (oy a rea R o 3 Ww NeiOurcn Come ere (eh (@) mv bd PL @) a to ae Sa 7, ie} Sots Syaagans viil A. G. Ruggles, traveling expenses, Washington (COINS ch GAA mde ace e Eb ao 0 Moweg.o cucjan> oud Ono Ho Gy Todd. stenogtaphens se ce te eee Interstate: ‘Clippine | Bitkeatinnectemeretiere recess Pioneer Press Co., paper and envelopes........ ELD? Harrisonmieldiwork eee. EX press. $s ke bales b'« » ee ee ee Western Union Telegraph Co........ Cot eee Wesy. Gerhards i. g ete Sees ec agen Ee Ga Cressonse Ati eh iit COCR Hare eee Edith Reeds drawinasero tne pOltaeiae seen A. G. Ruggles, field work in ee and Marshall COUTILTE SW irok ee eae) Sa ee Teese PEEL Oe ASG Rare oles: fate en ee eo eee HL 1G Dedd.stenographer.ic, Mey ro witZn so iiss we cease cess A 16.03 iiiilvaeecO ce ODER VULIS sneer a pvcla ec cersin aise eis wate aanc toa coats 31.00 uilvamecee ed Grienhagien 2 6kis< tlegdet cokes baie Doane ees 2.50 Seinen Cre ODEs cus sisch'. cc ae ¢ Maen klc Sed et hays WASH fietlyaeecOnmee Graeme men a sk) nib. sea aoe ei acidee akin 55.00 DRIVE COrMENG TeNG > OF) SCO! c50 ceases oie wes Stade Geel e pial ws bine awe « 2.00 July 30. A. G. Ruggles, traveling expenses in Kandiyohi ALICE Vatal Olt aNG OLMIS Sy er ayes cee tetiacalcvelay = atte tyses 7.20 July 30. F. L. Washburn, traveling expenses in Waba- sha, Winona, Houston, Fillmore and Free- DOLMMGOMNUIES Sacty- tweet cars moran cite occ: 19.51 Westeru Union®T elesraph om..tccce. 5 een cen 2.95 July 21. Robert Wedge, work against leaf hopper....... 25.00 ee mlcay—-ocheerer: Con... .descenh .\ ii = A = “a Vig. 58.—Macrodactyhis subspinosus, Fab. From Marlatt, Division of Entomology, U. S. Department of Agriculture. REMEDY: Can be jarred on sheets in the cool of the morning. 5. Greenish caterpillar feeding within a folded leaf and skeletonizing it, about midsummer. GRAPE-LEAF FOLDER. Fig. 509. Fig. 60. d Fig. 59.—Desmia maculalis, Westw.: a, male moth; b, female; c, larva; d, head and thoracic segments of same enlarged; ec, pupa; f, tip of same enlarged; g, leaf folded by larva. From Marlatt, Dep. of Agriculture. Fig. 60.—Grape leaf folded by this insect. Original. 70 INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. ReEMEDY: Caterpillar can be destroyed by crushing the rolled leaf. The writer has picked the rolled leaves from his own vines and burned them or crushed them, being careful not to let the worm slip out of the leaf. 6. Leaves blotched and scorched, finally curling up and fall- ing, by little jumping insects. GRAPE THRIP OR LEAF HOPPER. Fig. 61.—Grape vine leaf infested with Typhlocyba species, Lugger. REMEDY: Remove all rubbish in the fall, and disturb the ground by raking. E ; Ree 7 : T. a 4 3 ; E INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. ral 7. Large greenish caterpillar, with a pale yellow stripe down each side, and a horn near tail. GRAPE-VINE SPHINX. Fig. 62.—Ampelophaga myron, Cram., caterpillar. After Riley. ReMEDY: Hand picking is best remedy. Small parasites help us in com- bating this pest. 8. Black beetle eating the tissues on the upper surfaces of the leaves, and discoloring them. RED-HEADED SYSTENA. REMEDY: Paris green sprays would be effective. 72 INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 10904. g. Large reddish yellow beetle, with six black spots on wing-cover, eating holes in leaves. SPOTTED PELIDNOTA. Fig. 63.—Pelidnota punctata, Linn. After Riley. REMEDY: Not common in Minnesota. Hand picking if necessary. 1o. A purplish or orange colored worm with dark markings, feeding on leaf of grape and woodbine. EIGHT-SPOTTED FORESTER. Fig. 64.—Alypia octomaculata, Hbn.: a, caterpillar; b, one segment of the same; c, adult. ‘After Riley. RemMeEpDy: Hand picking, or Paris green or hellebore when necessary. INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1004. (i: D. Attacking the Fruit: 1. Ripening fruit discolored, and burrowed by a whitish caterpillar. GRAPE BERRY MOTH. Fig. 65.—Polychrosis viteana, Clem.: a, moth; b, larva; c, pupa; d, case with empty pupa, all enlarged; f, grapes with worm natural size. From Marlatt, Dep. of Agriculture. REMEDY: Rake up and destroy the fallen leaves and rubbish under the vines in the fall. Early gathering and shipping are recommended. All fallen fruit should be destroyed. _ Bagging grapes as soon as fruit sets would be effective, but not practical on a large scale. A new parasite (7hymaris slinger- landana, Ashm.) has recently been bred from this pest. 2. Eating holes in ripe fruit, beetle large, yellowish, hairy. BUMBLE FLOWER BEETLE. Fig. 66. Euphoria inda, Linn. From Chittenden, U. S. Department of Agriculture. Remepy: Hand picking. 74 INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. : 3. Eating holes in young fruit, a long-legged beetle. ROSE CHAFER. See Fig. 58. REMEDY: See page 60. 4. Fruit discolored on one side by the presence within of a small yellowish-white grub. GRAPE CURCULIO. (Not common in Minnesota.) Fig. 67.—Craponius inequalis, Say. After Riley. The following insects also attack the Grape: Saddle-backed Caterpillar, various tree hoppers not mentioned above; Spotted Vine Chafer; many Sphinx moths; Hog Caterpillar; Red-Should- ered Sinoxylona; False Chinch Bug; American Procris; Smeared Dagger Moth; Gartered Grape Plume; Sulphur Colored Tortrix, and others. STRAWBERRY INSECTS. A. Attacking the Roots: 1. A pinkish caterpillar boring irregular channels through the crown and larger roots, causing them to. wither and die. STRAWBERRY ROOT BORER. SS = Fig. 68.—Anarsia lineatella, Zell. After Saunders. Remepy: No practical remedy. Badly infested plant should be dug up, and a new planting made. INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. 75 2. A white grub boring downward from the crown. STRAWBERRY CROWN BORER. Fig. 69.—Tyloderma fragarie, Ril. After Riley. RrEMEDy: Old beds more likely to be infested than new beds. Dig up and burn plants after fruiting season. 3. Eating out the crown and roots, a dark brown snout beetle or its whitish grub. Quite destructive, at times, in this state. PITCHY-LEGGED OTIORHYNCUS. Fig. 70.—Otiorhynchus ovatus, Linn. REMEDY: No remedy known beyond the digging up and destroying of old beds when infested. 5 INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. =] op) 4. A large white grub eating the roots. MAY BEETLE. Fig. 71.—Lachnosterna fusca, Freehl. From Riley. RremMeEDy: Grubs eaten by fowls. Crows are fond of them. They are attacked by disease. 5. A hard yellowish or brownish worm eating the root. WIRE WORM. ReMEDY: Plant strawberries only in land which has been in cultivation some time. Wire worms may be trapped or poisoned. See page 172. “Se S| =~] INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1004. B. Attacking the Leaves: 1. Brownish caterpillars in June and August rolling the leaves into cases, and fastening them with silk. LEAF ROLLER. Fig. 73.—Phoxopteris comptana, Froel. After Saunders. ReMEpDy: If bad, sprinkle with hellebore and water, or gather and burn infested leaves. See page 54. 2. Young plants gnawed off at the surface. CUT WORMS. Fig. 74.—A grotis ypsilon, Rott. After Riley. REMEDY: Cut worms may be trapped or poisoned. See page 171. 3. Small, pale spotted, active beetles riddle the leaves with holes in June. The young beetle in the grub form attacks the root. SPOTTED PARIA. REMEDY: Use hellebore. 78 INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. 4. A small blackish snout beetle puncturing stems and buds of staminate varieties. STRAWBERRY WEEVIL. Sée Fig. 33. Remepy: No really good remedy. The burning over of old fields after crop is gathered has been suggested. Plant chiefly pistillate varieties, using only occasional rows of staminate plants. Write to the experiment station ii radical measures seem necessary. 5. A small, active, jumping striped beetle, eating holes in the leaves. STRIPED FLEA BEETLE. Fig. 75.—Phyllotreta vittata, Fab. From Riley, U. S. Department of Agriculture. REMEDY: Same as for Spotted Paria. 6. A brownish bug, % of an inch long, sucking the sap from buds and leaves, causing them to wither. TARNISHED PLANT BUG. REMEDY: See page 53. @ Attacking the Frut: 1. A caterpillar feeding on the berry. STALK BORER. REMEDY: See page SI. INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. 79 2. A minute black bug, producing a “buggy” odor when eaten with berry. FLEA-LIKE NEGRO BUG. See Fig. 42. REMEDY: No remedy called for. 3. A black beetle nearly an inch long, eating the berry. HARPALUS PENNSYLVANICUS. lig. 76.—Harpalus pennsylvanicus, De G.: a, anterior tarsus and part of tibia showing notch; b, beetle. After Riley. REMEDY: Bran mixed with water sweetened with molasses, and poisoned with Paris green, is said to be fairly effective. It should be placed at intervals through the strawberry patch, each portion covered with a piece of shingle or board. Pick beetles and destroy them if necessary. ‘Traps in the shape of boards, etc., are good. Write for further particulars if troubled with this pest. See also Seventh Annual Report of Entomologist (Bulletin 77), page 39. The following insects also attack the Strawberry: Wavy- striped Flea Beetle, Imbricated Snout Beetle, Grape-vine Cater- pillar, Thread-bearing Span Worm, Rusty Brown Tortrix, Sulphur- colored Tortrix, etc. 80 INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. INSECTS: AFFECTING MELONS, SOUASHES AND CUCUMBERS. A. Attacking the Leaf: I. Small green bugs on under side of melon leaves. MELON LOUSE. Fig. 77.—Aphis cucumeris, Forucs. Wingcd viviparous female. After Smith. Remepy: If melon patch is very small, spray under side of leaves with kerosene emulsion (1-12), or dust under side of leaves with pyrethrum. Whether the patch be large or small, destroy all old vines and rubbish on melon patch, and plant some’ crop other than melons or cucumbers there the following season. Frequently the attacks of this louse are not of long dura- tion. Parasites kill many. 2. A brownish bug about 34 inch long on leaf. TRUE SQUASH BUG. Fig. 78.—Anasa tristis, De G.: a, mature female; b, side view of head, showing beak; c, abdominal segments of male; d, same of female;—a, twice natural size; b, c, d, slight- ly more enlarged. After Chittenden, Div. of Entomology, Dep. of Agriculture. © 9 INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1004. Q] REMEDIES: Protection of young plants by coverings. 2. Planting an excess of seed in order to distribute the attack. 3. Hand picking early in the morning. 4. Hand picking the large yellowish brown eggs, which can be found without much difficulty on the under side of the leaves. 5. Strewing some repellant on soil close to plant, such as lime, or gypsum, or sand sat- urated with kerosene or turpentine. ‘This is of questionable efficacy. 6. As this insect hibernates in rubbish on field, it is of the utmost importance that all vines should be destroyed immediately after gathering the crop, thus killing the immature bugs, which are still on the vines. One should burn in the fall all rubbish likely to afford winter quarters for this pest. 7. It is claimed that this bug will not touch cucumbers if there are squashes in the neighborhood; that it prefers squashes to pumpkins and pumpkins to cucumbers and melons; hence, if one wished to raise cucumbers or melons, he might (if the above statements are correct) plant squashes or pumpkins near them as a catch crop. 3. A yellow and black striped beetle, 144 of an inch long, feeding on leaf and blossom; wrongly called “Squash Burs STRIPED CUCUMBER BEETLE. Vig. 79.—Diabrotica vittata, Fab. From Chittenden, U. S. Department of Agriculture. REMEDY: Paris green may be dusted dry on the plants, mixed with slaked lime or cheap flour, about one part of Paris green to 50 or 60 parts of flour or lime. At least one party (Forrest Henry) has obtained relief by dusting the pure Paris green sparingly upon the plants, the plants not having been burned thereby. Tobacco dust scattered about the young plants is said to keep the Beetle away for quite a while. One should always burn the plants in the fall immediately after gathering the crop, thereby killing a large number of insects as well as destroying probably some eggs which have not hatched, and thus lessening the Beetle crop for next year. Planting a much larger number of seeds than are actually needed is also practiced, RD :.NJURIOUS INSECTS OF 10904. 4. A greenish yellow beetle, same size as above, with 12 black spots, feeding on leaf of plant. TWELVE-SPOTTED DIABROTICA. ra 1 Fig. 80.—Diabrotica 12 punctata, Oliv. After Riley, U. S. Dep. of Agriculture. REMEDY: Same remedies as for Striped Cucumber Beetle. 5. A black shining beetle, which jumps like a flea, found on melons and cucumbers. CUCUMBER FLEA BEETLE. Fig. 81.—Epitrix cucumeris, Harr. REMEDY: cucumbers. pests. From Chittenden, U. S. Dep. of Agriculture. Really more troublesome to leaves of apple trees than to Would be easily kept in check by treatment for two preceding The Melon Caterpillar attacks melons, and the Neat Cucumber Moth or Pickle Worm attacks fruit of cucumber, but we have not met with these in this state. . Be INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. 83 CONTROL OF MELON BLIGHT AND LEAF-EATING MELON INSECTS. That this troublesome fungus disease, which works on melons and cucumbers, can be combated, if treatment is begun early enough, has been practically demonstrated. Bordeaux mixture properly made and properly applied has been found successful. It must be borne in_ mind, however, that any application affects only the surface, and the surface must be kept coated, thus preventing the spores from germi- nating and starting a growth in the tissues of the leaf, for then it cannot be reached. Applications of Bordeaux mixture should be begun as soon as first leaves of plant appear, and should be repeated every eight or ten days for six or seven weeks. Fewer sprayings might possibly do, but it is better to err by giving too many. than to run the risk of the fungus getting a foothold by giving too few. The melon raiser must begin spraying early, as above indicated; if he delays, his work and material are wasted. A Knapsack sprayer might be profitably used for the first few applications, but after the vines are larger, and call for more liquid, a spray pump and barrel are desirable. Further, the grower must distinguish between this blight and the wilt caused by a bacterial organism, since the Bordeaux does not affect the latter. Plants showing this wilt should be destroyed at once. What is known as the 4.4.40 sol. of Bordeaux is used for this work, and it is made as follows: Dissolve four pounds of copper sulphate (blue vitriol) in four gallons of water in a tub or crock; slake four pounds of good quick lime slowly, adding water as it slakes to make four gallons. When wanted for use, and it should be used very shortly after it is made and not kept for some time, add sixteen gallons of water to each mixture, lime and blue vitriol, and then pour the two solutions together. Do not mix the solutions before diluting. It is eminently essential that the Bordeaux mixture be not acid, in order that it may not burn the foliage. .There are various tests to determine whether it is or is not acid: 1. Ifa clean knife blade held in the solution a minute or two becomes copper coated, more lime should be used. 2. If a little of the solution be poured into a shallow dish, and one gently blows across its surface, a thin film should form; if it does not, add more lime. 84 INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. 3. Buy a few cents worth of ferrocyanide of potash, dissolve it in water. ‘To a little of the Bordeaux mixture in a glass or crock- ery dish add a few drops of the ferrocyanide of potash solution; if a brown color appears, the Bordeaux is acid, and more lime should be added, and the test repeated. These frequent applications of Bordeaux, if it is properly made and properly applied, will keep the blight in check, and will in a great measure also prevent insect attack. The insecticidal qualities of the mixture could be bettered by adding four ounces of Paris Green (or one gallon of arsenate of lead) to every fifty gallons of Bordeaux. PRELIMINARY REPORT UPON WORK AGAINST THE DESTRUGEIYV Ei Ah HO Pi ike This injurious insect and its work in nurseries were discussed in the report of last year, and it was then announced that an active campaign against it would be inaugurated in the summer of 1904. In the meantime, having met with Professor Stedman of the Missouri Station, I was struck by his description of a spraying machine, planned to spray four rows of nursery trees at the same time, which he had. had made in his state. He very courteously gave me a general de- scription of the outfit, the plans for which I have followed in Minne- sota in a general way. THE CART. | It seemed, however, desirable to bring the reservuir below the plat- form in order to better balance the cart, and since three or four- year-old trees in Minnesota are not as tall as trees of the same age in Missouri, we found it unnecessary to make the cart as high as the one used in the state south of us. Therefore, while Stedman’s plan was followed in the main, the cart we constructed differs.from his in many minor details. This outfit is intended for use in large nurseries, and on level ground. j 5 x INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1004. 85 Fig. 84 shows the cart as it was first made for use with kerosene emulsion. ‘The wheels are 5% feet in diameter, with 4-inch tires, and the platform, which is 8x41 feet square, is 14 inches above the wheels, well balanced on the axle, so that almost all the weight, practically all, comes on the axle, not on the horse. The lower hori- Fig. 84.—Our Spraying Outfit at work in Nursery. Fitted with one Simplex Pump and one Kero-water Pump. Only the latter in use. zontal pipe D (see Fig. 85) is 1 inch, and 10% feet long. Just 3% feet distant from each other on this pipe four nozzles are attached, pointing directly downward. This spacing brings each one of these nozzles directly over a nursery row, where the rows are three and one-half feet apart, the usual distance. A nurseryman can, of course, suit this distance to the space between the rows in his nurs- ery. Horizontal pipe D can be raised or lowered by means of chains, to suit high or low trees. Horizontal pipe C is fourteen feet long, and projects ten inches back of the platform. ‘The three-eighth-inch verticals from this pipe are five feet four inches long, three and one-half feet space between 86 INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. them, and cross pieces at the bottom, so arranged that the nozzle at each end of each cross piece points up at an angle of 45 degrees. ‘This spacing, with that between the nozzles on the upper pipe, results in a copious spray coming both from above on the tops of the trees, and from below against the lower surface of the leaves, the latter being a very important feature. In actual practice the trees are completely surrounded by a fine spray, so that insects, whether they be upon the upper surface of leaf or twig, or the lower surface, or whether, dis- turbed by the spraying, they seek to fly away, are sure to be caught by the deadly mist. A glance at Fig. 85 will enable one to appreciate these details. In this drawing the two pumps, which, as intimated | i] | 1) | | | | Gy | | = Sed + Fig. 85.—Details of Spraying Outfit. above, were intended to be used with kerosene emulsion, are shown, and the two pieces of hose running from each to the horizontals. The double hose from one pump can be joined to either one of the horizontals, or to both, or the four pieces of hose from the two pumps can be so connected with the horizontals that the working of both pumps will contribute to the force in both pipes, and, therefore, in all the twelve nozzles. This latter arrangement seemed at first necessary, for we supposed that both pumps would be required to make all the nozzles do effective work. As a matter of fact, when emulsion was used, one pump worked by one man was all that was necessary to bring good results at the nozzles. The two pumps used with kero- sene emulsion were both ‘‘Simplex” pumps and answered the purpose perfectly. It is evident that such an outfit could be used with any Jal an ete _nteog en ee ee hed, tel. INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. 87 spraying compound (except Kero-water), which it was desired to apply to nursery trees. Our tank, resting on a platform between the wheels, readily seen in the photographs, was made out of strong galvanized iron and was two feet ten inches in diameter and three and one-half feet high, holding about 165 gallons; a faucet at bottom behind allowed the emptying of the tank at any time. A fourteen-inch square hole on top with cover afforded opening for filling. A heavy and steady horse was used with the cart, and an old saddle * on the back of the animal seemed to relieve his back of any undue strain. However, as stated above, the weight was so well balanced on the axle that the outfit was not at all severe on the horse, and was drawn when the tank was from one-half to two-thirds full with appar- ent ease. WORK IN THE FIELD. The tree hopper was first observed this season in various nurseries early in July; on July 4th in one in Southern Minnesota, where it rapidly grew very abundant. On July 8th it was found to be doing > destructive work in another large nursery in Southern Minnesota, and was abundant on the Station grounds from about July r5th. It was also found to be very bad in nurseries in Southeastern Minnesota and extremely abundant in Wright county nurseries on July 21st. One of the large nurseries referred to above was chosen as the field of our experimental work. We had planned to spray early in July, but owing to delay in getting the cart completed, the first spraying was not given until July 14th, at least ten days later than intended. At that time kerosene emulsion was used at the rate of one part of stock emulsion to twelve parts of water. The machine worked perfectly, one man and one pump being sufficient to envelope each tree in the row in a complete fog. In this fog were thousands of hoppers fiying from the trees, but unable to escape the spray. This strength of emulsion, however, while it killed the young hoppers, did not permanently affect the adults. We therefore, on July 19th, increased the strength, using one part emulsion to ten of water. This in no way injured the trees, nor did it, unfortunately, kill the adults, which were very numerous at that date. Learning from the Missouri Station that they were using a mechanical mixture of kerosene and water (10 per cent), with con- siderable success, I sent for a Kero-water pump, known as the “Peer- less,” which is seen in one of the photographs (Fig. 84) fitted to the 8g INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1004. cart by the side of the “Simplex.” This pump is so connected with a tank which can be filled with kerosene that every stroke of the han- dle not only draws water from the water reservoir through one pipe, but also, at the same time, a regulated amount of kerosene from the kerosene tank, the oil and water mixing mechanically, and issuing from the nozzles as a fine spray, the so-called Kero-water mixture. This is very effective, easy to prepare, in fact it calls for no prepara- tion, as the kerosene emulsion does, and easy to apply. Unfortunate- ly, the writer has yet to see one of these Kero-water machines which Fig. 86.—Hand Dust Sprayer at work. pumps true to the indicator. Our experience has been that if the indicator points at 10 per cent one is not at all sure of obtaining that percentage of oil in the water, in fact, he is quite sure not to. When the indicator of our “Peerless” pump “indicated” 20 per cent, we found by actual test that we were pumping 10 per cent, 25 per cent register giving 15 per cent. With the indicator at 30 per cent we obtained 25 per cent, while 50 per cent on the indicator gave nearly 50 per cent by actual test as it came from the nozzles. The indicator’s 10 per cent and 15 per cent gave such a small per cent of oil, far below the figure indicated, as to be practically worthless for our purpose. We found further that when the oil in the oil tank got quite low, the per cent materially changed; for instance, with the indicator at 25 per cent we pumped 15 per cent steadily until tank was nearly empty, when test showed that we were getting only 5 per cent. This inaccuracy and variation is common to all the Kero-water pumps nae Dey an INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. 89 with which we have had experience, and is a serious objection to their use. Nevertheless, once understood, and frequently tested in the field, these machines do good service. Our Kero-water outfit arrived too late in the season to be of really practical benefit. It was used August 5th for the first time, and Kero-water of 15 per cent applied. At that date the hoppers were becoming decidedly less in number, and further, the pump could only supply liquid sufficient to fill the lower nozzles. This difficulty was overcome by obtaining another pump, so that next season we will be prepared at the very outset to put up a good, and, | believe, a very successful fight against this pest, which is costing the nurserymen several hundred dollars’ loss annually. Mr. Robert Wedge, under Fig. 87.—Cyclone Dust Sprayer. whose supervision the spraying was done, wrote this department under date of August rith, six days after using the Kero-water spray, that he could “see no bad effect on the foliage of the apple trees sprayed with 15 per cent mixture.”’ We have already alluded to the statement from Missouri that Io per cent Kero-water mixture appears to be effective against the adult hopper. In spite of Mr. Wedge’s statement that [5 per cent did not appear to injure foliage, from observations along this line at the Experiment Station, the writer is induced to believe that 10 per cent is much safer than 15 per cent in this regard. At Adrian, Minnesota, Mr. Fred Mohl, proprietor of a large nursery, has kindly co-operated with the Entomologist, and has been making a series of experiments with the dust spray. Figs. 86 90 INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. and 8&7 show the Cyclone Dust Sprayer in operation, Fig. 86 repre- senting the hand machine, and Fig. 87 the larger machine used on wagon. Mr. Mohl sprayed twice with the “Caustic Lime” mixture, and once with the “General Formula.’’ At the date of my visit, in July, the trees were looking very well, though they were not free of leaf hoppers. He is of the opinion that if he had begun earlier, “before the hoppers appeared” as he expressed it, and sprayed three times, he could have kept them well under control. While the writer is quite willing to be convinced, he has not absolute con- fidence in the perfect efficacy of dust spraying. For many fungus diseases and some insects, and under certain conditions where liquid cannot be used, it is unquestionably an excellent thing, as shown by the vigorous appearance of Mr. Mohl’s trees, but in the case of the leaf hopper we have doubts. We would be very glad indeed to have these doubts removed, and its extreme usefulness demonstrated. Mr. Mohl is an enthusiast as regards dust spraying, as shown by the following extracts from letters from him, the first written on February 24th, and the latter, referring to the effect of spraying his orchard, on July 25th. “T have your favor of the 23rd inst. regarding campaign against the leaf hopper and was glad to hear from you on this subject as I have for years been bothered with these leaf hoppers not only in the orchard but also in the nursery. With the old method of spray- ing, it has been hard to reach them as they get on the under side of the leaf, which curls up and with liquid spray you cannot get to them, unless, perhaps, by persistent early spraying, which may keep them away. ‘This year I intend to give the dust spray a thorough test and will begin the first spraying before the leaves come out. I intend to buy another small dust sprayer in addition to the Cyclone sprayer- which I have. This smaller machine can be carried about and will come handy to fight the enemy as it appears. I shall also buy the prepared dust as per circular which I enclose. “In the orchard where we sprayed with the Caustic Lime twice and once with the General Formula, we can find scarcely any leaf hoppers, and, in fact, no insect pest of any kind. I am of the opinion that if we had begun spraying in the nursery before the enemy Nott.—The “Caustic Lime’ formula consists of ground lime, sulphur and concentrated lye. The “General Formula” is made of ground lime, “sal. Bordeaux,” sulphur and Paris green. INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. 91 appeared and sprayed with the Caustic Lime, say about three times, there would have been but a few hoppers. Some varieties appear to be more affected than others. * * * Iam yet of the opinion that if the dust or dry Bordeaux is as effective as the liquid, a tree can be much more thoroughly sprayed than with liquid, and in less time and with less work.” In a later letter Mr. Mohl states that he sprayed the nursery only once, with Caustic Lime, after the hop- pers appeared and that it did not destroy them. ‘ In certain experiments at the Station during the season, in con- nection with the leaf hopper, we found that one part of emulsion to twelve of water, when liberally applied to young nursery trees, will sometimes slightly burn some of the leaves of young apple trees if applied freely in hot sunshine. Under favorable con- ditions, however, we have used it as strong as one to ten without appreciable injury. Incidentally, observations were made upon the stability of kero- sene emulsion when mixed with water. We found that when one part emulsion was used to twelve of water, the separation of the oil began immediately, and the mixture could not be used safely after 15 hours; one part of emulsion to eight of water gave almost as bad results, while one part of emulsion to six of water was very much slower in separating. We found further that Io per cent Kero-water could be used with safety as regards the foliage, was death to plant lice, and apparently fatal to old as well as young tree hoppers. Fig. 88 represents the different stages of ( this tree hopper from shortly after hatch- ing to the adult stage. It has been found on a number of trees and plants other than apple: ~ Inthe: case--of the latter. tree it would appear from evidence at hand that the egg is laid by the adult in the tissue of . the leaf, since young are found on the un- der side of the leaf, of such a tender age as 2 to preclude the possibility of their coming Fig. 88.—Different Stages of ; the Leaf Hopper, Empoasca from any but a nearby source. Yet in the malt, Osborn. Original. absence of conclusive evidence the Ento- mologist hesitates to regard the above probability in the light of a fact. 6 92 INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. Mr. Robert Wedge, who did considerable work against the hop- per in Southern Minnesota last summer, under the writer’s direc- tion, reports that this insect’s attacks are least apparent on the Northwestern Greenings, and most evident on the Repka, Charla- moff, Lyman, Minnesota and Transcendent, these five varieties being about equal sufferers. After the Repka, according to this cor- respondent, Scott’s Winter appears to be quite badly affected, and then in diminishing ratio, Patten’s Greening, Early Strawberry, Sweet Russet, Malinda, Longfield, Duchess, Hibernal, Wealthy, Whitney, Peerless, Anisim. USES TO WHICH. THE ABOVE CART MAY BE APPLE D: The pictures of this spraying machine illustrate what may be — the steps in the evolution of something of special adaptation to the needs of all tree growers. As it is now constructed it can be used with Kero-water mixture, or kerosene emulsion, or lime and sulphur | spray, or resin wash, or Paris green, in short, with any of the sprays commonly used by nurserymen or orchardists against plant lice, leaf hoppers, caterpillars, scale, and other leaf-eating or sap- sucking insects. It is so large that it is adapted particularly to large nurseries on level ground. The expense of its construction would place it perhaps out of reach of the small growers, but never- theless a number of nurserymen of the same locality could share the expense and the advantages of such a machine with considerable profit. Further, the possibilities foreshadowed in the success of this cart as a sprayer are practically unlimited. A cart to straddle one row and spray the straddled row and the two adjoining rows could, in the opinion of the writer, be easily constructed. These carts, too, including the one we are now using, could be made automatic by connecting the pumps by proper gearing with the wheels. This work against the leaf hopper will be continued next sum- mer, and begun at the very first appearance of the insect. SPRAYING AND SPRAYING MACHINERY. This is a hackneyed subject in many states where fruit raising plays an important role, but has never been thoroughly discussed in Minnesota reports in the light of what we now know upon this INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1004. 93 important adjunct to agriculture. It is claimed that the annual loss "on crops in the United States from insects and fungi ranges from $300,000,000 to $500,000,000, and that 75 per cent of this can be saved by judicious spraying. Our state is not only taking a stand as a fruit-raising state, but the conditions of raising vegetables, root crops, etc., have become such that frequently spraying is an impera- tive necessity. The Entomologist has been asked by agriculturists and horticulturists to discuss this subject fully, since in many in- stances money and time are wasted through ignorance of the essen- tial principles of spraying, coupled with a lack of knowledge of the habits of certain insects. Some insects eat the surface of twig, or leaf, or bud, or fruit, and can be killed with internal poisons such as Paris green, arsenate of lead, London purple, hellebore and the like. But others, from the fact of their inserting a beak and sucking the ~sap from below the surface, cannot be reached by any arsenical or other poison applied to the surface, but must be sprayed or washed with some oily or soapy mixture, such as soapsuds, whale oil soap, kerosene emulsion, petroleum and the like, something which will stop up the spiracles (little holes along the side of the body through which they breathe), or will so irritate or burn the surface of their bodies, sometimes also stopping the spiracles, as to cause death. Such agents are found in tobacco water, pyrethrum, lime, sulphur, lime-sulphur (and salt) solution, potash, lye, etc. We can therefore readily divide Minnesota insects into two well marked groups, those which are mandibulate or biting, and those which are haustorial or sucking. Under the first class we have cut worms, army worms, potato beetle or “‘potato bug,’ codling moth b or “apple worm,” currant worms, wire worms, borers, plum curculio, tent caterpillars, canker worms, pear and cherry slugs, cucumber beetle, sometimes wrongly called “squash bug,’ and many others; in short, all insects which have biting mouth parts when they attack our crops. Under the second class—sucking insects—we have chinch bugs, all plant lice, leaf hoppers, true squash bugs and scale insects. Do not therefore use Paris green or any internal poison against plant lice or bed bugs, both of which mistakes on the part of our citizens have come to my notice. Fig. 89.—Bucket Spray Pump. Approximate cost without Bucket, $7.00. IM a | , | Mi | ! | ’ = | ) Fig. 90.—Pump on Barrel, Showing Agitator. Approximate cost without Barrel, $16.00. INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. THE PUMP. This is a very important fac- tor in successful spraying. In purchasing a pump one will be guided by his needs; if it is wanted for a few shrubs and small trees in the yard, for use in a small vegetable garden, or for whitewashing a hen house, a bucket pump such as is shown in Fig. 89 will do, bearing in mind that the bucket or can will have to be carried from place to place and frequently filled. Hence, if a number of potato plants or other plants are to be sprayed in the vegetable garden it might pay one to get a pump which can be fastened to a barrel which could be hauled about on a wagon or stoneboat. Such pumps, with approximate cost in each case, are shown in Figs. go and ol. Do NOT buya syringe pump, which costs from $1.00 to $2.50 or $3.00 and throws only a very coarse spray, and think you have anything of value. A plant syringe is all very well in a con- servatory, but valueless if any number of shrubs and trees are to be treated, and even conserva- tory or house use calls for some- thing which will administer the liquid in a fine spray and with force. Do NOT allow your home dealer to sell you a cheap pump INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 10904. 95 Fig. apa pai Cart and Pump, complete. Approximate cost, $9.00. ($3.00 to $8.00) for garden and orchard, on the ground that it is “just as good.” It is not as good, as you will no doubt find later to your cost, should you be persuaded to purchase it. We append be- Fig. 92.—Small Sprayer for use in greenhouse or garden. Tin, 60c.; Brass Reservoir, 85c. low a list of manufacturers of spray pumps, and a good pump should show the name of some one of these as a guarantee of Fig. 93.—Steel Cart for Barrel and Pump. 96 INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1004. its excellence. A good pump is one whose parts do not easily cor- rode. The working parts should be of brass. Leather or rubber valves are not used in the best pumps, but are replaced by brass valves. Cylinders lined with porcelain are not desirable. A farmer or fruit grower should be willing to pay anywhere from $9 to $20 for a good pump. Automatic and power sprayers, for use in large orchards, and on extensive field crops (See Figs. 97, 98, 99, 100) come much higher. He should insist upon seeing the interior of a pump before buying. Several might unite in buying a pump, there- by being able to purchase a good article with comparatively small expense to each individual. Fig. 94.—A Barrel Cart. Connections of good hose are important, and poor hose should be avoided; three-ply and four-ply are generally used, but where great pressure is to be planned for, five-ply or even six-ply is desirable. Hose can be bought of any length, and where trees of some height are to be sprayed (10 to 20 feet) extensions are necessary. These can be bought of various lengths, and consist either of metal pipe alone to the ends of which the hose and nozzle is attached, or the same encased in bamboo. Drip guards which encircle the extension just below the nozzle, or just above the point where it is held will add to the INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1004. 97 comfort of the man spraying by catching liquid which would other- wise run down the pole upon his hands. In submitting the following list of manufacturers, taken from Geneva Bulletin No. 243, we must remind our readers that some of these firms have agents in different cities in Minnesota. In such cases, the manufacturers would not quote any better price than the agents. A request for a catalogue price list, mailed to any one of the following firms, would doubtless meet with immediate attention. t E. C. Brown & Co., Rochester, N. Y. Dust Sprayer Mfg. Co., 510 Broadway, Kansas City, Mo. Deming Co., Salem, Ohio. W. & B. Douglas, Middletown, Conn. Field Force Pump Co., Elmira, N. Y. Friend Mfg. Co., Gasport, N. Y. J. F. Gaylord, Catskill, N. Y. Goulds Mfg. Co., Seneca Falls, N. Y. Hardie Spray Pump Mfg. Co., Detroit, Mich. H.W. Henry, LaPorte, Ind. Hillis Dust Spray Mfg. Co., McFall, Mo. Leggett & Bro., New York. J. J. Kiser, Stanberry, Mo. Morrill & Morley, Benton Harbor, Mich. F. E. Myers & Bro., Ashland, O. Niagara Spraying Co, Middleport; N. Y. Pierce-Loop Sprayer Co., North East, Pa. Rochester Machine Tool Works, Ltd., Rochester, N. Y. Rippley Hardware Co., Grafton, Il. DY-BSnuth-é& Co: Utica, No Y¥. Spramotor Co., London, Ont., and Buffalo, N. Y. Wm. Stahl, Quincy, IIl. = Wallace Machinery Co., Champaign, III. R. B. Williamson, Clifton Springs, N. Y 98 INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. THE NOZZLE AND THE SPRAY. A spraying outfit without a good nozzle is like the play of Hamlet with Hamlet himself omitted; in other words, the outfit is practically worthless unless it is well equipped in this particular. This leads us to speak of a most important point in this connection, namely, th2 liquid must be applied in the form of a must, or very fine spray, and must strike the fruit, leaf or twig with force. A nozzle which will not do this is, with the exception noted below, of little or no value, as far as “J Fig. 95.—An Automatic Sprayer. Cask holds 10 gallons. Wheel 26 inches high, 3-inch Tire. Weight of outfit, 75 pounds. Price complete. as shown, $24.00. treatment against insect: pests is concerned. Do not think that a mere sprinkling is going to do the work. Note, in this connection, that the old-fashioned field sprinkler which used to be employed in puting Paris green solution on potato vines has been replaced by the modern cart, geared to pump automatically, and furnished with noz- zles which apply the liquid in a fine spray and with force. This is economy, for when there is but a coarse spray, or if the nozzle “drib- bles” the liquid is wasted. It is economy too, while seeing that every leaf and every part of the fruit or twig, whatever one is treating, is well covered, not to waste the liquid by spraying too much, that is, the liquid should not drip off, or run off the tree or plant to any great extent. INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. 99 In purchasing a nozzle, get one which can be readily cleaned, for even with care in straining the liquid, some particles of foreign mat- ter will occasionally clog the nozzle. We have found the Vermorel Fig. 97.—Automatic Field Sprayer, Six rows. Approximate cost, $67.50. 100 INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. nozzles excellent in this particular, and making a spray fine enough and forcible enough for all purposes. When Bordeaux mixture or lime-sulphur-salt mixture, or a whitewash is to be used I change the Vermorel for the Bordeaux nozzle, which is better adapted to these compounds. This is the exception referred to above. Fig. 98.—Automatic Field Sprayer, Six rows. Approximate cost, $72.50. Fig. 99.—Automatic Field Sprayer, with five rows of brass piping. Approximate cost, $90.00. STRAINERS. All compounds used for spraying should be strained before or while being poured into the barrel or other receptacle from which they are to be drawn by the pump. If possible avoid using burlap for INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. 101 this purpose, since if used lint is bound to be carried into the pump and is likely to bother you by clogging the nozzle. Brass strainers are the best, made to fit the opening through which one pours the liquid. In addition to this, every good pump has a strainer in the lower end of suction pipe or suction hose through which the liquid is drawn into the pump. AGITATORS. Most pumps—all good pumps —are equipped with agitators which, as a rule, the working of the pump handle keeps in mo- tion. These are generally pad- dles which keep the liquid in the barrel or other receptacle con- stantly stirred. Paris green be- mg heavier than water, sinks if the liquid is not kept constantly in Fig. Sore Meer mounted. on motion, the result being that the poison is unevenly distributed, and a part of the tree or a somes of the plant will be injured or killed Fig. 1001%.—Six-row Sprayer in Field. 102 INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. by receiving an unnecessarily large amount of the green, while other parts will receive little or none. Should one be using Paris green in solution from a bucket, this should be borne in mind, and the solution almost constantly stirred. TANKS FOR FIELD USE. Fig. 1o1.—Three-row Sprayer at work in field of Strawberries. It is claimed that one man can drive and work the machine. Price of Hose, Piping, Nozzles and Connec- tions (without the pump), $7.50. 3 These can be made of galvanized iron or pine (cypress is said to be the best of the woods for this purpose where obtainable) or cedar. When made of wood the inside should be painted. Two horses cannot comfortably draw more than 250 gallons of liquid over the field. INJURIOTIS INSECTS OF 1904. 103 Fig. 102.—The ‘Auto Spray.’”? Holds four gallons. The hand in the engraving is out of all proportion. Tank is of steel or brass. Compressed air. Weight, when loaded, 39 Pounds. KNAPSACK SPRAYERS Machines intended to be carried around on back, or lifted about by hand when desired, and excellent for work with shrubbery or in garden where too much ground is not to be covered. The writer speaks from personal experience when he says that after several fill- ings the weight tells upon one’s back and shoulders. See Fig. 112. lig. 103.—Vermorel Noz- Fig. 104.—Improved Ver- Fig. 105.—‘‘Bordeaux”’ zle. Cost, Roc. morel Nozzle. Spray Nozzle. Cost, 8oc. 104 INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. KERO-WATER SPRAYERS. These are machines made both in knapsack form, Fig. 112, and to be used with barrel, Fig. 113, possessing a receptacle for kero- sene so connected that every stroke of the pump handle draws some of the oil from the oil tank and it is mechanically mixed with the water, issuing from the nozzle in what we call the “Kero-water spray.” This has the advantage over kerosene emulsion in that it eliminates the making of the latter, and hence is a saving of time. It is, of course, cleaner than the emulsion and easier to handle. Ten per cent of oil and 90 per cent of water, or 10 per cent Kero-water, as it is called, is very effective against many suck- ing insects, and ordinarily does not injure the foliage. A valve and graduated disk on these pumps is supposed to afford an opportunity to obtain 5. per cent, 10-per cent, 20 per cent or Fig. 166.—Double Vermorel Nozzle. oil and upwards, according to the needs of the operator. Unfortu- nately in all the pumps with which the writer has had experience, the - per cent of oil indicated is not always the per cent obtained. Fur- ther, it has been our experience in the field to find that a Kero-water pump which is delivering say 15 per cent Kero-water at one time, may drop to 5 per cent when the water or oil in the receptacles gets low. However, the first of these defects can be overcome by testing, prefer- ably, with a glass graduate, your own machine before it is used, and making memoranda of what the indicated per cents on the disk really are in practice. We found that 5 per cent and 10 per cent could not be relied upon at all, see page ; that 20 per cent really gave Io IN7URIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. 105 Fig. 110.—Three-cluster painting Nozzle. Fig. 107.—Double Bordeaux Nozzle. Fig.- 108.—Double acting Purp. Approximate cost, $36.00. per cent, etc. Any glass jar or bottle with straight sides can be used in this test to obtain an approximately cor- rect reading of the proportionate amount of water and oil. Catch the spray as it issues from the nozzle, and let it stand until all the oil has gathered at the top of the Fig. 109-— water. If there is one-fifth as much oil as water, your Extension. pump is giving you 20 per cent kerosene; if one-tenth as much oil, 10 per cent kerosene or Kero-water; if one-half as much oil, 50 per cent Kero-water and so on. It has been found necessary 106 INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. in the field to frequently test one of the Kero-water pumps which we are using (see page 88), in order to post ourselves as to just what strength we were giving the trees. DUST SPRAYERS. The simplest form of dust sprayer is found, perhaps, in the little bellows sold at drug stores, and used to distribute pyrethrum in cracks and crevices which might conceal fleas or bedbugs. A larger bellows is made for use with plants, and a still more complete machine for field use is known as the Leggett London Purple Gun, Fig. 115, with which one can distribute lime or a mixture of lime and Paris green, flour and Paris green, hellebore and like material. More re- cently, at least two firms have manufactured dust sprayers on a larger scale, to be placed on wagons, and intended for use in large nurseries or orchards. One called the “Cyclone Sprayer,’ and made in Kansas City, is figured herewith, Fig. 116. This machine and a smaller one made by the same firm are shown in use on pages 88 and 89. A dry Bordeaux and certain caustic compounds are used with these sprayers, or a combination of dry Bordeaux and Paris green are manufactured, though directions are given to purchasers whereby many of these compounds may be made at home. The claims made by the= manue facturers and several of the ¥’,, users of dust sprays are many: (They say there are no bar- rels of liquid to be hauled, and this is of great value where it’ is hard to carry or obtain water; that the cloud of dust envelopes immense numbers of trees, sometimes covering an entire orchard; that it is im- posible to get too much of the spray; that it costs less than the manufacture and application of liquid sprays, etc. These advan- tages, barring the item of less expense, which must vary, are self- evident. On the other hand there are certain disadvantages in this method equally apparent, namely: When a strong wind is blowing it cannot well be used, one being obliged to keep to the windward side Fig. 111.—Double Vermorel with Y. INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. 107 of the trees constantly; it is best used apparently when the dew is on trees and plants, thus relegat- ing the work to the morning hours; it is not apparently effect- ive against the codling moth; one has to personally avoid the dust and see that it does not settle on the horses; for sucking insects, in the opinion of the writer, nothing is so good for summer use as kerosene emulsion or Kero- water; arsenate of lead, which is coming into universal favor as a safe remedy for insects which eat leaf, or fruit, or twig, bud or bark, cannot, of course, be used as a dust spray. Fig. 113.—Kero-water Pump on Barrel. Approximate cost of Pump mounted on barrel (without hose or nozzles), $21.00. -I 108 INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. I do not wish to be understoud as in > BROWNIE any way condemning the use of dust DUSTER SPrays, for they certainly stand for an ad- mmm vance in our means of attacking injurious insects, but it would be unwise not to con- sider the disadvantages in their use as well Fig, f14-( the | Brownie Dust: as the advantages: jl do nop believe tie r.’ A small Dust Sprayer for use in conservatory, green- 1 = 5 : ‘ =F Lees lon eaeden Cocte ES eBe ill ever entirely replace liquid spraying. We We y y s Gaa(' Wa] ae CANO © NS F pig ee ly =~ < Se ee SS an, © Fig. 115.—Leggett London Purple Gun. INSECTICIDES AND FUNGICIDES. A very complete list of spraying compounds for both sucking and biting insects, and for the more common fungicides used against fun- gous diseases which attack fruit trees, vines, etc., was given in the Annual Report of the State Entomologist for 1903, and need. not be repeated here. ‘The report referred to can be had for the asking. Fig. 116.—Cyclone Dust Sprayer for use on wagon. Approximate cost, $22.00. INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. 109 Fig. 117.—McGowen Injector. For putting bi-sulphide of carbon about roots of trees or plants. Slingerland. Tit PewMsCuRCULIO AN: ENEMY "rO APPLES: (Paper read before the State Horticultural Society at its 1904 meeting.) That this pest, which we associate so commonly with plums, does attack apples, is not a new fact, since this departure from the orthodox food habits has been known for some time; but since apple-raising in Minnesota is, practically speaking, in its infancy, this naughty feature in the life of this weevil, illustrated by the loss, in at least one instance, of 100 per cent of the apple-crop in a Southern Minnesota orchard last season, is unceremoniously brought to our door in a very em- phatic and unpleasant manner. Fourteen other orchards have suf- fered, to my certain knowledge, and there are probably many other instances of its work in apples in this state not known to me, I might add that I placed some of these injured apples in a breeding jar and in September had a fine lot of Plum Curculios from the same, 110 INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. There is no doubt but that this Curculio is to be regarded quite as much of a pest to the apple in Minnesota as the Codling Moth, or even more so. This Curculio belongs to the family of beetles known as “Snout Beetles” or weevils, of which there are about 10,000 known species, which family causes a loss of over $30,000,000 annually in the United States. It is unnecessary to state that our little friend with the humps on his back, the Plum Curculio, does all he can with other members of his family to keep up his reputation as an evil-doer. As a result of this weevil’s attack on the apple we find the fruit dwarfed, misshapen, covered with ugly scars, looking like Fig. 120, and actually worthless except for hog food, as it falls to the ground. Fig. 119.—Plum Curculio, larva or grub, pupa and imago. After Lugger. If one cuts into one of these apples during midsummer, in July say, the small whitish grub is disclosed, actively engaged in boring through the fruit, and waxing strong and fat, preparatory to the time when, the apple fallen, he or she, as the case may be, will enter the ground to pass through a resting stage or pupal stage of two or three weeks, before turning into the imago, or perfect insect. This takes place before fall, generally in August, but the beetle does not mate upon emergence from the pupal stage. Its first instinct is to eat, and after lunching upon fruit for a while, by puncturing the apples, it winters under rubbish and leaves, deferring its courtship until the following spring. ‘The first warm days of spring, after the fruit is formed, find the lady Curculio laying her eggs. Although the insect is single brooded, she continues egg-laying for some little time, probably ; 3 INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. 111 through the latter part of May and June, and later, as though she were conscious that she had to do all she could before dying in the late summer or autumn. Now, insects must eat, as we all know to our cost, and while she is egg-laying she, as well as the male, feeds upon tender leaf buds and leaves, and upon the fruit also. Before the fruit is large enough to tempt her to lay, in fact before it has formed, and probably before she has mated, she varies her diet of leaf buds by con- suming the petals of the flowers as well. For obvious reasons we cannot spray when the tree is in bloom. ‘This eating of leaves and leaf buds is a significant fact and a habit on the part of the insect which should be taken advantage of by fruit raisers. ‘The method of egg-laying by the Plum Curculio, shared to a certain extent by other Fig. 120..-Minnesota Apples destroyed by the Plum Curculio. Original. members of the weevil family, is curious enough. She first punctures and eats a small hole into the pulp of the fruit. She then turns about and lays one oval, whitish egg in this hole. Her next move is to make a crescentic cut on one side of the egg puncture, eating the tis- sue until she gets partly around and below the egg. This is the usual method followed, though it may vary in minute detail. Evi- dently this crescent, which practically undermines the egg, is made so that the tender egg may not be crushed by the growing pulp of the apple or plum. 112 INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1004. Of course, if these “stings’’ are made when the fruit is well along in its growth, and the egg does not hatch, or if the puncture made at that time is just for feeding purposes, it does not spoil the apple, though the fruit, which would show the scar, could not then be classed as first - grade, and if, for any reason, when the apple is small, the female does not lay an egg in the puncture, or if the egg fails to hatch, the young apple will probably outgrow the injury. These “stings,” however, and a glance at the accompanying picture shows that there may be many, form starting places for decay and allow fungoid diseases, which would not otherwise, perhaps, gain an entrance to the interior, to enter the fruit and play such havoc that the apple is made compara- tively valueless. It is said that it takes from five to seven days for the egg to hatch, and that the larva or grub lives in the apple from eighteen to twenty-one days. It is further claimed that if the apple does not fall to the ground when the contained larva is half grown, the de- velopment of said larva stops and it dies (Stedman). The adult beetles have wings by means of which they fly, some- times ‘for long distances, in search of suitable places in which to pass the winter. It may be said, however, that they hibernate, for the most part, under the fruit trees, particularly if there is rubbish there, or if the ground is in sod which is not disturbed. Now, in the orchard to which I referred at the beginning of this article, where practically all of the fruit was destroyed, ideal conditions appear to exist for the encouragement of this evil; an old orchard, sprayed only one year, 1902, sod growing undisturbed for several years beneath the trees, no stock of any kind allowed to run in the orchard, and numerous plum trees in close proximity. This _is one of the oldest orchards in Southern Minnesota. I have given the habits and life history of this pest in some detail, for you all know the necessity of knowledge upon these points in order to combat any pest successfully. From the foregoing facts certain measures of relief appeal to us as practical, for instance, spraying frequently in the early spring and summer, jarring the trees in the cool of the early morning and catch- ing the beetles on sheets below. One enterprising apple grower, however, makes the statement that he gets more Curculios by jarring between six and seven o'clock in the evening than at any other time. He uses a cheap spread, about 15 feet square, attached to poles along INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. ap: two opposite sides, so that it may be easily rolled up, and having a slit to the center into which the trunk slips. Jarring the apple trees is continued by him from the time the fruit is the size of marbles until he can catch no more beetles. ‘This seems a good rule to follow. It should be noted in this connection that jarring means a sudden forcible blow (padding the stick or mallet used, so as not to injure the bark), not a shaking of the limb, the latter simulating the action of the wind so closely that the beetles would not be sufficiently alarmed to drop, and would cling to the twigs until the shaking ceased. Fig. 121.—Details of injury to Apples: a, egg punctures with larve living in the pulp and the punctures beginning to decay; b, c, d, egg punctures beginning to heal, as eggs never hatched; f, badly stung portions of an apple; e, egg puncture nearly healed; g, scar in a depression. Stedman. The ground in an infested orchard should be plowed every fall for a while, or both fall and spring, and stock, such as hogs and chickens, should have full access in order either that the fallen fruit be eaten before the grub emerges, which would be the best and safest plan, or the grub after emergence be scratched up and devoured by hungry fowls. Plum trees should not be planted in the immediate 114 INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. vicinity of an apple orchard, nor should apple or other orchards be planted near a forest or wooded area, since not only does the Plum Curculio like to winter in wooded tracts, but many of our other orchard pests were originally insects of the forest. Above all it must be remembered that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and these remedial measures must be applied in a timely way. For instance, spraying, to be of any use, must be begun before the eggs are laid, or, rather, frequent applications should be made during the entire period of egg-laying, from the middle or last of May, and before, to possibly as late as the middle of July. The writer would suggest one or two sprayings first before the blossoms open, and every ten days after the blossoms fall, until the end of the laying season, and jarring should be persevered in during this period. For . spraying we would suggest using one pound of Paris green to every 160 gallons of water and the addition of a little quick lime to prevent any burning. As you are well aware, spraying in this way would also kill any other insect pest feeding upon fruit, leaf or twig. Plum trees infested with Plum Curculio should receive the same treatment. The writer would suggest using quite a little more lime when treat- ing plums, as the plum foliage is more tender than that of the apple. A better and safer spray than Paris green, and one rapidly coming into favor, is arsenate of lead,* sometimes called disparene. This can be used of almost any strength (three to six pounds in every 100 gallons of water) without injury to trees, and remains on leaf and fruit much longer than Paris green. Ifa long continued and copious rain immediately follows a spraying, it is safe to conclude that much of the poison has been washed off, and spray again. I,note that Stedman suggests in recent publications regarding this same evil in Missouri, the working of the soil in the apple orchard in July and August, a shallow plowing and thorough harrowing about the mid- dle of July, followed by two more harrowings between that date and the middle of August. This would seem to be a valuable ad- junct to the other work, inasmuch as it would disturb the ground at a time when the beetles were pupating just below the surface. If not one but all the measures of relief above outlined be followed for a few years, the injury to the apple by this pest is bound to be INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. 115 very much reduced, if not made to disappear altogether. Even one of the above remedial measures, if followed faithfully and intelligently, will cause a marked improvement. *Notr.—Dissolve 11 ounces acetate of lead (sugar of lead) in 4 quarts of water, in a wooden pail, and 4 ounces arsenate of soda (50 per cent purity) in another wooden pail. The sugar of lead can be dissolved more quickly by using warm water. Pour these solutions into 150 gallons of water. Arsenate of lead can be purchased already prepared. It is important to note in this connection that if one is using Bordeaux for early spraying for scab or other fungus diseases, adding an arsenical poison (Paris green, for example) to the Bordeaux will serve good purpose against the Plum Curculio, and other leaf and fruit eaters. THE MOTTLED WILLOW BORER, AN INTRODUCED ENEMY TO CAROLINA POPLAR AND WILLOWS. While this tree is not, from an esthetic standpoint, as desirable as many others, it is becoming very popular as an addition to our list of trees for windbreaks on account of its extremely rapid and vigorous growth. Fig. 122.—The Mottled Willow Borer, Cryptorhynchus lapathi, Linn., somewhat enlarged. Original. It will interest the citizens of this state, therefore, to know that not only is this tree, but practically all the willows and probably most of the poplars, alders and birches threatened with a borer, which came from Europe several years ago, and though confined to the East for a long period, has worked its way, evidently through ship- ments of nursery stock, into Ohio, probably into Canada, and this 116 _INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. year specimens were sent to the Minnesota Entomologist from Caro- lina poplars received into Minnesota from New York State, and ship- ped from here to North Dakota, where twenty-five trees were reported killed. This is the European alder and willow borer, Cryptorhyncus lapath, Linn., shown in our illustrations. It is a snout beetle belonging to the family Curculionide, dark brown, or blackish, nearly one-half inch long, with a conspicuous whitish or yellowish (scaly) patch on the rear part of its back; these yellowish scales are seen also on its sides near its head. It makes a hole in the poplar tree, frequently attacking a tree near the base, and.in this hole deposits from one to four eggs. The white legless larva with brown head: which hatches from the egg bores under the bark in the immediate vicinity of the place where it Fig. 123.—Work of the Mottled Willow Borer in Carolina Poplar. Original. has hatched during the first season, wintering in this position, and tunneling into the wood the second season. ‘This boring beneath the bark, and the subsequent entering the wood will greatly injure any tree, and in the case of small trees, if the insect is in the trunk, un- doubtedly cause their death. The larva, becoming full grown, trans- forms to a pupa at the end of the second summer, passing the second winter in this condition, and emerging as an adult beetle in the spring, the third year from the egg. In other words, two years are required for one generation. Mating and egg-laying take place after the beetle has issued from the wood. The spread of this foreign insect westward in the United States is of interest. It was described by Linnezus in 1763; in 1824 in the vicinity of Liegnitz, a whole alder plantation was destroyed by it, willows also suffering. In some way, possibly in cuttings from —— * INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. BET Europe, it was brought into America. In 1882 it was taken on wil- lows in New York City; in 1884 one specimen was taken in New York State and one in Staten Island. In 1887 it was found on wil- lows near West Bergen, New York. In 1891 Sinith reports it as kill- CANADA KITTSON ROSEAU MARSHALL jie BELTRAMI ITASCA = = ¢ OOK ees x= A NORMAN © a : = ae Oo of CLAY BECKER = 2 Z, fs OTTER TAIL ere Pee eS | a Sar oi 2, O WISCONSIN Dy. el ey LAC- a fo) =m % a Phan oom (GOODHUE, Oo P¥6c E ek, ~e [Ss ~¢ ee ec S, “~ 2.0 , | MOWER nee ty Fig. 12314.—Map of Minnesota. Correspondents are located in those counties which are marked with a O. See page 121. SOUTH DAKOTA LOWA ing willows and other trees in New Jersey; in 1895 it was found by Fernald at Melrose, Massachusetts, feeding in large numbers on willows. In “Garden and Forest,” Vol. X, 1897, there is a state- ment to the effect that it was affecting all species of willows in the 118 INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 10904. Arnold Arboretum, and that it had been known about Boston and Cambridge for many years, and Vol. VIII of Psyche, 1899, states that it was very abundant about Boston in 1896. In 1898 and 1899 it be- came so injurious to Balm of Gilead Poplar and Willows in Massa- chusetts as to seriously threaten the business of nurserymen in these particulars. A report reaches us of the finding of one specimen in Montana in 1899, but this report lacks confirmation. A few years ago Burgess found it in Ohio. Dr. Howard reports receiving half- grown larvee this summer from Detroit, Michigan. ‘The above, with the specimens which we received from Bowbells in the northwestern part of North Dakota, indicate the westward march of this unwelcome foreigner. ; Unfortunately, from the nature of the work of. this insect, which is not very evident until the resulting injury is seen, most remedies or means of prevention are of but little avail; never- theless something can be done in alleviation, and in view of its recent introduction into this part of the Northwest, radical measures should be resorted to in order to prevent such a destructive insect getting a foothold in this state. Eleanor Ormerod, in her report of 1899, advised her constituents in England, where, by the way, the beetle has been known for a long time as “The Mottled Willow Beetle,’ to apply repellant washes to the trunks and branches of young trees, also to jar the trees, and the destruction of infested branches in the spring. The writer has recommended the examination of nursery stock and young door-yard trees in June, if the presence of this pest is sus- pected, and the cutting off of the affected branches (or affected trunk if it is a small tree) and burning the same with the culprit inside. A possibly good preventive to young stock in the nursery or elsewhere would be a whitewash on trunks and larger branches, containing a liberal allowance of Paris green, applied two or three times during May and early June, and again, since egg-laying has been observed in the fall,in September. Jarring the trees during these two months, May and June, in the morning, causing the beetles to drop on a sheet below, is also suggested. The Agricultural Department recom- mends putting newspapers about the bases of trees, and above these, deterrent washes. ‘Two parasites have been bred from this pest; an Ichneumon Fly, Ephialtes irritator, Fab., and Ermogastra hartti, Ashm. INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. 119 The case has assumed such a serious aspect that this Depart- ment has notified all nurserymen who apply for State Certificates that hereafter no certificate will be granted to any nursery upon whose trees this beetle is found. In addition to the works mentioned above, interesting accounts of this beetle can be found in “Loudon’s Arboretum et Fructicetum,” Wols 111; 1838; in Selby's “Forest Irees,’ 1842; in “Zeitschnit fur das Forst und Jagd-wesen,”’ Vol. XXIII, 1891; in Westwood’s “In- troduction to Classification of Insects,’ Vol. 1; in “Lehrbuch der Mitteleuropaischen Forstinsekten Kunde,” Vol. 1, by Judeith & Nitsche, 1895; in “Entomologica Americana,” Vol. III, p. 123, 1897; in “Forest Protection,’ by W. R. Fisher; in “Forst-Zoologie,” by Altum, Vol. III, Insekten, pt. 1; in Henschel’s “Die Schadlichen- furst und Obstbaum Insekten ;” in Journal of Columbus Horticultur- al Society, Vol. XVI; in 32nd Annual Report, Entomological So- ciety of Ontario, 1902; in Bulletin No. 46, Bureau of Forestry, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, 1904, entitled “The Basket Willow,” and elsewhere. Many of the writers on this insect mention a habit it has of emitting a squeaking noise when handled or annoyed, evi- dently made by rubbing parts of the thorax together. NURSERY INSPECTION. The nurseries of the state which have applied for inspection have been found free from dangerous insects and contagious plant dis- eases, and, as a rule, appear to be in excellent condition in every respect. The nurserymen have, without exception, shown every disposition to assist the Entomologist in his work, and have been uniformly kind and courteous. Since the discovery of the imported Mottled Willow and Poplar Borer, notice has been sent all nurserymen that hereafter no certifi- cate will be granted if this dangerous pest is found in their stock. Appended is a list showing the source of money ($130.18) obtained from inspection in accordance with the law, and also the fact that the same has been handed to the State Treasurer to be added to the fund for combating injurious insects in Minnesota. 120 F. L. WASHBURN, IN ACCOUNT WITH STATE AND NURSERIES. No. of 1904. Name and Town. Cert. July “5: Minnesota? Seed; Co:,Paribanlts..5 fe aoe ee 27 july, 5:- “Brand: Nursery; sFaribaultt5:a--ce ea be ae eee 28 hulys “5: Andrews* Nursery. Partbault..0.4 707-50e eee 29 July: 6.) Clinton Falls. Nursery iCo:, Owatonila. -..=) +. .5- 30 Jaaly: <6, “Mitchell: Nursery Co. sOwatonnass.. 2 5..c0ae ee a1 July 6. Minnesota State Nursery Co., Albert Lea.:....... 32 July 7. Albert Lea Nursery Co., Albert Lea........ 2.5... 33 july 8: Wedge Nursety Gos, Albert: Wea. ene nee ee 34 July 9. Winnebago Nursery, Winnebago City............. 35 Nitthyiq.05) sainmont- iN arsery, «Malrmontsis.. cane eee ee 36 Julyserow Amber wakes Nunrseryae Aun be tale a kceenrce tems mente 37 Niilyeres ianaranziNunsenyeelananam zine ee eee Cees 38 july. -Guverne SNursery.esltveries—.qerarekic nae 39 \iilvects John. OsbornsDasseliyrec ee Pease ree 40 Jiulye22 cl Wee Beckmanys Cokatonessqse acre i eee 4I Nulye 22. John EklotwCokato..wn: 00. a ee ee 42 ditly22.5 WH Bddy- JH owardedzalce .cepereer eee eae jualya222. Ws. Taylor: Elowardeluake:s.6o 4-55 ee 44 {aly22.- -D M.- Bowers sHowardelyaker ss oases ae 45 jiuly—28: Jewell: Nursery..Go., ake City- 22 iajeus ua eo 48 Wilyes20. (County. Line Fruit Parma jake-Citys 7.4.09 ae 49 July 29. Pleasant Valley Fruit Farm, Pleasant Valley.:..... 50 Niilya= 20s" Vinegar abil eVvoustonie rset te ci eens er ee 51 Julye2o: — Preston = Nursenys -ereStomean er era ee oer 2 July. 30:. Spring Valley sNurseny. «cee. ee Be) aly 30, >A. On Hawkins, Fxcelsior.-sa.-e ot aes cere 46 Hulye3o. ‘Chas. “Hawkinson, xcelsior.: =. ane tems ene 47 Anes. John sHawkins,Mitineapolisc: ao cient: serine 54 Aug. 17. Fred Cowles, West Concord....... I i Ee cass ek 55 Atga17, W: Ey Bryer? Mantoryille 2aoss. oot geste ee ante 56 Ave 18. °G: W:. Strand, Taylors Malls. c.-..cheee eee 57 Ate. 24> F) Eo Catting, Byron'sio suc icc aaren ee eee 58 Aug. 29. John Zeller (New Ulm Nursery), New Ulm...... 59 Aug. 29. Wm. Pfaender, Jr. (Pioneer Nursery), New Ulm.. 60 Sept. 3: Mayfield Nursery, Eakelandex, cf tome otha eer toe 61 Sept. 35-1. L May .CossSb bau cere eo eee 62 Sept/12. Hoyt Plant & Seed :Co::St. Paul: rinse ene 63 Sept. 14. Hennepin County Nursery, Eden Prairie.......... 64 A hott een ee er ene nar ne Mer Are Soa A kha unhtieG oud ate OF Sot Credit by Cash Paid State Treasurer. ION Ss call 013s eee ea PRP rmne ee De anaes Ss crtiear rain iM 001d AO © Wigs ae oe INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. Delit by Cash Received. KH 47.59 ie pT Sy eee ee E21 INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1004. “‘yonut jou jnq *soaq apeys uo juepunqe AO pO UIE S DEG AGUAS OE 02) 40 FS SELLE DL OULOSeDI DecAT TUE ISS OIF Til aeia nt ciate acrarns S ro Sic ch ade siyde wyja ‘!peq qnisd daz AA ‘UI0D UO peq SWAIOM dIIA\|‘[zuRIvuURy ‘MoIpuy ‘Uussuef "uIOo poajurjd sures punoy ‘saT ; ) ‘snojiawinu $|*snypsspigut = =— st. 0] 4) oe) et ROS SGT SOC: og osesiy9 ‘s8nq youryo jo usIs ON *s}OOSUI ON |suIOM yNO puUe ajj90q O}}JOg|-29q piqvivo eB fssnq YyouIYyD|‘yourig yWoN “ff “jp ‘uoWOH ‘Jauuins | jO jsiy SuUlinp snoiwnu SWIIOM jnd :peq ssnq oyejod ‘unseq Ay ues Weletavarcreforstetiidfafelatats “Od aT[IAuayy fasewep at P!p Ay uBISS9F | -soyyT {ysod JSIOM snq OPEJO |eeeeee ses se reer cecee ature . aHeLanPilicpatal sin sielefavones evevaerel@/aleletatecere ieratateeivie ee ‘9 [AUDA ‘YIN ‘S19 QUO FT ‘doia jo juso tod Qg pase | -wep jsni fpeq (3) Ap Wy *peq ajzinb ssnq oj} vjefarereisi ot o/eeete nte\ate) ofp 9% “09 []TeYS fasewep ouios Ay uwubeissafy|-od {jyeayM ul peq AY uvissopy *peq ssnq 0}%}0g ‘QSPWIEP JOISUT ON |-re IY ane 9M ‘IO ‘fH ‘soo1} SunoA uo peq | ‘ssnq youryo ySIq ey fsnotouMuU AIBA | ‘nyWueld asnoy jou ‘peq AraA you jeaym "Moy sieypid ssnq ojejod ‘stunjd jo jua.* |jea]-wya !peq ssnq ojejod juo jysni ‘peq [mower ee Ss % lLOwA of 1904, received from counties marked with a = Inquiries, one or more, regarding injurious insects, season 128 INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1004. A PLEA FOR SOME OF OUR COMMON BIRDS BASED UPON THEIR FOOD HABITS. There appears to be a call for information regarding the food habits of some of our common birds, which are often condemned because of ignorance upon this point. In an endeavor to furnish this information and describe briefly some of our feathered friends in such a way that they may be recognized, Press Bulletin No. 19 has been issued. Largely at the instigation of the Audubon Society of Minnesota, a strong effort is being made to inculcate in our citizens, particularly in the school children, a love for the birds, which will check the cruel practice of shooting and maiming, with sling-shot or air gun, animals which are as capable of suffering acute pain as ourselves. However injurious a bird may be—and there are some which at times do work injury upon the farmer or fruit grower—this is nevertheless no excuse for its being caused to suffer at the hands of a thoughtless boy, who, in years after, will regret his cruelty. With this educational object in view the efforts of the Audubon Society are being ably seconded by the State Horticultural Society and the State Educational Association. ‘These societies have appoint- ed from among their members a committee to forward this work. Particulars regarding the work can be obtained from any one of the following members of the committee: Prof. Lange, Central High School, St. Paul; ProO: I> Denny; Central High School, St. Paulie Mrs. J. B. Hudson, Lake City; Mrs. La Penotiere, 1928 Portland Avenue, Minneapolis; Mrs. Ida Thompson, Duluth; Mr. S. A. Stock- well, Penn. Ins. Co., Andrus Building, Minneapolis; Miss Sarah L. Putnam, 229 Eighth avenue S. E., Minneapolis; Prof. A. W. Rankin, Minneapolis; F. I,. Washburn, State Experiment Station, St. Anthony Park. The State Experiment Station is only too glad to assist in this good work by publishing at this time the following economic data on the food habits of some of our common birds. These data are largely the result of the work done by the United States Depart- ment of Agriculture and by independent workers, credit for which is given in the text. The writer desires to urge upon the teachers the need of encouraging their pupils in humanitarian principles in connection with our birds, and discouraging the stoning of the same, INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1004. 129 the robbing or destruction of nests, or the maiming of such helpless animals. ‘These acts are, for the most part, punishable by law, but if a child can be led into the observance of these laws through intelligent interest in the birds themselves, the result is better than if fear is the instigating cause. Upon adults we would urge the desirability of discriminating in judging birds, the careful study of the food habits before condemning, in the building of boxes for wrens, blue- birds and martins, and in encouraging by their example generally a wise and humane policy toward our feathered associates. Dudley Dorn rightly says: “No one should own or handle a gun unless first proved to be possessed of common sense.” BLUEBIRD. WSS = Fig. 124.—Bluebird. Upper parts, including wings and tail, bright blue; breast, throat and sides, reddish. Length, seven inches. A description of this common bird is hardly necessary. It is of wide distribution, from the Atlantic to the Rockies, and from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. Its note is among the first to be heard in the spring, and one of the last in the fall, at which latter time we associate it with the falling leaves of Indian summer. ‘To the writer its note in the fall has always appeared to take on additional sadness, as though lamenting the dy- ing of the year. It nests in hollow trees and boxes erected in suitable places, and should be encouraged by providing it with plenty of such 130 INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1004. opportunities for housekeeping. An examination of two hundred and five stomachs showed that seventy-six per cent of the food con- sisted of insects and their allies, while twenty-four per cent is made up of vegetable substances. Beetles constitute twenty-eight per cent of the whole food, grasshoppers twenty-two, caterpillars eleven, and various insects, including spiders, comprise the remainder of diet. All these insects are more or less harmful, except a few predaceous beetles, which amount to eight per cent. Prof. S. A. Forbes of Illinois examined 108 specimens secured in every month except No- vember and January, and results of these examinations prove that although the bluebird eats some insects which are beneficial, and occasionally takes a raspberry or gooseberry, it consumes such an immense number of injurious insects, cutworms and other insects, such as army worms, moths, grasshoppers and crickets, that it is undoubtedly a beneficial bird. Nestlings of the bluebird, like the young of almost all of our common birds, are fed an enormous quan- tity of insects. PHOEBE. i i NRK, g Gi! WR Na OH ZG EIN \e Nees tL, AY ANY a Nu 4, ifs ia Ay hy) XY: = Go Fig. 125.—Phoebe. From Biological Survey U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. ts INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1004. 131 Length about seven inches, upper parts grayish brown shaded with olive, top of head darker; outer edge of outer tail feathers white or yellowish, except at tip. Under parts white, more or less tinged with yellow; breast and sides brownish gray; bill black. This familiar bird is one of the earliest arrivals in the spring, and generally first observed before the leaves appear on our trees, at which time its plaintive note, sounding like “pe-wee,’ with the accent on the last syllable, announces the arrival of spring. It is commonly found near buildings on the farm, and frequently builds its bulky nest of moss and mud on a beam in a shed or under a bridge. It is of wide distribution, being found throughout the United States east of the Plains, and is deservedly a great favorite. While it occasionally takes a raspberry or blackberry, or more commonly seeds of various kinds, and elderberries, wild cherries, etc., its principal food is insects; it is, in fact, a true fly catcher. Ninety-three per cent of the contents of eighty stomachs examined consisted of insects and spiders. Gen- erally two broods are reared in a season. HOUSE WREN. Fig. 126.—House Wren. From Biological Survey U. S. Dep. of Agriculture. _ Cinnamon brown on back, marked indistinctly with black and white, becoming more reddish on rump and tail; tail rather long and marked with fine bars, black bars also showing on sides. Length five inches. This saucy bird is found over the entire United States, 132 INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1004. nesting about buildings or in boxes or houses prepared for it by the thoughtful farmer. As in the case of the bluebird, it is well to give it every opportunity for nesting, since its food consists almost entirely of insects, and it will repay you for your friendship by searching out and devouring caterpillars in your shrubs and trees. It is said to raise several broods in a season. An examination of fifty-two stomachs by the United States Department of Agriculture showed that ninety-eight per cent of their contents were made up of insects and their near relatives, the remaining two per cent being vegetable matter, small bits of grass, etc., evidently taken with the insects by accident. One-half of the food consisted of grasshoppers and beetles ; the remainder, caterpillars, bugs and spiders. BARN SWALLOW. Fig. 127.—Barn Swallow. From Biological Survey U. S. Dep. of Agriculture. ary, er INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. 133 Throat, forehead and breast reddish chestnut, paler below. Metal- lic blue on back and head. ‘Tail forked; some white on each feather in tail except those in the middle. Nest of mud and grass lined with feathers, in barns and other buildings. In the writer’s opinion no farm scene is complete without these birds flitting in and out ol the barn. A rapid and graceful flyer, it captures, while on the wing, moths, flies, beetles and frequently grasshoppers and flying ants. Of three specimens shot in June in Nebraska, in a “locust year,” accord- ing to Professor Aughey, the stomachs of two contained sixty-eight locusts and the stomach of the third thirty-seven locusts. As might be inferred, these birds are strictly insect eaters. MEADOW LARK. Fig. 128.—Meadow Lark. From Biological Survey U. S. Dep. of Agriculture. The Meadow Lark is common from the Atlantic to the Great Plains, and a variety extends west of the Plains to the Pacific Coast. It is an inhabitant of both prairie land and fields in districts more or less wooded, and while not a fine songster, in the opinion of many, adds much to our enjoyment of the country. The color of the upper parts is a mingling of black, whitish and chestnut, darker on the head, where we find a light streak running back from the bill; side of head light, showing a yellow streak over and in front of eye; chin, throat 134 INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. and breast bright yellow, with a jet black collar or cravat on breast in form of a crescent; all but the central tail feathers showing consider- able white. Length, ten to eleven inches. It nests upon the ground, and seldom perches on trees. Analyses of stomach contents give interesting results: ‘Two hundred and thirty-eight stomachs exam- ined contained seventy-three per cent animal matter, and twenty- seven per cent vegetable, the latter being found in the winter. The animal food consisted of insects of the ground species—beetles, bugs, grasshoppers, caterpillars, and a few flies, wasps and spiders. A number of the stomachs were taken from birds killed when the ground was covered with snow, but still contained a large per- centage of insects. Crickets and grasshoppers constitute twenty- nine per cent of the entire year’s food, and sixty-nine per cent of the food in August. Twenty-one per cent of beetles was found, of which about one-third are predaceous ground beetles; the others all harm- ful species. In May caterpillars constitute over twenty-eight per cent of the whole food, with a large number of cutworms. Grain makes up fourteen per cent, and weed and other seeds twelve per cent. VESPER SPARROW, VESPER BIRD, GRASS FINCH, BAY- WINGED BUNTING. Fig. 129.—Vesper Sparrow. From Coues, “‘Key to North American Birds.” nina ch ~—s let Ace emma A AE _ _ ee ee a INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. 135 Like the Meadow Lark, a bird of the pasture, field and prairie. Frequently seen in the road, when it will run in front of you a dis- tance before taking flight. At the latter time it always shows the _white of its outer tail feathers, a most characteristic marking. The upper parts are brownish gray with more or less black and brownish black and brown streaks on sides and breast. Length, about six inches. Nests on the ground. This modest colored bird is quite a singer at times, its song reminding one somewhat of that of the Song Sparrow. About two-thirds of the year’s food consists of seeds and other vegetable matter, the remainder consisting largely of cutworms, grasshoppers, army worms and spiders. Of thirty- seven Wisconsin adults studied by King, thirty-one had eaten various small weed seeds; five, four grasshoppers; one, eight grasshoppers’ eggs; four, ten larve; fourteen, twenty-seven small beetles; three, eight moths; one, three flies; one, three land-snails; one, two ker- nels of wheat; one, a kernel of rye. CHICADEE, BLACK-CAPPED TITMOUSE. Fig. 130.—Chickadee. Original. Dear to us because of its cheerful activity in the cold of winter when almost all other bird friends have left us. From an economic standpoint a great benefactor, for not only does it consume large 136 INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. numbers of insects in summer, but more than one-half the winter food consists of insects and their eggs. The eggs of plant lice make up one-fifth of the entire food, in fact the destruction of these eggs on fruit and shade trees is the chief beneficial work of this bird in the winter, and the good it does in this way must not be under-estimated. Examinations of stomachs or crops of these birds has shown that sometimes more than four hundred and fifty eggs of plant lice are consumed by one bird in one day. Eggs of canker worms and tent caterpillars are also eaten. Four stomachs or crops examined showed, as the result of a single day's feed, one thousand and twenty-eight eggs of canker worms. Four others contained about six hundred eggs of canker worms and a hundred and five mature female canker worms. Surely if any bird deserves protection, it is this one. Such a familiar bird hardly calls for a description. Head, back of neck and throat black; sides of head and neck whitish; breast white; sides washed with brownish yellow. Length about five and one-half inch- es. Nests in old stumps and decayed trees, preferably birch; holes not far from ground generally. In addition to its cheerful “chic-a- dee-dee” it has a number of other notes, some of them extremely musical. DOWNY WOODPECKER. A true benefactor in that its food consists almost entirely of injuri- ous insects, and it is with us both winter and summer. It is the smallest of our Woodpeckers, being only six and four-fifths inches long. Black above; a scarlet band on back of neck; white on mid- dle of back; under part white; central feathers of tail black; the outer ones white with black markings; wings black spotted with white. ‘The female lacks the scarlet patch on back of neck. It nests in holes in trees. Often seen in winter in company with Nuthatches, Chickadees and Brown Creepers. What little vegetable food it eats consists of seeds of poison ivy, sumac, etc. Seventeen Wisconsin specimens had eaten forty insect larva, twenty wood-boring grubs, three caterpillars, seven ants, four beetles, a chrysalid, one hundred er ee INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. 137 and ten small bugs, a spider, with a few acorns, small seeds and a little woody fibre apparently taken by accident with the grubs. Three- fourths of the food of one hundred and forty specimens examined by the Department of Agriculture consisted of insects. Nearly one- fourth consisted of ants, chiefly from those which were caring for plant lice, or burrowing in wood. . Fig. 131.—Downy Woodpecker. Original. PLICKER, GOLDEN-WINGED WOODPECKER, PIGEON WOODPECKER, YELLOWHAMMER, MiG HOLE: Top of head ashy; band across back of head scarlet; back ouve brown conspicuously barred with black; rump white; tail feathers above black, with white markings tinged slightly with yellow, and 138 INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. with yellow shafts; black spot on side of throat under eye; side of ~ head and throat dove color, black crescent on breast; lower breast and under parts white, more or less washed with light brown, and marked with large, round, black dots; tail beneath yellow; long feathers of wing yellow below, and with yellow shafts. The female lacks the streak or spot on the side of the throat. Length, twelve inches. Nests in holes in trees. This familiar bird, whose call we associate with the warm promising days of early spring, before the Fig. 132.—Flicker. From Biological Survey U. S. Dep. of Agriculture. leaves appear on the trees, differs from the other Woodpeckers in being something of a ground feeder. It eats wood-boring grubs, to be sure, but is very fond of ants, and is quite apt to be discovered dining on the ground before a large ant hill. ‘Two stomachs exam- ined contained over 3,000 ants each. The Flicker occasionally takes a little fruit. “ ned erate Ite ee ee INJURIOUS tNSECTS OF 1904. 139 > THE NIGHTILAWK. Fig. 133.—Nighthawk. After Brehm. Back blackish, marked with whitish or cream; white bar on wings; tail blackish, forked; broad white band on throat and white band on tail of male; under parts barred with black and white. Nests on ground. But few who have walked in field and woods have not flushed this bird resting inconspicuously on ground or limb of a tree, and we are all familiar with its graceful evolutions in the air during afternoon and evening, where its rather harsh cry at once draws our attention. Frequently a bird closes its wings and drops swiftly, again soaring upward just before reaching the ground. At such times one hears a booming sound, something similar to the noise made by blowing across the large mouth of a bottle. Just how this is produced appears to be a matter of question among ornithologists. Some claim it is made by the air rushing through the stiff wing feathers, called primaries. The food of the Nighthawk appears to be May flies, dragon flies, beetles, certain water insects which fly in the evening, many bugs and grasshoppers. From seven specimens se- cured in Nebraska Professor Aughey took three hundred and forty- eight Rocky Mountain Locusts (one of our most injurious insects). In an Arkansas specimen F. L. Harvey found more than six hun- 9 140 INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. dred insects—gnats, beetles, flies, ants and grasshoppers. Naturally a bird with habits like the Nighthawk would never injure fruit or ber- ries. Some people confound the Nighthawk with the Whippoorwill, quite a different bird. MARSH HAWK. Male and female quite dif- ferent, both in size and color. Adult male nineteen inches long, grayish above, the tail being barred with blackish; feathers above at base of tail (upper tail coverts) conspicu- ously white; breast gray, fad- ing into white on_ belly, where brownish markings are found. The adult female is twenty-two inches long, dark brown above, marked on head and neck with reddish brown; upper tail coverts as in male, conspicuously white; tail darker brown barred with reddish brown; breast buff, the color fading on _ belly. Nests on the ground in Fin, fo Wash dawis, itis, Rideway, Bulle marshes. This is pre-emi malogy U. S. Dep. of Agriculture: nently a bird of the meadows and prairies, and is often seen skimming over the top of the marsh grass hunting its food, at which time white of the upper tail coverts is conspicuous. It eats field mice, squirrels, rabbits, grasshoppers, frogs, reptiles, and occasionally small birds or poultry but not often. The writer regards it as a useful bird to the agriculturist. Out of one hundred and twenty-four stomachs examined by the United States Department of Agriculture, seven contained poultry or game birds; thirty-four contained other birds; fifty-seven contained mice; twenty- two contained other mammals; seven contained reptiles; two con- tained frogs; fourteen contained insects; the contents of one were undetermined, and eight were empty. Dr. B. H. Warren examined — i ‘oi “he oy ae INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. 141 fourteen stomachs with the following results: Seven had only field mice in their stomachs; three, frogs; two, small birds (warblers) ; one, a few feathers, apparently of a sparrow, and fragments of insects ; one a large number of grasshoppers, with a small quantity of hair, evidently of a young rabbit. SCREECH OWE. Varies greatly in color from reddish or rufous to gray. In rufous specimens rufous above generally showing fine black lines. Below, whitish with feath- ers barred with reddish or ru- fous. Or, in gravish specimens, above brownish gray with faint black markings mingling with brown. Length about ten inch- es. This is a quite familiar bird about our orchards and _ barn- yards, and, as tts food habits show, its presence should be en- | couraged. Of two hundred and fifty-five stomachs examined un- der the direction of the United States Department of Agricul- ture, one contained poultry, thirty-eight contained other © birds; ninety-one contained p.. 135 screech Owls. After Plate 23, Bul mice; eleven contained other fin No. $ Diisga, of Omsitology, and mammals; one hundred con- tained insects; two contained lizards; four contained batrachians; one contained fish; five contained spiders; nine contained crawfish ; seven contained miscellaneous matter; two contained scorpions; two contained earthworms; and forty-three were empty. From consideration of the food habits of the two above birds, representatives of the order of Hawks and Owls, it would seem that we make a mistake in wholly condemning this much maligned group, for among the hawks and owls we certainly find some in whom the good qualities seem to outweigh the bad. 142 INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. THE ENGLISH SPARROW. Our illustration is hardly needed, since this hardy and pugna- cious bird has fought his way into every town and village of any size in Minnesota. He is welcomed by some, possibly, on account of his, cheerful chirpings in winter when other birds have left us, but disliked by the majority not only because he defiles buildings and walks, and by his persistence in nest building wears out the patience of the house owner, who objects to the unsightly domicile of straw under the eves of his home, but also because he drives away other native birds whose presence is more desirable and more advantageous than that of the English visitor. We will say here that those seeking to encourage the wrens to build in bird houses on their grounds should make the entrance exactly the size of a silver quarter. This will admit the wrens, but keep out the unde- sirable tenant. a ae gerne lt ee ne re INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. 143 While it is apparently impossible to exterminate this bird, which in many ways is a pest, many of us desire to know some merciful way of lessening its numbers. Poisoned wheat, using arsenic in place of strychnine, in order that the birds may not die by the food and thus frighten away others, is used by some. This is open to the objection of danger to poultry, and cats also may eat birds so poisoned. A better way, practiced on some farms, is to feed wheat for a number of days, in the barnyard, say, placing it in a straight line, and one fine morning when the birds are feeding, rake the line with a shot gun. This may sound very cruel to some of our humanita- rians, and the Entomologist may be censured for giving such advice, but death is not cruelty, and as this office is intended to relieve farmers of the presence of troublesome pests, he makes the sug- gestion without hesitation. We know of at least two instances of the successful use of the following: Wheat was soaked twenty- four hours in whisky, and while still moist was placed where the sparrows could get at it, presumably mixed with a small amount of other wheat not treated, and placed where fowls could not well reach it. The result of this was intoxication, maudlin, I am told, in which condition the birds could be readily picked up and dis- posed of. One case has been called to my attention where this failed, but it was on the farm of a prohibitionist where doubtless the sparrows instinctively refused to touch the grain soaked in spirit. There is some ground to believe, too, that the wheat in this case was not treated with whisky, as the young man told me that he thought it was whisky “but was not sure.” A 22 caliber rifle is sometimes handy, and its skillful use will keep them from forming the habit of roosting on cornices, etc. The tearing down of their nests repeatedly will, after a time, dis- courage the would-be housekeepers, though they persevere through several buildings before they finally cease. We have seen English sparrows catching grasshoppers, and know of other good work they do, but it is of such slight import compared with the mischief caused by them, that a slight lessening of their number will do no harm. 144 INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. GOPHERS, FIELD MICE, MOLES, WOODCHUCKS, RAB- Bris Ee: Everyone has heard the old story about the naturalist who was traveling with some pets, and the railway people had only made provision in their rules for charging for dogs. ‘The ticket seller was therefore in doubt as to whether charges should be made for monkeys, cats and a large tortoise, which accompanied the natur- alist. His judgment at last was given forth that the cats and monkeys would have to be paid for because under his instructions, he said, “Cats is dogs, monkeys is dogs, but that ere turtle is an insect, so we let them go free.’ The story does not state whether he would classify gophers and rabbits as insects also. Possibly not. Nevertheless there is no one in the state, outside of this de- partment, so situated as to be able to publish an economic treatise on gophers, field mice, rabbits, etc., all of which are pests to the agri- culturist, and as publications from this office are designed for the benefit of Minnesota farmers, the Entomologist does not hesitate to present here his own experience and that of others in combating gophers, rabbits, field mice and allied forms which are hostile to - the interests of agriculture. In the first place, a word as to the classification of these ani- mals as having an important bearing upon their food habits: They all suckle their young and are more or less covered with hair, hence belong to that class of vertebrates known as Mam- s malia. Further, with the excep- Fig 207 Shull of Rat showing he 46m, tion of the mole, they are all enamel; softer dentine; , roots of enawers, and have teeth adapted circles formed by dncisors. °_ After Lan: < ito tliat (COmetant pict mit ee Uc manele sors or front teeth above and _ below being chisel-shaped and remark- ably well developed, and the canine teeth being absent. These, therefore, belong to the order Rodentia or Gnawers, which order includes all the squirrels, chipmunks, gophers, pouched gophers, rats, mice, rabbits, hares, woodchucks, beavers, muskrats and por- INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. 145 cupines. The nature of their teeth and the general appearance of their skulls can be appreciated by a glance at the accompanying illustration, Fig. 137. The mole, on the other hand, does not have the incisor teeth developed for gnawing, and does have canine teeth in upper and lower jaws. Its eyes are very small, sometimes quite concealed, but with a little care one can find them, hence the popu- lar idea that moles have no eyes is erroneous. They are insect eaters, feeding upon grubs, insects and earth worms, and probably do not often take vegetable matter as food. They belong to the order Insectivora, which order includes not only the moles, but also the little mouse-like shrews, in which, unlike the moles, we find no canine teeth. Our illustration, Fig. 138, shows the skeleton of a mole, the sharp pointed teeth, adapted to tearing insects and worms, and not at all suited for gnawing, as are the teeth of the gopher. One will at once note in the picture the enormous: ridges in the bones of the fore limbs, to which in life powerful muscles for digging are attached, particularly suited to an animal which passes practically its entire life beneath the surface of the ground. Fig. 138.—Skeleton of Mole. From Brehm. Turning once more to the order Rodentia, we find it divided into families, and in order to properly place the Minnesota pests which occur in this order, we will arrange the families under the order in such way as to show just where our gophers and squirrels belong and why. Family Sciuride: The Squirrels, including all the squirrels, ground squirrels, or chipmunks, the woodchuck or ground-hog, the thirteen-lined gopher, the gray gopher. All of these have five molar teeth above on each side and four below on each side. 146 INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. Family Geomyide: Pouched Gophers. This family includes all of our Pocket Gophers. They possess well defined ‘cheek pouches opening outside of their } mouths on the side of the face, a peculi- Fig. 139-—Outline of head @fity not possessed by the preceding of Pocket Gopher showing famuly; furthermore, they © have «tart extent and openings of cheek pouch of left side. molar teeth above and below on both 1 . Eds. e Their skulls are heavy and somewhat depressed, their fore feet and claws are large, adapted for digging, and the body is thick and clumsy, quite unlike that of the so-called gophers, found in the preceding family, and so common in Minnesota. We have in this state two pocket gophers, both of which are injurious. The one, Geomys bursarius, is common almost every- where, especially in our prairie counties. It is reddish brown. The second is Thomomys talpoides, a northwestern form, which pene- trates the northwestern part of the state. This species is lead color, with breast, feet and tail more or less whitish. Fig. 140.—Pocket Gopher, Geomys bursarius, Shaw. After Merriam. The injury caused by pocket gophers in a farming community is enormous; not only do they consume large quantities of alfalfa, clover and wheat in the neighborhood of their burrows, eat root roe ae ce INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. 147 crops such as potatoes, carrots, etc., and kill young fruit trees and vines by gnawing the roots of the same, but -their numerous mounds in a meadow destroy, by covering, large patches of grass or clover, and are especially annoying to the farmer in dulling and injuring the knives of the mower. ia ela oe ales Fig. 141.-—-Pocket Gopher, Thomomys talpoides, Rich. After Merriam. Professor Bailey suggests one good thing, probably the only one, accomplished by the pocket gopher. He estimates from ob- servations in Minnesota, that about 500 square feet of soil is cov- ered with subsoil in a season of seven months, and says that by this unique plowing and draining they may do much good, cover- ing a burnt over prairie with a soil which will encourage the growth of vegetation. He has referred, however, to a time when the prairies of this state were frequently fire-swept and not thickly settled as they are now, and, further, it must be remembered that the subsoil brought to the surface may be of very poor quality. Referring once more to the pockets which characterize this family, an erroneous opinion prevails that these animals use the same for carrying earth from their burrows. Many observations on our own part, indorsed by those of others, lead us to state that this is not the case, but that they carry food in these pockets to be stored in their burrows when not wanted for immediate use. 148 INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. The family Muride includes all the rats, muskrats and mice, exclusive of the so-called jumping mice. Here occur the Field Mice, which are so injurious to the would-be fruit raiser and nursery- man, by gnawing the bark from the trunks of young fruit trees in the winter time when the snow conceals their depredations. Fig. 142.—Field Mice (Arvicola). From Brehm. The family Leporide includes the hares and so-called rabbits, differing from each other so little structurally that they all, whether “rabbits” or hares, belong to the single genus Lepus. In a general way it may be said that the rabbit burrows and the hare does not; that the young of rabbits are born naked and blind, while the young of the hare is born with fur and with eyes open. The meat of the rabbit is lighter colored than that of the hare. In Minnesota we have the Prairie Hare, or white-tailed hare, Lepus campestris, which is commonly called “Jack rabbit,” found mostly. in open prairie country, but rapidly becoming unpleasantly com- mon in farming districts, even though more or less timbered. The Jack rabbit, while slate colored in summer, in winter, as is well known, changes to an almost pure white, the ears only retaining their black tips. This is a fine protection for Jack when there is snow on the ground, but in a snowless winter, their white color against the dull brown of the earth or grass works their ruin. In- jury to windbreaks and to gardens from this species is becoming more common every year. . ; { } . eo, © INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. 149 2 eet : In the timber we get the Northern or varying hare, Lepus amer- icanus, sometimes called “Timber Rabbit,’ which is not especially injurious, since it finds plenty of food close at hand, though fruit trees near the woods sometimes suffer. The bark of the cotton- wood appears to be especially palatable to this hare. Brownish in summer time, it turns white in winter, though the hairs are lead colored at base, and a band of brown is maintained down the middle of the back. Fig. 143.—‘‘Cotton-tail,” L. sylvaticus, Bachman. A. G. Ruggles. Finally we get our little Cotton-tail or Gray Hare, Lepus nutalli sylvestris, which is common everywhere in the localities favored with a little brush or timber. It is the most destructive of all the hares, in winter time not hesitating to girdle fruit trees, oftentimes gnawing off the tops of nursery trees which project above the drifted snow. Deep snows or drifted snows make the so-called “rabbit-proof” fence useless. In the summer time it occasionally troubles gardens. This species does not turn white in winter. The family of hares, Leporide, differs particularly from the other families of the order Rodentia by the possession of two small extra 150 INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. incisor teeth in the upper jaw just behind the large pair; our illus- tration shows this peculiarity. Turning once more to the squir- rel family, Sciwride, we find there- in two or three forms which gave BA us the name of “Gopher State,” y but which are squirrel-like in their structure. These all belong to one genus, Spermophilus, which means seed loving, and, sure enough, we find that they are fond of almost all kinds of seeds—wheat, oats, rye, barley, corn, pigeon grass, millet, sunflower, pig weed, rag- weed, black locust, solanum, strawberries, and a host of others. Fig. 143%.—Skull of Hare Showing Extra Incisors. They also eat green leaves, roots of trees and plants, and grasshop- ° pers, crickets, beetles, ants, cutworms, lizards, mice and other forms of animal matter. The members of this genus have pouches but, unlike those of pouched gophers, they are inside the cheeks and not distinct from the cavity of the mouth. Their bodies are slender. They eat like other squirrels, sitting erect and bringing their food to their mouths with their front feet. Fig. 144.—Thirteen Lined Spermophilus, Spermophilus tridecim-lineatus, Mitch. A. G. Ruggles. : INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. 151 First of all, and most abundant of the “Spermophiles” here, is the Striped Spermophile, or striped gopher, sometimes called the Thirteen-lined Gopher, or “Stars and Stripes.” See Fig. 144.° This animal is common almost everywhere in Minnesota, and is a familiar figure to almost everyone not living in the city. It is reddish brown in color, yellowish below. Counting the rows of yel- lowish “stars” and stripes, we find thirteen lines in all, which fact gives it its scientific name. Minnesota specimens show the lower stripes on sides indistinct or broken. _ We have also the so-called gray gopher, or ground squirrel, or scrub-gopher (see illustration), found on prairies in this state and elsewhere in localities not too much timbered or covered with brush. Fig. 145.—Gray Gopher, Spermopbhilus franklinii, Yab. After Merriam. Finally in the prairie country of North Dakota is a serious pest which has pushed east into the Red River Valley but not in suffi- cient numbers to be destructive. This species is known as the “Flicker-tail Gopher,” resembling closely the previous form, albeit it has a short tail and is grayish, while S. franklinii is brownish with faint lines of black. 152 INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. Fig. 146.—Spermophilus richardsonu, Fab. After. Merriam. Excluding the moles, the following list of depredations have been laid at the door of the principal pests listed above, by various correspondents: Jack Rabbits: “Occasionally cut down small patches of grain; gnaw bark from apple trees, causing same to die; cut off tops of young trees; eat a few small melons; eat corn when up three or four inches high.” : Cotton-tail Rabbits: “Injure carnation plants in field; plants enawed die during early months of winter. Eat off small apple trees; bark old ones; one-tenth of nursery stock injured in ’98 and ’99; five per cent of apple trees killed. Do not eat plum or cherry trees. Eat bark off of evergreen and fruit trees. Cut off yearling apple trees; injure evergreens and girdle plum trees; work in winter, spring and early summer. Ruined hundreds of trees of all ages last winter.. No injury except in severe winters, when young apple trees may be gnawed. Ate bark off of apple trees in 1902-3. Girdle young apple trees not protected by wood veneer; when snow goes over this protection they attack lower branches. Destructive to apple trees; will eat off limbs two feet from ground; strip bark from large trees; prefer wild crabs. Eat cabbage plants in summer; fruit trees in winter.” ss iii INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. 153 Field Mice: “Lost thousands of evergreens last winter by gird- ling; have lost apple and other trees. Shell grain out of shock when left standing long, also gnaw bark on apple trees when mulching is left too close. Girdle apple and plum trees, also box elder and ash, shrubs and gooseberry bushes in nursery. Girdled a few dozen nursery trees last year. Eat grain in shocks. Gnaw trees more than rabbits when snow is deep. Considerable damage to nursery stock during winter by working under deep snow drifts ; girdle apple or even forest trees which have been mulched with straw. Damage corn and grain shocks when left standing long. Young trees girdled. Damage grain in granary. Damage fruit trees and shrubbery of all kinds. Cut twine on grain in shock. Girdle apple trees occasionally. Damage arbor vite where rows are close. Destroy large quantities of corn in field. Very bad on apple and evergreen trees. Eat grain and bands on bundles, also girdle trees.” Thirteen-lined Gopher (Striped Gopher): “Dig up corn and eat other grain. Damage corn in spring when first planted. Dig up newly planted corn, doing considerable damage. Eat seed planted in garden. Damage corn. Injure corn fields by digging down and eating corn just planted, or when a few inches tall, dam- age five per cent. Dig up corn hills. Dig seed out of ground and eat heads of wheat in shock. Destroy corn just as it is coming out of the ground. Some damage to seed corn. Some damage to grain shocks. Eat newly seeded grain. Much damage in corn _ fields by digging up corn. Bother a great deal by digging up corn just as it shoots above ground. Much damage done by seed eaten in ground. Considerable damage to corn just planted, also corn in shock.” Pocket Gophers: “Make large mounds in clover fields. Eat roots of young orchard trees and elms. Cut up grain in shock and carry earth up into shocks. Gnaw roots of trees. Cut up hay meadows badly. Gnaw roots off trees and shrubbery. Injurious to fruit trees, five per cent damage. Destroyed nearly half of potato crop last year. Very injurious to roots of orchard trees. A nuisance in clover and potato fields. Go under grain shocks near sloughs, burrow into shock and eat grain, cutting the bands around bundles; about two per cent damage. Damage apple trees 154 INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. and clover meadows. About two per cent of all crops destroyed. Throw up hills in clover meadows, which are injurious to machin- ery ; often eat off all roots of large apple trees and destroy trees, De- stroy carrots and potatoes. Considerable damage in hay land. Dam- ageto apple and evergreen trees. Damage grain and meadows and trees by throwing up mounds of dirt and gnawing roots of trees. Damage grain shocks by carrying dirt into them and eating heads of grain. Considerable damage to shocks of grain. ‘Troublesome in gardens and potato patches. Destroy young trees.” Ground Squirrel or Gray Gopher: “Quite troublesome. Scarce; no damage. Scarce. Not numerous; eat grain. Damage very slight. Eat corn. Very few; no damage. Not numerous. Some damage in corn fields. Scarce; no noticeable damage. Seldom seen. Not injurious. No damage. Sometimes work in grain. shocks, cutting the bands. More injurious than striped gopher. Very few of them; dig up and eat seeds just planted.” The scarcity of these animals in most of this state prevents its being classified as such a pest as it is west of Minnesota. A few farmers who write me labor under a misapprehension as regards the mole. While I have seen this animal in captivity eat peas, and while it may occasionally eat bulbs, its teeth are adapted to an insectivorous dict, and are not constructed for gnawing as are the teeth of mice and gophers. Its reprehensible habit of making mounds and ridges in flower beds and lawns will be referred to later. Bearing these facts in mind, it will be seen that some of our correspondents, who write as follows, must be mistaken: “Eat bark of apple, plum, cherry and other trees. Also damage hay stacks by chewing up hay in little pieces.” This party is un- doubtedly ascribing the work of mice to moles. Another says “In- jurious to fruit trees.” Another hits the nail on the head in say- ing “Do no damage, may be beneficial by destroying grub worms. REMEDIES. Jack Rabbits: These are kept in check somewhat by gunners and other natural enemies. Poisoning apple or pieces of melon with strychnine, powdering the same and introducing it into slits in the fruit has been tried with some success. One must bear in we INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. 155 mind that strychnine is a deadly poison, and that any stock eating baits poisoned in this way would most certainly die. Corn poi- soned in a solution of strychnine—see under Gophers—will kill those which are eating the corn. If fruit trees are injured, in addi- tion to the poisoned bait, they may be wrapped with woven wire, or paper or poultry netting; the latter should be wound around the tree several times. Two correspondents, taking a humane view, say, if they or the cotton-tail are fed with corn, oats or wheat screenings in orchard they are not likely to eat bark. This may be so, but if our apple trees were exposed we would not dare to trust them. Fig. 147.—A Young “Jack,’’ from Life. Cotton-tail Rabbits: Sweet apples, poisoned, as described. un- der Jack Rabbits. We would suggest putting out of their reach, while poisoning, all other apples except the poisoned ones, which should be fresh. Watermelon rind or carrots may be used in the same way, though they are particularly fond of sweet apples. One correspondent suggests putting out pieces of apple on little sticks when the snow is deep, so that the bait is raised conspicuously above the surface. He choses moonlight nights for this. Building paper, newspapers, burlap, straw, corn stalks or wire screen placed around trunks of trees are often effective. Some boil strychnine © until dissolved and then soak corn in same. A handy gun, if sup- plemented by a good dog so much the better, is useful at times. The inadequateness of the so-called rabbit proof fence when the snow is deep and drifted is well shown in our illustration (Fig. 10 156 INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. 160), which represents the case of a nurseryman who, in spite of such a fence, lost a large number of trees through the agency of rabbits. Mr. Yahnke, the veteran nurseryman at Winona, tells me that for two years he has kept rabbits (and mice) from gnawing his nursery trees by the use of a whitewash made about the consist- ency of cream, to which has been added enough blue vitriol solu- tion to give the mixture a “‘robin’s egg blue” color. Mr. Yahnke goes between the rows, and with a brush rapidly covers the trunks on the sides next to him with the mixture. The opposite side is coated in the same way. Axle grease smeared on the trunks of young trees is claimed to be effective by some. It would also be unfair to our small boys not to mention the figure four box trap. Rabbits are much affected with parasites; almost invariably tape worms can be seen in their alimentary canal, and frequently in summer a bot is found hanging on their necks, which later develops into a two-winged fly. There may be several species of bot flies which affect rabbits in this way. From the December issue of the Minnesota Horticulturist we take the following remedy for rabbits and mice. It looks feasible: “An experienced orchardist recommends the following sure method of getting rid of these orchard pests: ‘Make a poisonous solution of one part sulphate of strychnine, one-third of one part of borax, one part of white syrup, ten parts water. This is put into a roomy bottle and well shaken. Now cut fresh twigs from apple trees (water sprouts are excellent); have a small brush, and brush lightly over the twigs, especially the terminal buds. The great value of this over poisoned grain is that it will kill rabbits and mice and will not injure the birds or chickens, while the poisoned grain will kill all. Scatter the poisoned twigs in runways, and places infested with mice or rabbits, and the results will be satisfactory.’ ”’ Field Mice: Perhaps there is no more annoying four-footed pest to the nurserymen than these animals. Heavily mulched nursery rows, or nurseries where oats are planted as a winter pro- tection, are, we believe, more liable to injury than others when snow lies on the ground, or when there is anything which attracts the mice to the trunk, either in the nature of food, or in the nature of a shelter, such as mulch or weeds, or partaking of both these INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 10904. 157 qualities. The snow melting in the spring discloses their work to the nurserymen, trees oftentimes being completely girdled. Even a girdled tree will live the first season, the sap finding its way to the top through ducts in the wood, but later it is sure to die unless prompt measures are taken to save it. The only way to do this, and it is well worth the time when the tree is a valuable one, is bridge-grafting. Fig. 159 shows what this means, and illustrates the process so clearly that there is hardly need of words. Girdled trees, too small to bridge-graft, may be grafted in the ordinary way below the injury. In bridge-grafting make three grafts rather than two. If large trees are only partially girdled, bridge across the injured place. The tree’s own branches may be used for bridge- grafting. In course of time the injury is obliterated by the growth of the bridge grafts. Pressing down the snow and what is below it around the tree with the feet is a help in that it makes it harder for the animals to get at the trunk; there is a solid barrier, as it were, protecting it. Other remedial or preventive measures are as follows: Keep ground clean of grass and weeds, so there is no place to harbor mice; dig straw away from trees for a short distance; protect trees with wire mosquito netting wrapped once around trunk, about fourteen inches high, or with wood veneer, or with building paper; bank with dirt before freezing weather six or eight inches above surface. Mice may be poisoned with strychnine, using corn meal mush or wheat or corn, scattered about bases of trees. Poisoned wheat already prepared can be purchased in some places. Cats are instrumental in keeping down field mice; some dogs delight in hunting them, and hawks and owls reduce their num- bers. Strychnine, as mentioned eleswhere, must be used with caution, that live stock or poultry may not suffer. Jt should, of course, be kept out of the reach of children. Cats eating mice or gophers which have died from strychnine poisoning would prob- ably suffer the same fate as the animals they fed upon. Skunks are said to do us a good turn by eating field mice. Thirteen-lined Gopher or Striped Gopher: Corn soaked or dusted with strychnine, placing a spoonful in each hole, is a good remedy. Wheat, if used, or corn, should be soaked for twenty- four hours in a solution containing strychnine, and where the 158 INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. strychnine is dusted on the grain, the latter should be moistened so that the grains of poison will adhere to the kernels. ‘The solu- bility of strychnine is slight. A teaspoonful of the crystals boiled in 2 quarts of water would make a solution sufficiently poisonous and is probably all that amount of water will take up. This solution may well be sweetened with sugar or syrup. Steel traps are useful against these animals, and the writer remembers that, as a boy in Minnesota, he used to place a slip- noose occasionally over a hole, and when Mr, Gopher showed his head, as he was quite sure to do very shortly, he was easily snared by the boy at the other end of the string. A shot gun or a 22 rifle would be useful in this connection. Gray Gophers or Ground Squirrels: The same poisoned baits are used successfully against these as against the thirteen-lined - gopher just discussed, and field mice, but they are not generally numerous enough in this state to call.for special measures beyond those offered by shooting or trapping. In a far western state, where they are much more numerous than here, the writer used to place poisoned wheat in long covered boxes (about two feet long and ten inches square), the ends being closed except for a space of about three inches wide at the bottom; this allowed gophers to run through but kept out poultry and anything else which might eat the poisoned wheat not intended for them. These boxes were placed on the ground in fence corners in infested fields. Pocket Gophers: In order to understand fully the application of various remedies and traps against these pests, it is well to have UT Fig. 148.—Diagram of Burrow of Pocket Gopher. an idea of their burrows. Fig. 148 illustrates somewhat crudely the main burrow, about two feet below the surface of the ground, and 7) aro i na y rae. Se et. eo ets | INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. 159 two of the branch burrows leading from it to the surface, and affording means of removing the earth dug from the main burrow. The mounds of earth one sees mark the places where these branch burrows were open and later closed. The last one made that marks the end of the main burrow, is frequently found open, as that is nearer the location of the animal’s work, as he tunnels in some desired direction, possibly toward a patch of potatoes, or along a row of potatoes, or toward some promising clover field. By pour- ing about %4 pint of bisulphide of carbon on a piece of old burlap or oakum, thrusting it quickly down this open branch burrow, pref- erably when the soil is moist, and then stopping the aperture with earth, the writer has killed many. Nevertheless the main burrow is sometimes so extensive in its length that treatment with this poisonous gas is not always successful, and recourse _ must be had to poison. I have been extremely successful with strychnine poisoning, proceeding in this way: ‘The crystals of strychnine were powdered in the bottle in which they were pur- chased, by means of a large headed nail. Having previously pro- vided myself with an old spoon tied to a long stick, I made slits in a piece of potato with a pen knife, and with the same blade introduced a little powdered strychnine, the poisoned piece of potato was then placed in the spoon, which was thrust away down the hole, turned over and wethdrawn, thus leaving the bait in the burrow without having had to put my hand in, the scent of which might alarm the gopher. Another and perhaps simpler way, when the ground allows, is to take an old spade handle or shovel handle of the short kind, sharpen it and thrust it through the soil in the course of the main burrow, and when quite sure that has been reached, dropping in the poisoned potato, and gently pushing it with the spade handle until you are sure it is in the main burrow. Or, if all the branch burrows are filled, one can carefully remove the earth from one of them and introduce the spoon containing the poisoned potato therein. Some claim that they have had better success with parsnips than with potatoes when using poisoned bait. I have also had success with an ordinary steel trap, digging down to the main burrow with a spade, excavating a place for the trap on the floor of the burrow, covering the set trap lightly with soil, and then placing a piece of board on the surface of the 160 INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. ground, covering the hole I had made, and heaping earth on the board. I have also used with equal success against pocket gophers and against moles in lawns a cheap trap gun shown in . Fig. 149. I believe this is one of the few so-called gopher traps worthy of notice. It is made of a piece of gas pipe, and shoots a central fire Winchester shell of small size. Only a smail load is required to kill either a gopher or a mole. This gun is fastened to a peg which is driven down in front of the gopher’s hole; a piece of potato, or cork or corn cob is put on the end of the wire (see illustration) which extends in front of the nozzle and down the hole, being connected with the trigger at the other end. The gopher, in seeking to cover up the hole and thus exclude the light, Fig. 150.—A New Gopher Trap, Set. Fig. 151.—The Same Trap, Sprung. ee. a a a ee INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 10904. » 161 pushes earth before him, it presses on the cork or potato, fires the gun and never fails to kill the animal in the burrow. A trap said to be excellent, of comparatively recent invention, is shown in Figs. 150 and 151. This is placed in the gopher’s burrow, and is kept set by a string, as shown in Fig. 150. The animal seeing this string, and realizing that it is foreign to his dwelling, proceeds to gnaw it. The result of his biting the string is shown in Fig. 152. The trap sells for 35 cents, three for $1.00, and is manu- factured in Chicago. Fig. 152.—Pocket Gopher caught in Trap. The prominent front or incisor teeth or rodents, upon which so much depends in the way of subsistence, are peculiar in that while the front of each tooth is hard enamel, back of this is compara- tively soft dentine, the enamel in front being much thicker than anywhere else on the tooth, and the chisel-like sharpness of these teeth is brought about and maintained in each case by working against the opposing tooth in the opposite jaw. As we can readily see, the working of the enamel edge in the lower teeth against the inner or dentine surface of the upper teeth, and vice versa, would result in a sharp enamel edge in both upper and lower teeth. If, as sometimes happens, through disease or by accident one incisor is lost, or both, the opposing tooth or teeth in the upper or lower jaw, as the case may be, keeps growing, not being worn away at the free end, as would be the case normally, and completes an arc 162 INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. of a circle outside of the jaw, resulting in a deformity, if it is the upper teeth, something like the illustration shown in Fig. 153. Vig. 153.-—Skull of Squirrel showing abnormal growth of upper incisor teeth. i Standard Natural History. Woodchucks: The accompanying excellent illustration shows an animal familiar to us all, and generally not so abundant or in- jurious but that the farmer’s boy and a steel trap are quite equal to the occasion. Bisulphide of carbon is also used successfully, and at least one party known to the writer has had recourse to the somewhat dangerous use of blasting powder. a Fig. 154.—Woodchuck, Arctomys monax. The gas generated by bisulphide of carbon is inflammable; keep all lights, pipes, cigars or matches away from it. INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. 163 Moles: I regard moles as more beneficial than injurious, and dislike to offer any means of killing them. At the same time they Fig. 155.—A Mole. From Miller. are sometimes so aggravating in mining lawns that some remedy is called for. In some parts of the country moles have certain times of the day when they work. Knowing this and seeing their mounds move at such times, we may, as has the writer, stand with a many-tined fork over a mound, and when the movement is re- peated plunge the fork as accurately as possible into the middle Figs. 156 and 157.—a and b, Feet of Gopher; c and d, Feet of Mole, from above and below. Lugger. 164 INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1004. of the moving area. The chances are that the mole will be im- paled on the fork. A light charge of shot fired into the mound at such a time at close range, using but very little powder, would undoubtedly accomplish the same result, and would perhaps be more sure. Fig. 158.—Ear of Corn gnawed by some rodent. Supposed by a Correspondent to be the work of Insects. I have killed many moles in lawns by the use of the gopher gun shown in Fig. 149, opening the surface burrow, leaving it open, and having the gun point into it. Moles have burrows much like gophers, that is, a main burrow and branch burrows coming Fig. 159.—Bridge-grafting. After Thomas. tbh eh) rag ome nae eee ee se ey ee eee a INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. 165 therefrom. The surface burrow, which raises the sod in ridges, is quite distinct from the main burrow, which lies deeper. The surface burrow is made, I believe, by the mole in pursuit of grubs or worms among the grass roots or just below. I have no faith in attempts to poison moles, and believe poisoned wheat or corn or meal is absolutely of no avail in this connection. Moles appear to be almost entirely carnivorous or meat eaters, and the meat must be living apparently. Wheat, corn or meal is not attractive to them. The ordinary steel trap is sometimes used with success. One writer claims, upon what ground I do not know, that moles are very fond of sugar, and that Fig. 160.—A ‘“‘Rabbit-proof’’ Fence which is not always true to name. if it is slightly poisoned with powdered strychnine and placed in their burrows, beneficial results follow. The Entomologist wishes again to caution those who use strychnine. It is a deadly poison and should be handled with the greatest care. 166 INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. THE COMMON TOAD A FRIEND TO GARDENERS. Most of the old superstitions regarding the toad, such as the possession of a jewel in its head, and that warts are produced on one’s hands from handling, etc., have been pretty much done away with. We hear astonishing stories regarding the finding of live toads encased in solid rock, in wood, etc., evidence going to prove that they have been thus buried for many years. These stories are not authenticated, however, and may be looked upon as myths. The ancients believed, too, that toads had medicinal value; that broth made of toad’s entrails was poisonous, that any part of the toad if eaten would cause death, that killing toads on the farm would make the cows give bloody milk, etc. These and similar superstitions have given away before modern education. Nevertheless, that toads are long lived, and may endure what would seem to be un- favorable conditions for a long time, is well known. We hear of a toad in Europe said to have reached the age of thirty-six years before it was killed by accident. We are told by Mr. Mosher, a most careful observer, that he has “positive knowledge of a toad which had occupied a door yard for at least eight years.” Other testimony regarding the longevity, not so satisfactory, claims . twelve years for one and twenty-three years for another. These statements may be correct, but we lack absolute proof. Of par- ticular interest, and having a bearing upon the reports that toads have been found encased in rocks, etc., is the fact that Mr. Herri- sant in 1877 placed three toads in sealed boxes of plaster, and found two of them alive when the boxes were opened eighteen months after. Later experiments along the same line, however, indicate that they are not capable of standing such imprisonment without food for an unlimited time. Very few realize the immense good done by the common toad in consuming insects which are, for the most part, injurious to the flower and vegetable garden. He is a true insect hunter and therefore deserves a place in the Entomologist’s Report. A few words as to the life history of the toad may not be out of place. In the spring of the year both sexes repair to pools and THE COMMON TOAD. A Practical ‘‘Bug Catcher’? and therefore a Useful Friend. Encourage .His Pres- ence in Your Gardens. Courtesy of R. A. Cooley. ~ wh reg INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. 167 ponds for breeding, and the air is filled at that time with that shrill purring which is so characteristic of the early spring, when the poplars and cottonwood are in bloom and the first moccasin flowers are found in the woods. The eggs, to the number of 1,000 or more, unlike those of the frog, are laid in strings of gelatinous matter wound about aquatic or submerged grass. These eggs hatch after a while into tadpoles or polli- : wogs, much resembling the tadpoles of the Fig. 100/4.—Head of, Toad, ety shes ees ~ a aa their lives Pence of Ake tongue, DY means of gills, and are familiar to every After Kirkland. farmer’s boy and any one at all observant in the fields and woods. These so-called polliwogs after a while lose their tails, acquiring first hind legs and then fore legs, while their tails are disappearing. Losing their gills, they finally breathe en- tirely: by means of lungs. Then they emerge from the water in large numbers. They avoid the stn, and both old and young are Fig. 161.--Toads’ Eggs. seen at night-fall, or sometimes in large numbers after a rain, at which latter time their extreme abundance gives rise to the popular belief that “it is raining toads.” Those of these young creatures that escape their enemies (and their foes are extremely numerous) begin before very long their 168 INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. useful work of feeding almost entirely upon insects and _ allied forms, and the number of insects which they consume, as. adults, is almost incredible. Some excellent work done by A. H. Kirk- land, of the United States Department of Agriculture, and pub- lished in Farmer’s Bulletin No. 196 (which is practically a reprint of his work published as Bulletin No. 46 of the Hatch Experiment Station), brings to light the startling fact that in twenty-four hours the insect food consumed equals in quantity four times the capacity of the toad’s stomach. In other words, the stomach is practically filled and emptied four times in each twenty-four hours. Mr. Kirk- land states further that 149 stomachs examined by the Depart- ment during the months of April, May, June, July, August and September showed 19 per cent of ants, 16 per cent of cut worms, Io per cent of thousand-legged worms, 9 per cent of tent caterpil- lars, 8 per cent of ground beetles and other close allies, 6 per cent of May beetles and allies, 5 per cent of wire worm beetles and allies, 5 per cent of destructive weevils, 3 per cent of miscellaneous ‘caterpillars, 3 per cent of grasshoppers and crickets, 2 per cent of spiders, 2 per cent of sow bugs, I per cent of potato beetles, I per cent of carrion or burying beetles, I per cent of miscellaneous beetles, I per cent of snails, I per cent of angle worms, I per cent each of vegetable matter and gravel probably taken in with the insects, and 5 per cent of unidentified animal matter. In considering the value of the toad as shown by this work, we must remember that ants, while not directly injurious to the agri- culturist, are a pest to the housekeeper, sometimes injure lawns, and always encourage by their assiduous devotion and attention destructive plant lice. The toad makes a fine showing in the above percentages on cut worms. The thousand-legged worms eat into fruit when off the tree; the injurious qualities of the tent caterpil- lar we are well aware of, and we also know that but one or two birds will touch them on account of their disagreeable covering of hairs. Ground beetles are, for the most part, beneficial, but May beetles or June bugs, as they are sometimes called, of which the above toads ate six per cent as compared with the rest of their food, we all know are most destructive upon lawns, strawberry mS INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. 169 patches and elsewhere. The wire worm beetles, as we know, are the source of one of our most destructive pests, both in the garden and on the farm. All weevils are exceedingly injurious, and the rest of the list needs no comment, except possibly spiders and sow bugs. Spiders may be beneficial in killing injurious insects, but their webs also catch beneficial insects, forms which live as para- sites or prey upon the injurious forms. Sow bugs, which belong to the class Crustacea and are not insects, sometimes do great damage in green houses by eating tender roots and plants, and are always - obnoxious things to have in the vicinity of the house. The carrion beetles or burying beetles are useful to man. Snails are a pest of the flower bed. Angle worms, of which the above toads con- sumed a small amount, are beneficial in draining soil and turning it over, but sometimes are unpleasantly injurious in flower beds and on lawns and about walks. Our friend, the toad, eats grape and celery caterpillars, tomato worms, the destructive cabbage worm, cucumber beetles and can- ker worms. Some bee-keepers, alas, say they occasionally eat bees. Upon this point Mr. Russell, President of the Minnesota Bee- keeper’s Association, tells me that he has fed a toad by throwing drones at him, the toad never missing a drone, but catching each one most adroitly, and with but the slightest evident effort. On account of this one apparent weakness, and even the best of us have our weaknesses, as well as for other reasons, bee-keepers should keep their hives off the ground. It is well to remember, however, that toads do most of their feeding at night when bees are not active. We have never witnessed any such reprehensible act on the part of the toad. Mr. Kirkland, in summarizing his work, says, excluding the five per cent of unidentified animal matter, that the food of the above toads represented 11 per cent of beneficial forms, 22 per cent neutral forms, or forms which affect the gardener or the farmer neither one way nor the other, and 62 per cent of very injurious forms. Let us give all credit, then, to the toad for his good work, and let us encourage his presence in our gardens as well as in our greenhouses in every way possible. Perhaps the worst enemy the 170 INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. toad has is the thoughtless boy, who sometimes brags of the num- ber of toads he has killed in the spring, not realizing that he is not only killing a perfectly harmless creature, but that every toad he kills would, if allowed to live, have consumed thousands of insects which prey upon plants of the garden and the farm. The toad’s food must be alive in order to attract him, and it is astonishing with what lightning-like rapidity his tongue is darted out and drawn back with an insect. Awkward as he appears, he is frequently quick enough in this process to catch an insect while on the wing. This tongue, with which he accomplishes. this marvel- ous work, unlike the tongue of most other animals, is attached at the anterior end and free behind, admirably fitted, it will be seen, for its purpose. . We are indebted to Prof. R. A. Cooley of Montana for the use of the photograph which precedes this article. Fig. 162.—“They Work While You Sleep.” (Bufo vulgaris, B. variabilis and B. calamita.) From Brehm. ty, e.g inp INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 10904. 171 REMEDIES FOR SOME COMMON PESTS OF. THE VEGE- TABLE GARDEN. Some insect pests, like the poor, we have always with us, and to forestall many inquiries which will reach this office in the future, as they have in the past, we include here remedies for these common insects, even though they may have been treated of before. These pests are everywhere more or less abundant, and possibly with one exception, so well known to our farmers that we omit descrip- tions, confining ourselves simply to remedial measures. Cut Worms: Late fall plowing, thus bringing up ,the pupe where they are subject to extremes of temperature, and the attacks of blackbirds, crows, poultry, etc. Cleaning up and burning all rubbish. Poison bundles of clover with a strong solution of Paris green and strew the same among the plants which are being cut. We have been successful with these poison baits. Plant an exces- sive number of seeds or plants. Cylinders of tin, fruit cans with ends melted out are good, or cardboard, or even paper placed around young plants, melons, squashes, cucumbers, etc., and extending into the earth two or three inches will protect plants until they get beyond danger. We have trapped them by placing flat on the ground cabbage leaves or any large leaves or boards among plants needing protection, finding the worms underneath these traps in the morning. We have frequently found the guilty worm con- cealed an inch or two in the soil in the morning, not far from the plant injured in the night. We have poisoned them by making a bran mash, sweetening it with molasses or sugar (it should not be sloppy) and adding Paris green liberally. Place one or two tea- spoonfuls of this near the base of each plant likely to be cut. It should not be placed too near tender plants—beans, melons, cucum- bers, etc.—since a heavy rain would wash the Paris green against the plants and injure them. Arsenic may be used in place of Paris green, observing the same precautions. Land recently in sod is likely to be infested, and the crop following sod is pretty sure to suffer, if attractive to these pests. Nursery trees affected by climbing cut worms may be sprayed with Paris green, or cotton or tin barriers fastened about trunks, or a ring of one of the various sticky compounds on the market placed around the trunks. 11 172 INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. In using any of the above remedies, or, in fact, remedies for any insect, each farmer or gardener must be guided in making his choice by the conditions existing with him. Some of the above, for in- stance, would not seem practicable to one farmer or gardener, while they would exactly suit the conditions existing with another. It is the policy of the Entomologist to give as many good remedies as possible in each case in order to allow of a choice. Wire Worms: Frequently abundant in sod land, and troubling crops following sod. Fall plowing as for the cut worm, and re- peated several years in succession, is desirable, since they live more than one year in the larval stage. The writer has trapped them in a patch of beans, by sticking pieces of potato on slender sticks eight inches long, and burying the potatoes three inches near the roots of the bean plants, examining the potatoes every few days Fig. 163.—Cabbage Maggot, Phorbia brassice: 4, Larva; b, Pupa; c, Adult;. d, Its head; e, Antenna. From Riley. and killing the wire worms found feeding thereon. This, of course, is not practicable for field crops. Rotation of crops as far as pos- sible is desirable. The adult insects may be attracted to poison baits in the spring. Certain commercial fertilizers are recommend- ed, but are not altogether satisfactory. The worms are the larve Gf Glick Beetles, seeiug: 72: Cabbage Maggot: The larva of a small fly, boring into roots of cabbage, cauliflower and radishes. Other closely allied flies affect onions, beans, etc. One market gardener reports having lost INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. 173 15,000 cabbage plants and 10,000 cauliflower plants, practically his entire crop, through the agency of the cabbage maggot. He states further that the fly worked right through September, and was as bad on late cabbage as on early.. The number of cabbage or cauli- flower plants set to an acre is small compared with beans or onions on the same area; hence, remedies may be applied to cabbage or cauliflower which would not be practical for beans or onions. These flies lay their eggs upon the surface of the ground near the stem, and the maggots, hatching a day or two later, work through the ground to the stem. One means taken to prevent attack con- sists of round discs of the cheaper grades of tarred paper, about 4 to 4% inches in diameter, with a slit cut from the edge to the cen- ter. These are slipped around the stems of the plants, and made to lie flat on the ground. To be effective they must be applied before the eggs are laid. The idea is to keep the fly which lays the eggs away from the stalks where they enter the ground, oblig- ing her if she lays at all, to lay her eggs so far from the plants that the maggots cannot reach them. Onion plants infested by mag- gots, evidenced by the yellowing and wilting of the leaves, should, if weakened beyond all hope of recovery, be pulled and destroyed, that the maggots therein may not develop and spread the mischief. In bad cases weak kerosene emulsion might be employed along the rows, wetting the stalks and adjoining soil. This would, to some extent, 1f used frequently, repel the fly, and possibly kill some of the larvee which might not be protected. One party claims to have obtained relief by making an application of about a thimbleful of common salt about the root stalk. We have never tried this, but would remind our readers that while a little salt is good for plants it should be used with caution in connection with flowers or most vegetables. Finely ground tobacco, or soot, or ashes, or air slaked lime, or sand wet with kerosene, a cupful of kerosene to a pail of sand, is sometimes applied around the plants, or along the rows. This must be done before the eggs are laid. When the maggots are working on the stem, kerosene emulsion or carbolic acid emulsion has been used with success. Carbolic acid emulsion is made as follows: Dissolve 1 lb. hard soap in rt gal. boiling water, add 1 pint crude carbolic acid, and churn through force pump. When wanted for use against cabbage maggots dilute it 174 INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. with thirty parts of water. Dilute with 35 parts of water when used against radish maggots. About one-half pint of this emulsion should be poured about the base of each cabbage plant. The recipe for kerosene emulsion is given in Report for 1903 (Bulletin 84). Against the radish maggot the writer has successfully used, in a small garden, tobacco water making several applications with a watering pot, beginning when the radishes were quite young. The tobacco solution not only acts as a repellant, but is also an excellent fertilizer. He has also used ashes and slaked lime. We note that when radishes are raised on a large scale the fol- lowing compound is recommended (J. B. $.): Nitrate of soda 700 lbs., ground rock 1,000 lbs., muriate of potash 300 lbs. This should be applied at the rate of 500 lbs. to the acre, sown after | plants are up, “when the leaves are about an inch long” and should be used during or before a rain. Applied too late, after the insects have got into the roots, it would be a waste of time and money as far as a remedy against the maggots was concerned. Cabbage Worm: This green worm, the larva of the white cabbage butterfly, not only attacks cabbage, cauliflower, kale, etc., but various kinds of cruciferous plants. We believe in paying children something to hand pick the worms and kill them, and also to make nets of mosquito bar in the early summer and catch.every white butterfly they see hovering over the cabbages. A small sum —_— INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 10904. 175 expended in this way will not only please the young people, but will work astonishing results. Three children in about 2/2 hours collected in the writer’s small garden 360 green cabbage worms. Dusting or spraying with Paris green has been successful. Paris green may be mixed with cheap flour, 1 lb. of Paris green to every 25 or 50 lbs, of flour, and dusted in the morning upon the plants when the dew is on. Or the cabbage may be sprayed, using 1 lb. of Paris green to every 160 gals. of water, and adding some soft or hard soap to prevent the liquid “rolling” off the cabbage leaves. In using Paris green in water keep the solution constantly stirred. Hellebore dusted on in the early morning can also be used, if one objects to Paris green. We will say in this connec- tion that there is absolutely no danger of poisoning when Paris green is used on cabbage, since not a trace of the poison will be found in the head itself. Hellebore is poisonous to insects, al- though harmless to man. Squash Bug and Cucumber Beetle: See pages 80 and 81 respec- tively. Stalk Borer in Tomato Vines: See page 178. Naked Snails or Slugs on Lettuce: See page 180. To Get Rid of Potato Blight and Potato “Bugs” at the Same Time: In traveling over the state the latter part of last summer I was struck by the prevalence of blight in potato vines in many sec- tions. Since then many complaints have reached us regarding this trouble. The following treatment with Bordeaux mixture has, in New York State, given excellent results, and a knowledge of the method, it would seem, should be in the hands of every farmer in our state who raises potatoes. Spray the vines with Bordeaux mixture first when plants are six or seven inches high. Two weeks later give them another spray- ing, following this with two, three or four later sprayings, even nine and ten sprayings are sometimes given, allowing two weeks to elapse between applications. The necessary strength of Bor- deaux mixture for this purpose is made as follows: Place six lbs. of copper sulphate (bluestone) in a burlap sack, and hang it in sufficient water to dissolve it in any vessel which is 176 INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. not made of iron. Slake four lbs. of fresh lime gradually. When slaked add 25 gals. of water, and the water containing the dis- solved bluestone. Stir thoroughly and add 25. gals. more water, 50 gals. in all. This mixture should be strained through burlap, or, better, a wire strainer, before being used, to remove particles which might clog the sprayer. To kill potato beetles or “bugs” at the same time, add one lb. Paris green to the amount of the mixture necessary to cover one acre. Each plant must be thoroughly cov- ered. To be successful the spray should be used before the blight starts. This process (four sprayings) costs about $4.00 per acre, and each farmer must decide for himself whether the expense is justified. It may well be said here that when one is treating potato vines for the beetle alone, arsenate of lead is safer and better than Paris green. ‘Farmers should read in this connection the article on potato diseases, page 66 of Farmers’ Institute Annual No. 16. These Annuals are obtained by mailing a request to O. C. Gregg, New York Life Building, St. Paul, Minn., enclosing postage. Potatoes this year are much troubled by rot, which subject, as well as that of potato blight, naturally belongs to another depart- ment, and does not call for detailed discussion here. We are led to say, however, that the old theory that potatoes should be dug early to avoid rot appears to have been disproved in the light of cer- tain recent experiments, in which only 7 per cent rotted when they were allowed to remain in the ground ten days after the tops were all dead, while some which were dug much earlier lost 55 per cent by decay. It is claimed that the common dry rot of the tuber is caused by the same fungus that produces the late blight of the foli- age, and potatoes in blighted fields are likely to be infested with rot; if not during the same season in which the blighted tops ap- par, then the following. It is believed by some that the spores are washed down by rain into the soil. Said spores would remain dormant for a while, until favorable conditions for germination occurred. Much remains to be learned on this question. INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. ET EN POMOLOGICAL. SUGGESTIONS FOR THE FLOWER GARDEN. Without attempting to list remedies against the army of insects which attack the flower garden, simple remedies against some of the more common forms, which the Entomologist has found useful in his own experience, may be helpful. Plant Lice: These are perhaps the most vexatious of* all to those seeking to raise flowers. We find various kinds in the flower garden, on golden glow, sweet peas, roses, spirea, buckthorn, etc., all busily engaged in sucking sap from their various host plants, frequently blasting our hopes of flowers, or good growth of plant or bush unless we take prompt measures against them. We cannot well use the usual radical remedies which are sure death to lice, since they would either destroy the tender growth of the plants, or hide by their offensive odors the delicate fragrance of the flowers. Occasionally on sweet peas or other delicate plants, a forcible spraying of water from the garden hose, frequently repeated, will wash them off. Fresh pyrethrum dusted on them with a bellows will, of course, kill them, and is an excellent thing if one can buy the fresh material. On shrubbery from which no flowers are to be gathered, whale oil soap, tobacco solution, or weak kerosene emul- sion can well be used. More convenient, easily prepared, and adapted to all flowering plants is the following soap solution: SGRiE ie FAB., AN ENEMY TO WINDBREAKS. Fig. 166.—Poplar Borer, enlarged and natural size. A. G. Ruggles. The above excellent illustration shows this beetle much enlarged and natural size. Complaint of its attacking poplars reached us INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1004. 185 in May from Redwood County. It feeds upon the foliage of willow and poplar, and sometimes succeeds in almost defoliating these ' trees in windbreaks. Spraying with Paris green or any other arsenite will effectually stop their work. Fig. 167 illustrates the great variations in the markings of this species. Zr Fig. 167.—The Poplar Borer; variations from type. From Riley. GALL MAKERS ON THE BOX ELDER, SOFT MAPLE AND BASSWOOD. The accompanying illustration, Fig. 168, is from a photograph of box elder leaves, which exhibit a gall made by a tiny two-winged fly. lor two years or more box elders, always attractive to many Fig. 168.—Galls on leaves of Box Elder. A. G. Ruggles. 186 INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 104. insects, have suffered from this pest. Our efforts to breed the fly from the gall have at last been successful, and the adult insect is shown in Fig. 169. The larva which comes from _ its egg lives within and helps form the gall, and is shown in Fig. 170. This fly, an expert in this group states, is probably Cecidomyia negundinis, Gill. . Fig. 169.—Fly bred from Box Elder ~Leaf Gall. Much enlarged. Original. Fig. 170.—Maggot of Fly shown in Fig. 169. Much enlarged. Original. The small line near the fly, as in other drawings in this report, shows the natural size of the insect. Another tiny fly belonging to the same genus, C. aceris, Fig. 172, has this year affected soft maples, causing a rolling of the leaves, in which very imperfect gall lives the larva. Two hymenopterous parasites, Tetrastichus sp. and Meraporus sf., upon this fly were bred from the larve in our laboratory. An- other parasite is shown in Fig. 173. The work of this fly was first observed by us in July, and flies is- sued in our breeding jars the latter part of that month, between INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. ibeiyy Fig. 171.—Imperfect Galls on Leaves of Soft Maples. Original. July 2oth and 25th. On August Ist we found fresh galls contain- ing larve on the maples, and assume from this and the date of emergence of flies in the breeding jars that this represents another brood of maggots, possibly the second. Maggots were found at Fig. 172.—Fly Raised from Galls in Soft Maple Leaf. Much enlarged. Original. work on the maples as late as August 25th. Later examinations, September 4th, failed to disclose any eggs, larve or pup, and the work of the fly had evidently stopped for the season. I believe we are safe in stating that there are at least two broods of this fly in this locality. 12 188 INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. Both of these flies belong to the family of gall-making gnats known as Cecidomyiide. In it are found some of the most destruc- tive insects, the Hessian fly, for example, the Wheat Midge, Willow Gall Flies, etc. It is doubtful if any remedy is practical for the injury caused by these insects, beyond the picking off and destruction of affected leaves containing the larve, if the trees are small and few in num- ber. Some repellant solution might possibly be sprayed on leaves frequently during the season of the insect’s attacks, and be more or less effective. The gall-like growths caused by many flies in this and other gall-making families—said growths being seen in = Fig. 173.—Four-winged Parasite, reared from maggots of Fly shown in Fig. 172. Original. willow, oak, golden rod, sumac, maple and countless other trees and plants—are caused by the tissue of the plant in the immediate vicinity of the egg or larva making an abnormal growth, due evi- dently either to the presence of an irritating agent placed there by the parent insect, or by a secretion from the newly hatched larva, or in some other way not at this time thoroughly understood. Two hundred years and more ago it was believed that these growths on plant, bush or tree were vegetable productions, and that the “worms” found therein had arisen spontaneously. We have also reared this year Cecidomyia robin, Hald., from galls on leaves of Locust, Robinia. From this latter gall fly we raised a four-winged parasite belonging to the group Peromaline. A Washington expert in this sub-family informs us that it repre- sents apparently an undescribed genus. ie ies INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. 189 The Basswood here are always more or less affected with galls on leaf and fruit as represented in Fig. 174. Fig. 175 represents one of the galls opened showing two larve inside, and Fig. 176 a Fig. 174.—Basswood Leaf and Fruit, showing Galls. Original. larva much enlarged. We have not yet reared the fly and hence hesitate to name it. It belongs to the same family, Cecidomyide, as the gall flies in box elder, maple, and locust discussed above. Pig. 175: Fig. 176. Fig. 175.—Gall of Basswood enlarged, showing maggots within. Original. Fig. 176.—A Maggot shown in Fig. 175, much enlarged. Original. PeMIGATION. FOR. THE VIOLET. GALL FLY, DIPLOSTS VIOLICOLA, COQ., AND FOR THE BLACK OR BROWN mets Or VIOLETS, RHOPALOSIPHUM VIOLZ,. PERG: During the Entomologist’s absence from the office in Septem- ber, his assistant, Mr. Ruggles, answered a call in St. Paul, from a 1214 190 INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. lady who was troubled with the above pests in her greenhouse. The Violet Gall is caused by the larva of a small two-winged fly, which rolls up a violet leaf and lives within. Rotting of the leaf is apt to follow this imperfect gall. Mr. Ruggles first accurately determined the cubic contents of the greenhouse, and then fumigated with hydrocyanic acid gas at the rate of 0.15 grams (2,325 grains) to a cubic foot of space. The cyanide of potash, sulphuric acid and water were used in the pro- portion of 1-114-2, and the exposure was 35 minutes. As results proved, 25 minutes, the prescribed time, would perhaps have been better, since some of the more tender growth was injured. Some of the Aphids survived the above treatment, though many perished. The insects causing the galls were apparently killed, though the difficulty appeared after the above treatment, calling for a second application. GRAIN PLANT LOUSE. A few reports of the occurrence of this insect have been mailed the Experiment Station by parties who were somewhat alarmed at seeing them on heads of wheat. As usual, they have been taken care of by parasites, and their presence has resulted in no serious harm. 3) Fig. 177.—Grain Plant Lice from which parasites have issued. er A PAGE REPU DEC SSO he ote ath cen 9 stators wie tin aye oo eles ae el shave,ct wrahel d dla Bip os sW ka. 8.blsre ote 42 FACETS AI ICOW ES acts = sain tae cana essa neo electro e Henig eee rete oiarata eae atte 51 PERSEUS ASTI ates red tesa a ee said ens le, we LaHaye See teieae Hie « Hote Sia eareiege 77 PLD PUEDE TE) Oia meh Tole solo ok 2 ajapsieko sais oie dis B°ep010, 0) vw Tainleral ea sie.e ele Ve eee pe 72 PA ELI R TRE MIVTON 5 wcrc sisted. oo oe telale Slave slew i slsees sme ence dace selene ere o,6 71 PI GEIAES AUICOUAUTUS © sie waves + sin ciieieele Soieice @ tied os oases dine we ewes sien se were 66 ME MC IEN Lette ae stoic eer alse eae ee alle, oe ele # & Se Gay Salbis o's sie os aouin eee 74 See ETRE MI Re oP vse eT Gags ose Sw ere ode GS aia ws Nalavatg o} eiuliorale.sa-e 8 Cale .ot wats 80 Pee RECO SE Cialis NEOLI c in vcras ie. Siece fecete oo nals. dsleiSce! w= sveysit ‘alsin fe share) vislecsiere'e 42 PAMGVNGIO WBUPOULALE foe.c 5 «arts, «bie widiods nls sicsemieis ov ols anit Sq ations serine Se sien 6 54 Amt TEMG ita IPA WnNOs goomeciecea ce Donets. o aton Oe SEG nmr Oem mee nto Tt 179 Anthonomus signatus .............- See ROIS OO Oe EOC Oe 52 AURIS: TRIAS On’ WEG) ICS AR Gio cet aie in natn arn Gn amir nC eonni cian oc tort 189 ME MEI A Gere Forel aiapoilss <7 allel sv a0e"~ wi pidie’ovele sw cis. ale 'e\a' 63, 0!0je aie) #,c00)4 © 9 ss) halve 80 MRA A GL Uae A ose er siotars SiS e 6 ois, aah s oan etMaio na.g Sim bin a.nins > eee sled eS 67 pete eae TOR Fs airy es a Sipe: aos he a, leis elas s Sia) 8's, Sines yee) cua +/e)¢'e 0 8 S'e)s'nl a ie ara 66 PeMeC IAIN MPRA LO ar A cor raiser ood cellar ig i oselsl el alg oe io of eie lol sles 6 #20 aie/ pig oil Slat 162 ATSOTEO Ot IL GAGES 5 as PRR cose oO Rnotin bn ae od Uns eee Sem OOO r sine aia: 115 AVFOIGDUR S25 6b6 cob Ga 6 DOE R OEE DOT UR oIO DOO COE OOO A cE Cian eC OE mon chic 148 B TBeawerac Shek onniz se. ircecls eee ee ee EDS) Aree oe er ren ate ai poeta 132 ee eerecmrre eG IS W Onle se, Fhe Guat cer emts nt «iors Pi ols dite. sb iect-oeetelae operate etdiepsys ane, LOD ee PRUE CP ISRO Prenat cis, wie oe de av sm ne memes da. a melareialnane ce treme 134 Fes ey pete = OO AES ee ENG oe enolate Lia) ois ns Syhtte at nia/ ore! s.ei n)d wieis whole Weta 3.0 5, 0.08%) se fe'ss mmr 46 IE ataeS teas Ere ee les ie enctes ats eo creel reuse ote iosa degen ayueelas eles) viere's.cy0 + esate 90 gals 51 RORGIGnEGR, WISDRETITS Goa ees garde pele an OO Saad con aces accra ninpria tion io 83, II5 eRe a te eligi ye GS OMe is: o 6 5 raeyete Sas Seiere', sla\oie siainig ota 7aid oto, he avr aleneragatnns 185 Racer HEV IASE CES toad ai iaa' te a Sek eta aici Sst oe eer ar ayy kiaieyee Miah do oe wreele Hoke 47 BREE TOME deh (ttOUSeas seh. 8 7 toe shee core ee Rt altie d oe te tim ele te moose 135 MM TERO TES El Oth, 25> =) rye eto cee es nits ele hela oo Slay ut Sgix maGIO SUN s S.stdus haelaees 83 Bile IB TinGl °s Soa Rae BIS IDEN RET ori OC COI eIaS OREM ERNE Promten dott okt 129 FRAGT, AG REETIOS. See ee ae Oe OE RC hon oo nC Coen cece trator io tr 36 (SERS ELBAG UL - oo Oe een EE OAD O OO ornare pcr ci ete acts Nei k- 36 Se aM IAW MEE DICELT. c's. < dso, a6 sc en Aes Fa See Me teaee te Bamdenls 49 Nama ARE g TAME eae ey HP Sid asus so or ol> aisha (pia Vatatsistein Sos esletm Sint >, wile oie osx ee en 157, 164 ama PNET HOTT VIIOICLS wo. x =. «> «2101s os are qqaine cm es svivieoia: ic wncnis wig «le = STRueiehs « 189 192 . INDEX. PAGE B tid) MEOH pia oc maine mee tontenn oi toe ee eee RI at ae ass vl ie, AEs Se 52 Bumble Blower: Beetles: sais conc see eal ces is os 8 dhe oe PY EUTUS: WHACOLOT is = 90.5.5 1p, ces EOE EE Te RO Oe Ee 52 Cc Cabbage: Mageot: ov ..26y- eisold wt eines cee 2. «de aa/ais wareus cin loka yw al oteepeceleks 146 fener minced SW OOU Peer. oe fuse on oe oe oe na sales eaiepl welds OM ae elena esas 137 “qageibsuiay LONEEIIE)iteves cles SeesGis Onin Gane OR MrSlRe aaa rancho rise iar 62 rere tes eat stare Not acer ce iS on kee langnrid ysis, cael o(t) o Bun a ape «rah viel le asl Hye Rls 47 irra pee eI Cen CECE. Bam ccrs > a Sis eqs din ieie les ase Sintojsyshaiaravs 016 Sey sbesleloreicieue mA era) GME Seeliy ee oe (son os a ea aia's ab cites) Sh oho ork 8 Aker was ark’ wings 'S Caleta eye 154, 158 Bray es aang Sc Eas arts skeet ss Sete ao cies sstine oi cdere) oo He Sacdogeyeialn avsus i oes 146, 153, 158 Beppe ee MANGL CCMA UNS papery a ccakelac fe trac ach oso Pay ereyo6, «,vie/adu deat atures oi clefe Sister re DR Mme r Letom CMM Nn Sires ni eee OO eS clea nisl oa pee Blaise dn BeNS See 160 anner, [rap ...<4...: rie, AAS IAA aid vs, REMAN RE Ve Ue AE§ 160 MUMMERS TCE! os ee ne Cees as ie OR eke Wess © oa oslawiath ciateGaniolue eau 190 Reena Ua 5. ocr Nata a Secu, oP Gael af csbs, oe 5 ohat em eatyo-austarefeyey oe mae wie me 41 soaps Tinee ns, Gg NS RAID git arin etait tornc Minnie oracles gee ee ENA recs ana 63 Se MAST MEF Fc 3S. eS cla sahacapsl Sty Neqeisio oneelsjexthens cise > wee pre eet ictal 61 Coe tee\iine [PGI 356 60 eee ec REC OOIOME ara ESge Ane eh 0 Cooweaniert irr 64, 67 Reem mrt eM EM VC CR Oe. 2.51505 ie. cia tae wage aes over asdetaa eas a, alse oft eresinlah she ae 68 eee rN MTG IIORE EAN Sole cs poe doc cw nie!one syo)n Siaoole Gate wrele'+ o's ince disci atta ota 63 194 INDEX. PAGE Grape. Cuarculio sete. cee goss hoe eI oe ee Ie aden Sk oe 74 Grape “eat B oldersc 77 5 hots soto see ean dar ic esa aet ae eee 69 Grape. Leal “HOppen... cits ag ee ae EE Oe eee iciaee te er enone 70 Grape “Thrip’ 55 5. <5 ai os espa s oh aee otic ne eames nee ne ee eae ea 70 Grape-vine ‘Sphinx “..25.¢. 02 s0sttas Ge eee eet eee eeemneee cu: skate 71 @rass“Binehs.; ooh 252 Gal Bees ee di Sa eae els oe ee 134 Ground Squirrel -225o Fics Soe cn arated wrctage Ses OOS es Tee ee 154, 158 H EP OUCG CHOLY DCG: o.2ck Ae a ocerate Ware voraveiap tet lah ns acaba, 8 Sonor shea cones ee ee ee 68 FLAY POLES PEMNSYTOARIOUS: oic-Frarcla< sceiel scenic te «Cha rake on alas ave ta lol ae ae ane 79 be Segara lige want 0 ccs kc lets soo ates whee Sn ee aae kee tan alae eee 13 EAM AIOE garnet ets ais, woes clanecae Rasta Dies Woptinlalel ale, até Mase e seat Oe tetena tee ane 137 FAN A GECO NIDELG ones vees oi SoS IGHep eo Hret n Sole ola. esen oI Sars) foe tee 51 I Tadechthts cphesteGe: << S.'se 2 .ahe Sn tie Bie Ses aoe oie oe. w Oe ewe cn ee 36 Identification of Imsectsin.c cacjccl aris sisicils seep ciel ae ernie eee ee eee 124 Iidian: Meal Moth: 5.80% Glow roe {a orale ip. oma oiaiols teenie lore srs oe el oases ee alee 148 EES MUTANS StyLOOS UNIS. oui05. 0.4, ona» Biers» era 405,808 e inte ienotol asin taal meso eee ea ee 149 Wight-loving .Anomala (2505 & Sarcw b's on-set aalvinie ete late te ern ee 54, 68 Wotise,. Melon... vcs fais. oe he aes 5 alia tapalges wietetniabe : ABS SInerel ie aie Serene: eerie ne, 144, 153, 156 NN TUTTEIROSES lof icpalttoerc eo ora surre a hives ee wals Soje San iad GS, Satule iniallas) eieiateye shenwrelegs 179 TMLGHS os ils S eke Ce re tt IC tcl ee rac cores Bi Ces ce REIS arn 145, 154, 163 Miotiked! AWAllonee BO inies onder cone cede omaebo nb coc sade omens cunoed ae mcwicon © 115 N MP MMERIDUETICHISAGOSUS 20 ois crs asi ic Soe toate are eyo 8 Shoe a ow a eae cies oe Cater 58 NMR det Mere ois, oe cic dn Sons (a/SIS else tetas, 2 = 8 2) oe al Pioneteloalanale 275. > x eee, eletoly eis o.8 pe 139 AA SMe er Ee Sie ne pole Sees Ont sities ¢ ole tae ralere one le apenas 98 Ba SeRVMASPEELIOI C= ..cee55 sci 6 cists aja w/ois sisi etar¥ oe eis Siete gine a¥s 5 0 'a!a cha Se she nla inione 119 MVAINEVS OM PUSHOTUS) occ pclstotenw cs oie > ce one opine Saye cle soe ncleee ee hme aee ne ems 16 Oo ERE career LM a Ak RE a oe I OS BA I oe Oe ora es aie 50 DRIES ESD e os c= aps ateace one oes See essa tic des Seles mae ee es sowie wereiels 49 “opie Lavan Gig Denn Belge on noo Ian cn aera eto imc reer ors g 174 OA ECSAE OF OI NUDGE orcs) .< oc je oo ohn wo oS oe Ca eee cls em eee eee Pl chron eats 151 S< gridecemlineatus oi 2728S bar. oe cho oa oa ee unde etons Teaee Saeee 150 INDEX. 197 SESE 5 oe SS | Fs Soe ee 67 So sinad! TE a. 5, 2oitaise Bee gage ae eae me ne 77 Sas ee RINT ER EY Ponte, Hote aici) ote) slo hn OS ee sks Poe a.nd eden s Sete Sabededeees 72 Smuaminc andrapraying: Machinery it sc... eevee cc ee calsie Pe scee es toe vine 92 Sayin \achinenry, Iist of Manutacturers. <......sse0+so-+sses sete wens 07 MEPIS EESTI So, 5215 clic Sr Annes, AAS suitooraes Sak BOS v's Sale 5 Gas law tire SOs 80 SITE oe RT Coretta Monn c, Shem ste < dMicls elim axe, trans Gideon Seas a's gatheeiom 80 Stak, TRVURESP “oo 5 3g gi MRR A ae a BT Poly Sian eter paeye THROM I SE CLG a Sat hs oe, SAR rian. cee ain SS Soa Morte atvde ea e's SRLS 47 Strawberry Weevil ..... Fe ee Se Ose Tm PRY ONS SIC IRC TA: So 52, 78 Pane Ve ENOTES OBE Ts secede fies ai Ste nite nhs hai Wi lesiei eas ble ba Dadice hens 74 NONE ite LChWED SS OLE s,2 aac stn sca cob aise ak wd «vue Gj. bw eee Phe eho tea os 75 ees Ne CMI DET SO CCLIC. 7 y; « eae Wi ity 3 9088 01272 2195