On the control of sugar-cane insects

SB 628
.$9 R4
Copy 1

On The Control of Sugar-Gane Insects.

Copyright 1919, by Fred Reinlein, 1751 Derby St., Portland, Ore.

May 16, 1919

Circular No. 155.

The world’s increasing demand for sugar is resulting imim-
creased areas being devoted to sugarcane. At the same time
this increased area tends to increased injuriousness by insects
and plant diseases. Very little in the way of securing efficient

means of controlling either insects or plant diseases on sugar-
\\. cane has as yet been accomplished. I propose to point out bet-
\ ter means of control. As the sugarcane insects of Hawaii are
as pretty exhaustively treated in U. S. Dept Agri. Bulletin No. 93,
~ I will begin with a discussion of these.

. The most important sugarcane insect in Hawaii is the su-
garcane leafhopper. It has been introduced from Australia. It
has also been recorded from Java. With the lively commerce
A through the PanamaCanal this exposes the canefields of the
Southern States to continual danger of infestation. In addition
as far back as 1841 a related species fzeding on sugarcane was
S recorded from the West Indies (p. 34). This ‘“‘insect lives in
Rick company with its larvain large numbers behind leafsheaths,
\, which it punctures to imbibe the sap of the plant. When mature
it is exceedingly activein its habits, springing with suddenness
from its resting place at the least disturbance...’’ [p. 12]. “*.. The
leafhoppe1, during heavy infestation will continue to puncture
the midribs of the leaves as rapidly as the leaves unfold... Or-
dinarily when disturbed the adult leathopper does not fly, but
moves off in an odd sidewise fashion to another part of the leaf,

or springs sudcenly to another portion of the plant...’’(p. 16).

As to means of control officially advocated we have to con-
sider direct measures, indirect measures and natural control.

2

The direct measures are: Insecticides, collection by nets, cut-
ting and burning the infested centers, stripping the leaves, and
burning of trash after harvesting (p. 22). In practice, admitt-
edly, none of these things are of any value. Of insecticides no
tangible results could be secured. Collecting by nets ‘‘was al-

so discarded.’’Cutting and burning showed ‘that the adults were
able to take flight from the burning cane and_ escape to adjoin-
ing fields.’’ Stripping the leaves ‘",,.Showed... that in heavy
infestation the internodes of the stalk of stripped cane contained

hundreds of punctures from egg laying...’”’ Burning of trash
‘* is the most effective method practiced for the control of the
insects of sugar cane.’’ But on page 33 Dr. Perkins is quoted

as saying that ‘‘on the Colonial Sugar Refining Company’s es-
tate in Australia no such burning off is allowed. If this’’ (suppo-
sition that this increases the number of natural enemies) ‘‘is cor-
rect, it may help to account for the insignificant numbers of our
cane leafhoppers here...’’

One of the indirect measures consists in selection of varie--
ties of cane for planting As to resistance ‘*...the Yellow Caledo-
nia made the best showing.’’ But as to sugar production—ton
for ton—-it seems to be inferior to other varieties, for, aS usual,
everything the Bureau hands out must be taken gee a grain of
salt— ‘it is for the planter to decide whether of,not ; advan-
tage of one variety over another are offset by the rav: f the
leafhopper...’’ (p. 24).

Another indirect measure ‘‘natural method 12 "consisting i in
intensive cultivation, fertilization and irrigation, resulted in a
lower rate of loss than fields not so treated. Naturally, keeping
the field clear of weeds early in the season tends to drive hop-
pers to places not so clear. Whether with all fields so treated
this would result in a decrease in number, taking the fields as a
whole, is not at all proved. Another indirect means, diversifica-
tion of crops, is recommended. This means a decrease in acre-
age. Ofcourse, if no cane were grown at all, and other possible
food plants were kept down, it would be possible to starve the
hopper out.

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Another indirect means claimed is ‘the control of the rind
disease of sugar cane.’’ But the control is merely declared to
be desirable, for no means of control does exist.

The natural control consists in the fostering of natural ene-
mies of the hopper. These are chiefly parasitic and predaceous
insects, and certain fungus diseases. The burning of the trash
is conceded to be inimical to the development and_ perpetuation
of the parasitic and predaceous insects. And with burning of
the trash, now officially considered to be imperative for the con-
trol of cane insects in general, it is now proposed, as far as con-
trol of the leafhopper is concerned, to propagate and distribute
the natural enemies artificially.

Parasites are liable to be decimated at any time by hyper-
parasites. °‘Several species of ants were very active about the
leafhopper in the canefields, the honeydew being an attraction
tothem’’ (p. 28). That means that theseants will work towards
the increase of the leafhopper by attacking as far as possible the
parasitic and predaceous insects that pray upon the leafhopper.
And altogether there is reason to believe that most of what nat-
ural control there is, comes through the working of the two fun-
gus diseases that are present, “‘which long previously known to
kill the native a have become transferred to the intro-
duced peat. Jato. 3

As this aed lives behind the leafsheaths, there is
just one thing that will work there and that is the hot airblast
torch. This insect hides similarily to the chinchbug. I had shown
as far backas 21 vears that the blast from a common plumber’s
torch makes the chinchbugss and other insects capable of locomo-
tion hidden behind the leafsheaths come out in a hurry and tum-
ble to the ground where they can be killed by the blast at close
range. I.had shown that the best time for this is the cool part
of the day, or spells of cool or wet weather, The higher the
temperature the more readily will adult leafhoppers be able to
jump or fly out of range. But during hot weather work against
the adults with a torch can be kept up from the cool of the even-
ing during all of the night and most of the forenoon, say 16

4

hours out of 24. During the remaining 8 hours the work can be
kept up, but the blast should approach the bugs in a backward
stroke. In this way the bugs will not become restless enough
to get away before the blast is upon them.

The Hawaiian sugarcane borer is second in importance in
Hawaii and this insect also hides, during the day, within the
lower leaf sheaths as do many other injurious insects of less im-
portance. The use of a torch will cause them to come out, most,
if not all, will fall to the ground, there to be killed by the blast.
The present official way consists in collecting the adult weevils
by hand, either hidden behind the leafsheaths or hidden under
split pieces of cane distributed through the field.

Again, there is the sugarcane mealy bug “‘congregating for
the most part behind the older leaves near the ground”’ (p, 44).
An occasional licking will keep them down. The official means
of control consists in ‘Selection of seed cane’’ and ‘‘Burning of
trash’’ and, of course, ‘Natural enemies.’’ Most if not all ants
present protect and foster the mealy. bug, incidentally defending
it against its natural enemies. Hence you see a needof a means
control applicable to the growing cane, as furnished by a torch.
This not only kills the ants it hits in licking of the bugs, but the
ants can be traced to their nests and a blast blowing about it will
bring the colony out so it can be destroyed.

In Hawaii ‘‘an aphis... is occasionally injurious to cane”’
(p. 45). Remedy: The use of a hot airblast torch. Of course
the use of a common plumber’s torch is not advocated, some
such type as is shown on last page should be used.

‘‘In some districts... a mole cricket... is sometimes abun-
dant enough to be injurious. Another species... is a most impor-
tant pest of sugarcane in theisland of Porto Rico... wherever
the Hawaiian mole crickets were numerous almost all of the seed
cane was destroyed...’(p. 46). No official remedy. Free use of
poultry will probably keep them under control.

One of the most important sugarcane insects in Hawaii is
the leafroller. An official means of control employed at times is
‘*to send laborers through the fields to pinch the caterpillars in

ad
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their retreat between the folded cane leaves.” (p. 42). As this
insect is sometimes so plentiful as to entirely strip the canefields,
this remedy will not do... When abundant patroling the young
cane with poultry will be the means of getting rid of many. of
the moths. These apparently hide about the plant during the
day and fly during the night.

It is similar with various adults of army worms and cut
worms and probably with a bud moth, mentioned on page 46.
Most every year one or the other is more or less plentiful. Gen-
erally speaking the best thing that can be done is to use the
torch asa trap-light at night. How to use the torch shown on
last page as the most successful trap-light in existenée is ex-
plained in detail.on pages 25 and 26 of my Circular No. 153. It
is done, in corn or cane, in substance by suspending the torch
on a tripod made out of 3 pieces of light clear lumber 12- to 16
or more feet long. The tank is hooked up in the apex; hose and
pipe are allowed to drop. A cord is used to give the hose some
slack, removing the strain. Onthe burner is hooked a_ pail.
This pail is fitted up similar to a spittoon by having a_ funnel-
shaped cover with a hole in the center. And over the burner is
placed a piece of tin of the shape of a lampshade. A circle of
light of about 1 inches width is allowed to shine forth between
the lower edge of the upper cone-shaped fitting and the rim of
the pail. This allows the insects to fly in, there to bump against
the red-hot burner, get stunned, and drop through the hole _ be-
low into the pail. Or, if not so easily conquered, as happens
with strongbodied insects, they will, in trying to get out bump
in nearly all cases against the upper or lower cone-shaped _fit-
ting, and because of the narrow space, the intense heat and the
poisonous air be quickly disabled to roll into the pail below.
The poisonous air blowing downward through the hole soon puts
a stop to all attempts to escape through this only possible out-
let. I had shown in my Circular No. 153 that if sweet-smelling
sweets. such as water and molasses were put into the pail, this
would make the torch especially attractive to insects in general.

This torch does not make a bright light. This in some re-

all

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spects is an advantage, as the insects. attracked cannot gauge the
distance correctly and are knocked silly and trapped before they
know what has happened. “’...The Hawaiian sugarcane leaf-
hopper is an insect readily attracted to light at night...’’(p. 14)
The weevil borer, most likely. is also attracted tolight. If*so,
this will be of very considerable value, since this insect attacks,
in Hawai, also the banana, coconut palm, sago palm, royal
palm, winepalm and papaia. ‘“Dying coconut. palms were ex-
amined and in the tender heart of the palm were found great
numbers of the insects (borers), in all stages’’ (p. 37). Of course
an insect attacking tall trees, and living within in all stages, if
attracted to light can be handled in no easier way than by the use
of a trap that is capable of trapping in vast numbers. The leaf-
roller moth, in all probability, can thus also be trapped. Poul-
try in cane fields would probably be able to secure a fair share
of the weevils.

As.explained on pages 26 and 27 of my Circular No. 154 the
Bureau of Entomology has no system of trapping that is worth
anything. Being created to promote entomological knowledge
in its broadest sense, the Bureau has persistently to hinder all
progress along the line shown by me by refusing to make check
tests and. give the results. Moreover the Bureau repeatedly told
Members of Congress that were trying to get at the truth I am
wrong on every point. The chairmen of the Congressional Com-
mittees on Agriculture, Senator Thomas P. Gore and Represen-
tative Asbury F Lever have never seen to it that the Entomolo-
gist gives his reasons for making such a statement.

A torch used asa trap works automatically. A quantity of
gasoline, enough to run about the time desired, say four hours,
is put in, airis pumped in, and the gasoline will use itself clear
up without any attention.

The mothborer of the Southern States can in all probality
also be trapped, along with the weevil borers, now established
since nine years in some places, together with the sugarcane
beetle and other insects amenable to this method.

The chief reliance for the control of the mothborer, howev-

—

er, is to be found in the use of corn for attracting the last two
broods, described in detail in my Circular No. 154, pp. 9 to 12,
the original description being given pages 31 to 35 of my Circu-
lar No. 151. Asthe moths prefer tender corn to cane for ovi-
position, by providing patches of late planted corn in succession
and using it for fodder, stover or siiage, and finally trapping the
borer to hibernating quarters, the borers there to be destroyed
by plowing before emergence begins in the spring, the moth-
borer is readily and cheaply controlled. Poultry, if present to
keep down other injurious insects, such as ants, is also helpful
by securing part of the moths.

Meanwhile the Bureau, instead of passing on the merits or
de-merits of this method, is nosing around fora natural enemy
that secures the same result. One thing in this connection the
Bureau refuses to make clear to the public. Itis that while un-
der primitive conditions natural enemies do usually effectively
control injurious insects, under modern methods of agriculture
food plants such as cane, corn, wheat are grown in vast tracts,
enormously favoring multiplication of injurious insects, while
safe hibernating places for parasitic insects are far less plentiful
than under primitive condition, in fact would be almost absent if
the Bureau’s recommendation of destroying hibernating places
for injurious insects were followed. Besides the injurious insects
often can breed at a mean average temperature too low for the
parasites to breed.

In the Southern States the use of poultry becomes impera-
tive in cane through the presence of the Argentine ant, which
fosters the development of the mealy bug and also of aphids.
These ants unless kept down by poultry, would have tobe kept
down by the use of a torch. ‘This use of a torch I had shown
as far back as four vears agg in my Circular No. 147 1s the best
thing to enable poultry to gain a startata given place. The sum-
mer nests of this antare very shallow and letting a blast blow
about them brings the whole outfit out to be killed with the
greatest ease. This then gives poultry. roosting—and breeding
places free of ants and enables them to bring the pests under

a 3

control. The Bureau for the use of these ants in general recom-
mends the use of poisoned ant syrup. You will readily see that
-in canefields or other vegetation Supporting aphids or coccids
this tails to work, if carried out, because the ants then prefer
the excretions of these insects toall other food. Moreover all
kinds of waste places make a natural home for these ants. To use
poultry for control simply means to use a domesticated form of
natural enemy. Further, ant syrup will poison the beneficial in-
sects attracted to it.

Froghoppers or spittle insects have also been found as far’
back as 1t911 in Louisiana and, dike the borer, may at any time
attract big attention. They are sucking insects and respond to
the use of a torch same as the mealy bug. ...if they get estab-
lished in sugarcane there 1s no knowing what may happen.. ”’
(Ent. Circ. No. 165, p. 4)., , Nojofficial means of. controlas ‘sug-
gested. Also “‘leafhoppers in very small numbers were observ-
ed (in 1912) several times during the season on sugarcane. but
no injury due to them could be detected.’’ (Ent. Cire. No, 171,
p. 6). There also is ‘‘no knowimg.what may happen.”’

Another moth borer. Castnia licus, exists in the West In-
dies. Its range extends northward td Mexico. ‘‘Collecting the
moths by means of nets in the hands of children has given bet-
ter results than any other direct means..’’ Ent. Circ. No. 165, p 3.
The adult is a day flying moth. Poultry might be able to secure
some when ovipositing. ‘‘...The pupal stage is passed in the
cane or in the soil near the underground portion...’’ (p. 2) Hence
poultry might be expected to secure Some pupae. ‘Its original
food plants were species of the orchid family and of the- family
of plants to which the pineapple. belongs (Bromeliaceae)... in
Trinidad it is known to attack sugarcane and bananas...’”’ This
would make it appear likely that, if introduced into the United
States, it could be controlled by trapping it to corn same as the
mothborer we now have.

The recent publication of Farmers’ Bulletin No. 944: Con-
trolling the Garden Web Worm in Alfalfa Fields, through point-

9

ing out the danger of serious damage by this species, and through
failing to offer a satisfactory means of control makes the _ evi-
dence given there suitable for showing the need for developing
poultry raising to a scale large enough to enable the farmers to
cope with such pests when affecting cerealand forage crops, and
also for pointing out the advantage that can be gained by trap-
ping with light-traps certain insects, that are attracted to light,
hence amenable to trapping, but which insects are not, because
of poisonous hairs they carry while inthe larval stage, or for
other reasons, suchas being out of reach, amenable to attack
by poultry.

‘“The garden web worm... has caused extensive damage to
alfalfa in California, Nebraska, lowa, Missouri, New Mexico,
Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. In infested localities of the last
three states it is not uncommon for second or third annual cut-
tings to be entirely destroyed by the pest’’ (p. 3).

The food plants are given as corn and garden crops, beets,
potatoes and other plants., ‘‘various crops,’”’ alfalfa and cotton,
and several kinds of weeds, showing it to be capable of existing
upon most any garden and forage plant and weed. The moth
appears in the alfalfa fields about May 1st. After mating they
deposit their eygs, usually in clusters of 40 or 50, upon the low-
er surface of the leaves, usually en those near the top. *‘Individ-
ual females may deposit as many as 300 to 4ooeygs. The eggs
are laid on the alfalfa plants or on adjacent weeds... In the lati-
tude of Kansas and Oklahoma there are, apparently, four gene-
rations annually... The form or stage in which the insect over-
winters in that latitude has not been definitely determined”’ |p 6|
Thus a female emerging in the spring from a pupa, mating and
producing only 109 females enables these, at the same _ low esti-
mate to procuce 10.000 females in the second generation, these
to produce 1,000,000 females in the third generation and _ these
cause, at 300 eggs each hatching, 300,000,000 of worms in_ the
fourth generation, showing the enormous potential capacity for
damage. ~°‘The moths are most active at night and are strongly
attracted to light..-’’(p. 6).

IO

| For remedies the Bureau advises: Timely cuttings, brush
_ drags, and clean cultivation. These means are absolutely inad-.
equate as will be shown.

Both timely and untimely cuttings will naturally kill many
larvae in the field, the “‘timely cuttings being given at an earlier
date’’ than is customary. They are given at any time before
. damage gets too serious. It is simply a matter of cutting while
there is yet something to cut. This, of course, is a set back to
increase; but with the capacity of the insect for increase, its large
range of food plants and large number of this insect present as
pupa in the ground even then and with the adults capable, if
‘need be, of flying for miles for suitable oviposition material, an
alfalfa field necessarily becomes readily re-infested, in fact prob-
ably offers the most favorable breeding material available ona
large scale in the latter part of the season, especially if irrigated.
A brush drag does not, under the circumstances, offer enough of
a set back toamount to anything.

‘“Clean cultivation methods are alsoof much value... Since
pig weed and lamb’s quarter are its favorite natural food plants,
it is important that fields, fencerows and near-by waste ground
be cleared of these and other weeds. The pest often breeds up-
on such weeds and imigrates later to near-by alfalfa, which would |
escape injury if these weeds were not present’”’ (p. 7). As the
pest is omnivorous, if its preferred food plants were to be re-
moved, nearly every green thing would have to be kept down for
miles around, since the adults are capable of flying long distan-
- ces if no suitable plant be close by. ‘This destroys the natural
grazing ground.and ruins the land by erosion, affecting, in turn,
the capacity for navigation of rivers and harbors, the maintain-
ance of power plants and the production of fish, for the same
plan is advocated by the Bureau in the case of many other in-
sects intesting field- and forage crops, and for insects in general.
However, even if the “‘weeds’’ were ‘thus cleared off’’ for miles
around, the pest would then simply feed and breed that much
more severely On cultivated crops other than alfalfa when such
is not available immediately following a cutting.

it

“In loose sandy soil’’ (the cocoons harboring the pupae)
“are often slightly more than 1% inches long, but
in heavydry soil they usually are not more than one-half to three-
fourths of an inch long... They extend downward in a nearly
vertical position, the top end even with the surface of the soil.
After about 10 days... the tiny adult or moth issues...’’ (p. 5).
Thus, as at cutting time the soil is more or less stocked with
pupae, if every larva be killed at cutting time, this set back with
the enormous capacity for reproduction does not bring tangible
results.

The pupa is thus exposed to attack by poultry as is the cat-
erpillar and the moth. It is reasonably certain that the insect
hibernates mostly as pupa. The moths evidently emerge in the
spring irregularly and at the time of any ‘timely cutting’ are pres-
ent in any stageand can readily recover, even if the proportion
of pupae then in the ground compared with the number of larvae
then present be small. Thus, poultry given the run of the fields
and waste places, the pest would be kept down. In addition, for
quick and immediate etfect, the adults can be trapped, as descib-
ed on pages 5 and 6 of this Circular.

The alfalfa fields might at the sametime be affected by
the alfalfa caterpillar. The adult is a butterfly. The cat-
erpillar eats of the leaves and when grown spins up as a
crysalis on alfalfa- or other stems. The insect hibernates as but-
terfly, larva and pupa, chiefly as the latter in the cooler sections
of its range, hidden away in trash in the ground, chiefly outside
of the field. Poultry thus can attack the insect the year around
and keep the pest easily down to harmless numbers Ina _ way
this is conceded in U. S. A. Bulletin No. 124, p. 28: ‘‘.-.Do-
mestic fowls... play an important part in the history of this in-
sect...’’ However the idea of using poultry on a vastly larger
scale than is now done by merely employing the usual little
farm flock is lacking, for the writer says on page 29: “From
these observations it is seen that chickens may be_ utilized in
small fields to keep down the numbers of alfalfa caterpillars and
that turkeys, because of their roving nature, can be used to ad-

12,

vantage in larger fields. Mr. Charles Springer, of Cimarron,
New Mexico, informs the writer that he hires a boy to herd an
immense flock of turkeys on the range, so that they may feed up-
on the grasshoppers destroying the grama grass and other range
erasses It seems that the same method could be imployed ip
outbreaks ot the alfalfa caterpillar ..’’.

This is taking too narrow a view of the matter. Cimarron.
New Mex. is in the heart of the New Mexico range caterpillar ter-
ritory. I had shown in 1915 in my Circular No. 146 that poultry
could be used there to keep down the range caterpillar, attack-
ing the grama grasses and other range vegetation, and also now
invading cultivated crops, not by eating any of the growing cat-
erpillars, but by attacking the insect during the seven months of
cool season while it is inthe egg stage in clusters on grass, and
weed stems slightly above the ground; also “bY eating of the
young caterpillers before they acquire ‘poisonous spines, and by
eating of the pupae found in clusters on grass- and weed stems,
and further by eating of the moths hanging during daytime
quietly in plain view on—and weed stems during fall. All efforts
to have the Bureau ot Entomology admit that this idea is sound
were futile. Now Mr. Springer demonstrates in practice that it
can be done to keep down grass hoppers. As the grasshop ers
hibernate as eggs in the ground, his turkeys have been feeding
all along on pupae, adults, eggs and larvae of the range cater-
pillar without his knowing it. What the Bureau knew in this
connection was that the turkeys do not,eat of the larvae after
they have poisonous hairs, but such is the case only about two
months out of the twelve. Andif the matter were looked into
closely, it would probably be found that Mr. Springer does it at
a profit of several hundred per cent. However, even if the poul-
try raising itself did not pay. it would pay indirectly big by pre-
venting heavy loss to the ranch grasses and thus to the stock.
As a matter of fact poultry thus given the run of vast tracts of
low priced lands in large flocks in the care of a herder offers the
most favorable conditions for producing poultry and eggs free of
disease. The flock, it was pointed out by me, can be _ protected

13

movable wire fence at night, This enables the herder to
or shoot wild animals trying to prey upon the poultry at
ht. Atthe high prices of furs, this goas a long way te keep
him paid.

“As a matter of fact, as explained on pages 7 tog of my Cir-
t No. 154, the New Mexico Biologist Entomologist utterly
n demad. this plan. It must be obvious that the more the country

“injurious insects einmiated to increase byan abundant supply
food, and that the natural remedy consists in using poultry

ut ader the controlof man. If the Bureau’s. plan of ‘clearing
were carried Bones: this would remove the Sede

2 adults as thev are Gu cait laying their eggs on the neck of the
Poultry also may be able to secure some of the larvae.
rally the adults prefer to hibernate in nearby rank vegeta-
. woods probably being a -most favorable. This same

Eo: In the case of the bean- and peaweevils, discussed in Far-
Sy ers’ Bulletin No. 983, there is at present no official means
kno mn of affecting ate in the field. Poultry, if admitted after
lants have ‘become well established, can be expected to se-
many of the adults. When grown in quantity what damage

Peale weevils they secure. It is likely these weevils are
ted to light and, if so, can be trapped in vast numbers by
eof atorch as described on page 5 of this Circular.

; seasons

14

, Treating the seeds after harvesting with fumigants. or, other

means to destroy the grubs within is not going far enough, for
many adults emerge in late summer anc fall.and escape before —
harvest or before treatment can be given. Also many adults es-
cape from fallen seeds and scattered pods. These then re-infest ©
the y oung crop next spring and cal] for an efficient means of con-
trol in the field. As some of the bean- infesting weevils have as
, many as spew: generations in the latitude, of Washington, Data.

atas plain that with no means of control in the field available, a_
_ sma!) number of weevils “surviving the winter is capable of de-
: ‘stroying the crop. The use of a trap and the use of poultry of-
_ fer the only chance. of effective fee during. the growing

In using such a trap, of cgurse, many other . eee are
caught, the catch showing just what insects, of those that are, at-
tracted to light, are becoming, plentiful. Grain and forage crops
~ on low lands are often infested by insects that normally live sin 2
, tank grasses growing in wet,places. Some of these are the bill-
bugs, certain wireworms, and the rough headed cornstalk beetle,
~ while there are other pests, having similar effect, living on>- dry
_ ground, No, satisfactory official remedy is known.. AS might
be expected the. Bureau advocates under these conditions the de-
struction of ‘the. wild food plants, but these are needed, in low-
‘land as soilbinders and as protection to creek and, river banks
_ especially if there are no timber fringes,, and on. higher lands
_ they, or other rank growth, are needed to prevent erosion. Waste
‘is contrary to the laws of nature. What the Bureau of Ento-
mology calls wastelands is natural feeding ground for, stock and —
; under modern methods of agriculture otfers the best means , of
4 carrying poultry in the cheapest manner through the winter, 3

Where grassland is to be plowed up, for corn, often, many —
_cutworms, white ‘grubs, billbugs, and wire. worms are present.
” The Bureau’s general remedy i is to plow the land in that case As
early as the late summer or early in the fall before. The aim, is
_to starve the grub out. In the first place, a trap used the preys.
“tous summer would show the, rate, of. infestation - and © would. _ Tg-

T5

| -duce it. ' The most convenient time for plowing is late fall/and
-, early spring. Sod then turned down'gives ina large measure
support tothe grubs and worms within while'the corn is mak-

. ing a stand. In fact, it often happens that damage does’ not be-
,, come apparent till the:second year. These grubs and worms
., naturally want to.eat of:the fresh growth above ground or of the
-roots or tubers in the ground. Inthe case of corn when sprout-
- ing there is. but little to eat for.some weeks. hence the’ damage
often very heavy. This can be easily remedied by drilling in for
«every few rows of corn a row of some quickgrowing plant along-
- side the corn.. Anything quickgrowing and succulent will do.
-_ Of grasses rye is probably best, and turnips or rankgrowing rad-

-. ishes ought to be splendid. Thelatter might be broadcasted

: immediately after the plowing. : Or some of these seeds may! be
added from time to time to-the seed corn in the ‘hopper at plant-
ing time.. After the corh: is‘ strong) enough these protecting

hae can be removed. Poultry should have access to corn.as

- SOON, as. it is safe to admit it.

’ The Entomologist’s report for the fiscal year ended June 30
bior8, makes reference to several newly introduced insect pes ets
“ that ‘dre capable of doing very great damage unless better means
‘of control than are now officially advocated are made to come
“ “into ‘play.

Among deciduous-fruit insects the SO- -called oriental peach

ti

‘moth easily ranks first. This insect was originally found in the

District'of Columbia and adjacent counties of Maryland, and has
~ been described in Bulletin No. 209 of the Maryland Experiment
~ Station, issued December, 1919. It belongs to the same famjly

of moths the codling moth belongs to. This family. the Tort-

_icides, is very difficult to control. The codling moth, compared

with the rest, is comparatively easy to control in sections where

it has only a brood and a half, as it usually has in the north-
~ eastern United States; for the reason that it has less generations
than most of the rest, and because it has been found possible to
» destroy most of the” first brood by the proper use of arsnicals.

16

Where the codlingmoth bas two or three broods it is difficult and
expensive to control it under present methods. Here is a sam-
ple of official utterances on this point: °’...Spraying experiments —
..,1In the Grand Valley of Colorado have indicated that a sked- —
ule of six applications of arsenate of lead at the rate of four
pounds of the poudered product to 200 gallons of water, with the
addition of four pounds of fish-o1l soap, will make a very effec-
tive treatment...’’ (Ent. Rep. for 1918, p. 1). The warmer the
climate, the more difficult becomos control.
The oriental peachmoth, in part, differs from the codling ~
mota in that it has four generations in Maryland in seasons
when the codlingmoth has only two or, at most, a partial thitd:
also the first two generations do not develop on the fruit, but on
the young growing tips, causing a shrubby stunted growth, and
cannot as readily be poisoned as can the first brood of worms of
the codlingmoth. ‘It is impossible to keep the young twigs
coated with arsenical poison, though it is possible to prevent the
larvae from entering the fruit (of peach) by a thorough applica-—
tion ..’’ (Maryland Exp. Station Bull. No. 209, p. 8): =the ane ,
sect attacks the twigs of peach, plumb, apricots and cherries.
As the twigs harden, the third and fourth generations more and
more attack the fruits of apple, quince, peach and probably
others. ~...Qur most successful combination of insecticides du-
ring 1917 was a mixture of self-boiled lime, sulphur, calcium.
.arsenate and tobacco, preceded by a winter application of con-
centrated lime sulphur. Applications were made on April 30,
May 24, June 15, and July 13, the concentrated lime sulphur
having been applied previous to April 30. This application gave
a reduction of 31 per cent to twig injury.. ’’. To protect the
fruits after July it would be necessary to apply poison 2 or 3
times more. It will thus be seen that the control of this insect,
and of the torticide in general, leaves much to be desired. “The
occurence of the (oriental peach) pest has been definitely estab- ae
lished (in December 1917) by the U. S. Department of Agricul-
ture in Virginia, New Jersey, New York and Connecticut’ (Md. ~
Exp. Sta. Bull. No. 209, p. 8). This is doing pretty well fora ~~

17

recently established pest and, in common with other pests yet
to be discussed, shows how little can really be done to prevent
the introduction of injurious pests and it also vividly shows that
efforts to control them made by people other than those holding
federal offices should be officially encouraged and not opposed,
and that an official that opposes such efforts is a traitor to his
country for purely selfish reasons.

On pages 24 to 26 of my Circular No. 153 I described a
method of trapping the codlingmoth and other insects attracted
to light by the use of a torch in connection with sweetsmelling
fruitjuices. On pages 8 to 11 of my Circular No. 139 I pointed
out in detail that while tests have shown that the codlingmoth is
- not attracted to light to any extent if let loose in a room that is
diffused with light as would be the case in a room lighted by a
large Rochester lamp, probably fitted with an opaque globe,
which was the kind of lamp used to make the test the
claim chiefly rests on, my own accidental experience was, that a
codlingmoth flew in through an open window of my room in May
and repeatedly violently flew against the chimney of a common
lamp that had a stiff paper lampshade and which lamp drew all
its light upon a few square feet of desk surface, the rest of the
room being practically dark. All efforts to have the U. S, En-
tomologist test this point out to his own satisfaction and thus
be in a position to act as judge, were futile.

Further, I quote from Builetin No. 142, ». 35, Cornell Uni-
versity Experiment Station: ‘‘The codlingmoth has a_ slender,
pointed tongue with which it sometimes sips or sucks up sweet
substances. Le Baron saw the moths feed freely upon lumps of
moist sugar and slices of sweet apple which he placed in _ their
cage. McMillan records that they willingly fed upon sweetened
water and that he ‘has seen those of the second brood feeding up-
on the yellow flowers of an autumnal composite (Grindelia squ-
arrosa) in the dusk of the evening,’’ in Nebraska.”’

Stranye enough, in spite of this evidence, the author, the
late M. V. Slingerland, continues: “‘The weight of evidence
from careful experiments indicate that the moths are not easily

18

attracted to alluring baits of any king.” And, more strange, he
follows this statement up with this geri ‘A Connecticut cor-
respondent states in the Rural New, Yorker for Feb. oth, 1807
. that ‘happening to pass a sweet beukh apple-tree one evening
in August, where a number of apples, half eaten by chickens,
were lying scattered about, I noticed a kitten busily trying to
catch some small object. On investigation I discovered that
the half-eaten apples were covered with codlingmoths. There
were thousands of them, apparently feeding on the fruit. They
were very active when disturbed. I procured alot of old news-
papers and for half an hour or more I kept several fires burning
brightly, while the kitten and [ stirred them up. I don’t think I
succeeded in burning as manv as the kitten caught. They care-
fully avoided the fires.”’

It is evident that these sweet apples had concentrated the
codlingmoths from over a considerable area of pome fruits, and
if it had been possible to kill them from time to time that area
could have been thus protected against the second brood of
worms. Naturally the moths avoid the fire. It cannot be rea-
sonably assumed that even an insect strongly attracted to light,
as are for instance most cutworm moths, would expose itself
deliberately to injury. That, however, light loving insects do
get rather frequently inadvertently injured when flying about
lights was proved as stated on page 10 of my Circular No. 139,
in a record given in Cornell Bulletin No. 202, by Mr. Slhinger-
land, where a mothcatcher, ‘while making rather a poorer show-
ing than atraplantern” caught about 3000 more of lace winged
inseets than didthe traplantern. I pointed there out that the
only tenable explanation for this can be found in the fact that
the ‘‘mothcatcher’’ had an open flame, affecting lace wings, when
a ‘‘traplantern’’ would not.

In the case of using the torch for a trap, there is no bright
fire to speak of anyway. What fire there is 1$ yellowish red and
is concentrated within a narrow chamber. The insects, from
the lack of light outside, cannot at all readily gauge the distance
and bump against the redhot burner before they know aswvhat

19

has happened. The conditicns given in the record could have
been improved for trapping by removing the sweet apples from
the ground and putting into the pail hanging on the burner of
torch as part of the outfit, some of these sweet apples, crushed,
with some water added. This would give off a most inviting
scent. For all around use, if no cheap suitable fruit is available,
molasses is apt to be best. Under this plan there is no kerosene
smell to act asa repellant. Mr. Slingerland’s trap-light tests
carried on with the use of kerosene as a killing agent, given in
Cornell Bulletin No. 202, show that, in this case, the insects
caught are mostly males, and what little females are caught have
mostly laid their eggs. Tests made by others corroborate this.

On page 43 of Bulletin No. 142, issued in 1898, Mr. Slin-
gerland makes this note: “The use of baits has recently recei-
ved considerable attention in Germany and in Der Practische
Ratgeber for 1895, is recorded an account of anexperiment with
glasses of apple jelly hung inthe trees. We glean from the re-
port that quite a number of codlingmoths were thus captured,
about half of them being females. Which shows that no matter
how bone-dry things may get, the farmer, might, for industrial
purposes, such as trapping codlingmoths and grape insects, put
in a claim for a barrel each of hard cider and wine. The smell
thus given off through this liquid being kept hot by the blast
blowing down upon it, with the windfalls kept eaten up by hogs,
will make this the chief source of attraction for the codlingmoth,
other torticids anda host of other insects, injurious, beneficial
and neutral.

On page 18 of my Circular No. 153 1 stated from D. A.
Bulletin No. 491, p. 23, that testsin the case of the melonfly
showed that access of newly emerged females to juices of cucum-
bers greatly stimulated bodily forces, sexual activity and egg-
maturation. .f@orresponding juices in the case of other injurious
insects, applejuices of some sort in the case of the codlingmoth
for instance, used in connection with a trap, can then be assum-
ed to offer the most effective means for their destruction. Also
since this then concentrates the insects within a certain area,

20

bats and nightflyiny birds can thus catch a hundred where other-
wise they might catch one.

In the case of the codlingmoth emergence of the adults in
the spring is very irregular, but in the case of the oriental
peachmoth “‘the first two broods are very distinct, the third and
fourth more or less confused’’ (Maryland Agr. Exp. Stat. Bull.
209, p. 3). Hence atorch, supplied with some suitable sweet-'
smelling attractant, and used from time to time as needed du-
ring warm dark nights up till fall, holds out a far better promise
of success in controlling this new pest than anything that has
vet been devised.

The torch does not make a bright light. This in some ways

a disadvantage and in other respects an advantage. In the
great majority of cases it is a decided advantage, for as the
range of attraction extends, say, for 1000 feet in each direction,
this about covers the area of the average farm. The farmer
does not want to draw injurious insect away from his neighbors
upon his farm. The brigkter the light and the smaller the farm
the less benefit does the farmer using a trap get and the more
benefit, free of charge, do get the other farmers within the range
of attraction of his trap.

Inasmuch as any means of controlling injurious insects, de-
struction of hibernating quarters for instance, always also more
or less injures beneficial and neutral ones, it 1s necessary that
the public be sufficiently educated in using a trap to know what
they are mostly catching. The Bureau of Entomology was crea-
ted to promote entomological knowledge in its broadest sense.
For the U. S. Entomologist to deliberately lie by telling Mem-
bers of Congress wishing to get at the truth | am wrong on ev-
ery point means to humbug the people with their own good mon-
ey, and the Chairmen of the Congressional Committees of Agri-
culture, Senator Thomas P. Gore and Representative Ashbury
F. Lever, full well know this.

An insect might be highly injurious with no official satis-
factory means of control known, might be nightflying but be re-
pelled by bright light and even avoid diffused light. Naturally

a

21

electric lights and even lanterns giving forth a mild clear light
are out of question as-traps in this case. To a_ lesser extent
this then holds good also of a dull reddish-vellow light such as
is given forth by atorch. If for a_ killing agent kerosene in
an open pail be used then there is little chance, because of the off-
~ensive smell, that any such insect would be attracted. but if in-
stead there were emanating from the pailan inviting sweet smell
suggesting attractive food to be found only somewhere near the
light given forth by such torch, this might alter the. case radi-
cally, and may often offer the only feasible means of control.
An insect that, as far as official means of control are con-
cerned, meets these conditions is the lesser cornstalkborer, de-
scribed in Department Bulletin No. 539. This insect has a ve-
rv wide range of food plants. These include corn, cowpeas,
crabgrass, Johnson grass, Milomaize, sugar cane, Japanse
-eane, sorghum, beans, peanuts, chufa, turnips, and wheat. The
‘infested territory covers a quadrangle marked by Southern Cal-
— ifornia, Florida, Massachusetts and Iowa. It has in this terri-
tory an average of four generations a year, and the average
number of eggs deposited by the females in 190. In substance
the Bureau of Entomology has nothing to suggest in the way of
control than “cleaning up’’ and the plowing of fields. ““The
borders and the terraces of the field should be gone over with a
harrow to stir up the ground,” This breaks up the winter quar-
ters of pupae and causes them to perish’? (p. 24). The insect
breeds and hibernates to a very large extent in what the Bureau
habitually calls waste land. To ‘‘clean up’’, these ‘‘ ‘waste pla-
ces” is certainly some job, |
The Bureau of Public Roads, in one of its more recent pub-
- lications, Farmers’ Bulletin No. 997: Terracing farm lands,
“points out at length the need of terracing sloping farm lands.
By- which is meant lands under the plow, while the U.S. Ento-
; mologist and his unlearned learned assistants never loose a
2 chance to talk from the top of the bughouse of how to unterrace
them. Even where the land is practically level it is necessary
“to keep the ditches In grass, and the creek- and river banks in

22

erass and trees to prevent the banks from becoming undermined
and thus, from this source alone. very largely fillup the creek- —
and river beds. Much other details on this very important sub- —

ject is found in Year Book Separate No. 688: Farm, Forests and —

Erosion. | pose.

Of course, during all of the growing season there can be
no such thing as cleaning up. Thus, evidently, the Bureau’s
system of control is worthless, since while this plan would de-
stroy a small part of this and other injurious insects present du-

ring the hibernating period, it does not effect the insect during —

the period of growth toany great extent, and the policy of
‘cleaning up’’ also cleans up the seme a and breeding pla-
ces of beneficial insects.

In the case of the lesser sae Gaborey moreover, we are

not at all dependent upon a torch used as atrap. This insect

is amendable to control by the free use of poultry. I have been ;

showing for four years past that it is feasible to thus ‘control a_
great variety of injurious insects. Why use atorch to trap a-
dults, or a harrow to kill pupae over a limited space, when it is

possible to use poultry the year around to keep the pest in check

and when poultry in Coing so secures a large part of its suste--
nance? *It is seldom that larvae are found in the tunnels of

the plants upon which they feed, but more often in specially con-

structed tubes which lead away from the entrance to the tunnels
in the stalk, lviny even with or shghtly beneath the ‘surface of
the ground or sometimes curved around the stem.,,’ Thus you —
see this insect, as larva, is simply waiting to be picked off by %

poultry. The moths can also partly be secured by poultry.
However, there are highly injurious insects where the use

my
y=

of a torch used as a_ trap offers the only feasible means of re-'

ducing the number of the species. The European pineshoot —

moth is a case in point. In this case the adult moths lay their sos

eggs singly into the terminal buds of pine trees, choosing pref-

_ erably the apical cluster of buds, and in turn cause the leading =

shoot of the pines affected to become very badly ercoeed
..each one of these insects does very considerable d anes ey:

Piz} 23

_ These injured shoots bend downward and ‘outward and _ alter-
sae grow upward again in a curve..’’ (Dep. Bull. No. 170, p.
The insect shows preference for Sroung trees. In my Circu-
4 a No. 145, published in 1915, and in subsequent Circulars, I
had pointed out that the simplest means of control consists in
x pouring, at the approach of the egglaying season in summer,
some semi-liquid clay into the apical whorl of buds. This then.
: leaves all the rest of the terminals untreated and thus in nor-
mal condition for oviposition. This protection is, of course,
bi. _ feasible only in the case of the smaller trees — unless the Bureau
ean devise a profitable system of using aeroplanes for this work,
and for the reduction of the number of the adults the use of a
_ trap as described—or a better one—is the only thing that holds -
out hope of success. A trapas described. in this case prefera-
__ bly used with a sweetened decoction.of pine twigs, would in all
= probability, give very good results. The moths might be adverse
_ to light, but the presence of a scent resulting from the evapor-
& ation of a sweetened decoction of pine twigs within the pail
would be iikely to cause them to be trapped. While it does not
seem feasible that poisoned sweets, suggested by the Bureau
for the control of certain fruitflies, could be used, if they were
used, it would have to be found out what other insects, benefi-
~ cial, injurious or neutral, are thus also destroyed. As the moths
_ prefer nurseries, a trap located there would largely protect more
- distant, larger trees. All the Bureau has to suggest in the way
3 _ of control i is to first let the insect infest the shoots, then send
-men through the woods, supposedly fitted with wings or exten-
e sion rubber necks, and have them remove the grubs and _affect-
_ ed buds and burn them, so that other buds left uninfested may
: make as near a Straight growth as possible under the circumstan-
+ ces. This treatment has to be given every vear. Moreover there
‘is danger that the moth, in this country, can develop two broods.
3 Seance what it would cost to examine a square mile of pines even
once effectively this way. Yet the Bureau saysI am _ wrong on
| every eet, anc the chairman ot the BeeeStORe Soot Ae

24
on Agricu ture ay prove of this course by doing nothing to force
them to maxe any definite statements. :

In his report for 1918 the Entomologist on page 5 mentions
the introduction of the European cornborer. This insect is high-
lv destructive and is similar in habits to the lesser cornstalk-
borer, and also. to the larger cornstalkborer, described in Farm-
ers’ Bulletin No.°1025. For the latter insect the Bureau’s chief.
recommendation as to Peis Ol is rotation of crops, nothing more
direct being officially known. | It belongs to the same genius as

does the sugarcane borermoth. There are 3 or 4 generations a
vear,

‘‘Fortunately the insect passes the winter inthe stalks of —
its host plants and winter destruction is therefore possible, al-—
though winter extermination of its host plants throughout its
present range, on account of its numerous food plants, would be
a matter of great difficulty and expense’... Among the culti-
vated crops attacked in Europe are corn, hemp, hops, millet, i
several wild grasses and many common weeds. — In this. country
corn is the principal crop seriously injured, but the damage to
that crop. 1s so serious as to cause the gravest apprehension
should this insect spread into the great corn belt of the» Middle —
West. Thé caterpillars. of which there are at least two genera- ¢
tions annually, bore into the stalk, ear and tassel of the plant.
‘Thirty or more individuals often are to be found in. one stalk ee
during.the latter part of the summer. .At present the; area:
known to be infested (located in eastern Massachusetts) amounts s
to something more than 300 square miles..

Thus here yon have a new pest Rincdige till it- has covered -
300 square miles before it is even discovered. How many other,
smaller infestations must then be expected to exist elsewhere? | i

Chief Howard is reported inthe press. to have told’ the At ;
merican Philosophical Socienty at Philadelphia on April 25. that |
this pest also got a strong foothold in New York “‘If this he
reaches the cornfields of the West.’’ he is reported to have said,

‘‘T do not see what is going to save them...”’ ‘The answer. tag
easy. A rope around the little man’s hind ee so that he canes 3

25

as usual, crawfish away before he has made an answer in regard

- to the method of control I shall describe will save them. And
moreover this will lead to a discussion that will save lots of
other crops from serious injury, affecting such important insects
as the bollweevil and the pink bollworm. The method is essen-
tially the same as described by me for the control of the sugar
cane borer mothon pages 32 to 35 of my Circular No. 151 two
years ago, in regard to which Chief Howard has not seen fit. to
make any statement, good, bad or inditerent.

When in 1914 the European pineshoot moth was discovered
on Long Island, investigations up to Feb. 9. 1915, showed
_the insect to be present in ine states with “‘indications very

. “strong that the pest has become established in several

other widely distributed localities.’’ Yet all the while since the

é Bureau talked about exterminating this in-ect. [t was no trouble

at all for the Entomologist thus far to work the public for a suck-

er. The public sends men to Congress to guard its interests,

and if these do not do so, an official of the Executive Depart-

Ment can dish up to atrusting public any old humbug while the
ishing up is good.

Of course, in the case of the European cornborer, it is, be-
cause of the large range of food plants and the large area even
now admitted to be infested, absurd to talk about extermination.
Nor can the pest be kept from spreading. Rigid quarantines
will impede its progress at great cost. Buta sound system of
control will make it possible to do away with at least the more
onerous provisions of quarantine, and incidentally keep the U.
aoe Entomologist from lying awake of nights.

es _ Apparently neither the larva nor the pupa in this case is a-
aeable to attack by poultry. Hence the use of a trap as

“shown, if possible, might be resorted to, if there were nothing
better. But undoubtedly the best means of all consists in the ju-
-dicious use of trapcrops, properly managed, exactly the opposite

to what the Entomologist proposes to use. He proposes the

eon of food plants —in this and many similar cases.
In the early spring while all vegetation is succulent the in-

26

sect is apt to oviposit on any suitable plant near by. Naturally
it will prefer sweet corn to common corn, and common corn to
most other plants and weeds. Hencethe first generation of
moths is not likely to be especially destructive to corn. Howev-
cr, since early sweet corn is apt to show a heavy infestation, the
stalks should be fed, cut for stover or for silage as soon as the
cars are gathered. The bulk of the damage is evidently dore
through the moths of the second brood congregating upon field- ~
corn. This field corn is apt to have then passed the tassel stage
since several weeks and a small planting of cornand, especially
sweet corn, just coming into’ tassel as the second brood of
moths appear, would most likely attract the moths very largely
away from the main crop grown for ears The trapcrop, if
held corn, will not mature properly and should be sown thinly for
fodder to allow of the torming of a good many tassels. If sweet
corn be used, being smaller and quicker in maturing, it is to be
sown correspendingly later. This corn, used for traps, will
then very largely concentrate the hibernating larvae, and, by
being carefully utilized for feeding, will effectively check the
Pest:

A pest similarly affecting corn is the pink cornworm, desc-
ribed in U.S. Dept. Agr. Bulletin No. 363. .This insect has
about.4 generationsa year. Nothing in the way of official con-
trol is available except early harvesting, early husking and fu-

migation of infested ears, calling for work at a time when work —

on the southern farm is most pressing; besides fumigation
greatly adds to the cost. “Thus the insect 1s admittedly beyond
all official means of control during the period of increase. !t oc-
curs only in the cornbelt in injurious numbers, Mississippi hay- —
ing suffered werst thus far. Inquiry in Mississippi, however, -
shows upon information furnished by State Entomologist R. W.
Harned that his State after two vears of severe damage is no
longer noticably affected. But serious outbreaks may have been

occurring elsewhere right along. It is thought that the de- —

crease in cotton growing, or, what is more likely, the destruc-—
tron of the bolls in the fall by plowing-in, may have forced this

2%

‘insect to attack corn with corresponding severity. tei by Wak oo
young squares (of cotton) ...the active little reddish larva ot
this Batrachedra is very Bien found as unquestionably an_ ori-
_ ginal inhabitant and it undoubtedly frequently causes quite an
extensive shedding of the squares. This however, only occurs
in the spring... laterin the season the Batrachedra larva is found
boring in the unopened flowerheads of various weeds” ‘p. 131°.
While it is likely that the adult, a moth, ean be trapped as
described, the fact that the adult oviposits very readily upon
young cottonsquares can be taken advantage of to control this
pest most easily. When the infested squares fall and poultry
has the run of the field, they will attack these and other infested
fallen squares for the grubs within. I had explained at length
in my Circular No. 152, and as far*back as my Circulars No.
147 to 151, that the correct method ‘of controiling the boll wee-
vil consists in the use of poultry 1a connection with a trappatch
of late. planted cotton. This system of control I evolved to cope
with the officially admitted tendency of the bollweevil to feed
-and breed in plants other than cotton, or to go without food and
- reproduction for long periods by secluding itself in the absence
_ of acceptable food for feeding and breeding, in cool places well
_ protected against heat and cold, thus conserving its vitality. |
had shown from official evidence in my Circulars No. 110 to 154
that the conditions in the cage tests the Bureauof Entomology
carried on in an attempt to prove what results would happen in
ease stalks are destroyed in the field at a given date were not
norma!, and have also shown that where the conditions furnished
in the cage did approach normal conditions the survival was
much greater than was officially claimed, this work dating back
“nine years.
Under my plan poultry is to be given the run during the
winter of the surroundings of the fields to be planted to cotton,
lessening thus the number of the successfully hibernating wee-

aa vils. When cotton comes up poultry given the run of the field and

s the surroundings will pick off most of the weevils and many oth_
Se er insects that feed in the tips of the young cottonplants and al.

28

so pick off many other insects on nearby ‘‘wasteplaces’’ where
they aim to complete their first generation to go to cotton in the
second generation. As squares form and become infested poul-
try will attack the fallen squares for grubs. It will readily be
seen that thisis a continuous check to the multiplication of the
bollweevil and permits of the setting of a large amount of fruit.
However, to detract the bollweevil, the bollworm and injurious
insects in general from the fruiting plants, a small plat, located
in the center of the field, about the one-hundredth part of the
field in size, is not planted till two or three months after the
planting of the main patch. ‘The seed to be used for this trap-
patch may be any kind that produces plenty of squares, as far
as concentrating weevils and other grubs is concerned, but if

seed from the main crop is to be saved for planting, the seed for

the trappatch should be the same as that used for the main crop.
This trappatch offers an abundance of succulent squares

late in the season, hence concentrates the bollweevil, the boll- .

worm and many other injurious insects; including the pink corn-
worm to be there continually attacked by poultry in fallen squares
and also, in a measure, as adults. The bollworm goes. to hiber-
nate in the ground and a plowing before emergence of the moths

begins in the spring, but preferably a few weeks sooner because
of other insects present, disposes of it. As virtually. all this ©

was pointed out to the Bureau of Entomology as long as 3 years
ago, you see it is expensive for the people to allow themselves
to be humbugged with their own good money by electing men to

Congress that let such things go on even if their special duty is —

to prevent them.

In this connection it will be well to consider the difficulty
encountered in the control of fungus diseases atfecting plants in
eveneral, and cereal- and forage crops in particular, under the

methods advocated by the Bureau of Plant Industry, especially —
as recent press notices announce the presence of a new wheat —

disease, said to be caused by a fungus, in Illinois, the area in-—

7 a

Bee 29

tested ie given aS 100,000 acres. Giving this as the area

infested: “See means that there exists no definite knowledge as

. to how great the infestation may be outside of this area. In the

‘Ge case of fungi the spread is caused by spores being watted by

wind or earried by insects, birds and other means, andin the

_ case of bacterial diseases spread takes place chiefly through vi-

rus being carried bv insects.

The Bureau of Plant Industry does not claim to possess

my any means that are feasible to control, in a commercial way, a

+e fungus disease of a cereal- and forage crop while the crop is

growing. During this period several generations of spores are
shi developed, the more or less complete destruction of which would
mean a more or less complete control of the disease. ‘There is

Ae no record of a fungus disease ever having remained confined to

Pe a ‘small area, not even for a short time. The Bureau’s means of

control in the case of cereal- and forage crops are substantially

a confined to treating the seed with a germicide and to advocate

is Me rotation of crops. This, naturally, often proves to be entirely
<< - inadequate. As is well known, fungi, as arule, do their great-

est damage during a period of continued heat and moisture, and
ty af such periods do not occur most fungi do but little damage
ee any treatment being given. Consequently any system of

a control that even holds out merely a slimchance of economically

i treating the disease during the growing season should have the

eh most careful consideration of thé Bureau of Plant Industry.

s - The essential principle of such a system was discovered and
batiinted out by me as far back as 1898 in a treatise published at
oe Vernon, Illinois, and entitled: The Use of the Gasoline
Torch in Fighting Insects and Fungi. I showed there that the

_ blast as given forth by a common plumber’s torch is capable of

licking off the spores of fungi resting upon a leaf; that, therefore,

if for instance this torch be used to lick lice and other insects off
fe cucurbits, involving in this case more especially the treatment
of the lower side of the foliage and of the stems, so difficult to
teach with sprays. the spores of fungi present are incidentally
pers destroyed. Previously, in the same year, I had pointed out

30

that the use of such a torch was far the most practical means
then known of controlling the harlequin cabbagebug, an effort on
my part in the iall of 1896 to control this pest, then seriously af-
fectng cabbage and allied plants in the latitude of Southern III-
inois, having been the direct cause to make me see the possibilities
ot the use of flame and heat as given forth by a torch 1n the cen-
trol of insects. The season of 1897 was given over to investi-
gations in regard to the possibilities of the use of such a torch
on insects, and application for copyright of my first treatise en-
titled: The Use of the Gasoline Torch in Fighting Insects—was
made on November 8, of the same year, the treatise being pub-
lished the following spriny atter tests begun in the fall of 1897,
bad shown flame and heat as produced by such torch to be capa-
ble of successfully controlling the San Jose Scale. I pointed
then out that while certain biting insects can be readily controiled
by the use of arsenicals, other biting insects and most sucking
ones can be tar more easily controlled by the use of such a torch
than by any other way then known. The chinchbug was then
very plentiful, and stress was laid uponthe possibilities of the
torch in the control of this insect. 1 pointed out that in cool
weather, or during the chill of the night and morning in early
summer, the chinchbugs hide largely under the clods near ‘the
base of the plant and can be destroyed without affecting at all —
materially the corn they congregate on upon the approaching —
maturity of the small grain they infest in the spring. “3

Soon upon publishing this treatise I found that this same
discovery as regards the control of the chinchbug and certain
other insects by the use of the plumber’s torch had been made
also in 1897 by Mr. J. M. Winfree of Nashville, Ill. I soon re-
alized that a common plumber’s torch while possessing the es-
sential principle of control, was not the proper type of torch for
ah economical application of heat, and in rg03 got out the type
of torch shown on last page. It was distinct from any other
torch in that the airpump was located in the center of the tank, —

and the handle of the pistonrod was in the shape of ahook, This —

pistourod could be locked by means of a pin against movement.

31

making it possible, after. detaching the shoulderstraps, to hook
the apparatus from branch to branch in a tree.

One of these torches was sent to the State Entomologist of
IlIinois and in the fall of that year he made a report. He would
not admit that the torch is the best thing for the control of the
chinchbug, claiming in another report that the soil barrier and

post hole method, consisting of a furrow that has been pulveri-

zed with a log drag and in which at intervals postholes have been
dug, was a better method.. The chinchbugs cannot at all readily
make their way overa finely pulverized turrow. In migrating,
under this plan, they fall in, but are not supposed to be able to

get out. They are supposed to make their way alongside the

bottom of the furrow and to fall into the postholes, there to be
killed by the use of kerosene or otherwise.
The U. S. Bureau ot Entomology Bulletin No. 95%; part III,

indirectly condemns this plan in two ways, first by not mention-

ing it at all under means of control, and second by describing
there the log drag method in place of it, condemning the barrier
method by the statement that “the block (log drag) must be
kept in constant use, from eariy until late and sometimes well

i e . ee . 5 “ ;
into he night’’ since’ often, during the migration, the bugs

travel all night.’’ Another method, the coal tar barrier, is, ad..
mittedly, “apparently costly and troublesome,’’ requires tree-
dom from dust, presence of which means renewal of tar barrier
‘quite often.’’ These matters are discussed at length on pages
27 to 31 of mv Circular No. 139. The Bureau admits that with
the use of a torch “’...generally one blast will cause all the bugs
to tall to the ground where they can be burned...’’ The Bureau
thus takes the liberty to quote from my copyrighted matter, and
on the other hand, as aroyalty. the U. S. Humbugologist tells
Members of Congress I am wrongon every point. That’s a steal
pure and simple.

Moreover a torch used for the chinchbug as described also
_ incidentially enables the farmer to get rid of many other insects

_ injurious to corn, and most of these are not affected at all by

- either the log drag or tar line method. The Illinois State Ento-

just to find that they recover. He did not take the trot
cage them and await results. He would have found in th
that they do not surviye any length of time. He said
nothing in regard to the effect the frequent slight applic
the blast has on soft bodied insects such as lice.

As to fungus control he said he found that the blast
off a coating of fungus spores on hlac leaves, but fow
spores reappeared in a few days. He thus furnished pro
the blast kills spores of fungi as claimed, for the spo
subsequently appeared bad been thrown out by the myc
working inside the leaf, showing that the leaf had not beet
jured in destroying previously the spores that had pik
on it.

to treat orchards, trees being ofan as high as 40 feat!
correct. But there is nothing in the way to get up any kil
torch for any purpose, that, too, without interfering witk
possible patents. The fundamental principle of the in
success of this method rests in the cheapness with. wh ic
killing agent-——the blast—-can be produced. is

At that time the lime- sulphur spray forthe San Jose
had not come into yreneral use in the Eastern States. This
went a long way to economically control. this pest and ke

sects and fungi, and do ais, wok with super ae ‘ens
ness and all around efficiency, winter and summer.

For instance California and the Eastern States
ing overrun by the pear thrips. I pointed out in de

Be | 33
a a .
i fae 11 of my Circular No. 147 and elsewhere that where this ill-
sect is present in injurious numbers ‘tcan, appearing as the a-
Y dults do at blossoming time, ‘na few days destroy all prospect
of a crop; and thus requires prompt action. I showed that such
x action by the use of the official remedy, the nicotine-sulphate
spray, is expensive and difficult, expensive because the spray 1n
heatseli is expensive and because under this plan the work must be
done within a certain short period, involving the use of an eX-
| pensive apparatus fora comparatively short time, and difficult
a because the insect has a large range of food plants and because
ay even a thorough application is usually not a decided success and
va calls for a second application. One very plain reason for this 1s
- that this spray has to be applied with ° force. his naturally
Bie knocks many adults off before they get enough to be killed. I
showed that under the method of using heat it 1s possible to
A pgive frequent slight, swift lickings, doing away with the imjury
often caused hy the spray: One thing 10 this connection the
Bureau of Entomology has all along been too bashful to touch
upon, lt is to what extent a spray given at the blossoming time
has upon the fertilization of the blooms.
The use of a torch, unlike the nicotine-sulphate spray; is of
particular advantage when the insect 1s ‘n the larval stage, I

showed in my Circular No. 147 that whereas the torch method ts
a

the best all around method to coutrol sucking insects and fungl,
there is ordinarily no need to make any great effort to attack the
ae adult pear thrips except when swarms arive from outside sources
9 or when certain kinds of fruit trees and bushes, when in bloom,
aie act as special attractants, OF when other ‘nsects then present, as
eee tor ustance the canker worm, call imperatively for immediate
‘action. I! showed that as the young larvae develop on the leaves
there 1s 2 period of about 4 weeks during which it is possible by
Big. THRE, application of small amounts of blaststo lick off spores and

» insects. Many, in fact most of these insects drop before they
ware apparently seriously injured. However investigation would
show that nearly all die in a day or two [ showed that where:

. + 4

as a good many larger larvae will drop, it would be well to have
Miksa ! a :

34

poultry handy by to pick them up. However, | also showed that
.this is not necessary. I showed that the ease, swiftness and
cheapness with which the blast can be applied makes if feasible
to lick the ground with the blast, thus disposing of all the fal-
len larvae.

The Bureau of Plant Industry lays stress upon the need of
controlling fungi, and the Bureau of Entomology lays stress up-
on the need of cortrolling insects, and the two of them show you
many killing agents and mary apparatus to meet the require:
ments for applying these kiiling agents under the many vary--
ing conditions that occur. At the same time the Bureau of Plant
Industry extolls the blessings of proper landscape gardening a-
round the home, of proper fower-gardening around the home, of
the home fruit garden, and the home vegetable garden, all of
which means growing a great variety of vegetation from. ot
trees, down to grass.

As in a general way each plant has its. insect- and ape ;

enemies, if tall trees are affected these trees in home grounds
usually are not accessible to the heavy power-spraying outfits
these Bureaus recommend, whereas with or without the help of a
ladder as may be suitable. you can treat tall trees with the type
of torch shown on last page. You might have some cabbages
affected with worms. These usually can be killed easily with
arsenicals and, if no other trouble is present, this is a very good,
if not the best way. But these cabbages, or your melons, or
peas, or rosebushes might be infested with aphids .or other
sucking insects. In that case under the Bureau’s plan, you
have to use some of their contact insecticides. If onion thrips,
or other thrips, pear thrips for instance, is present, under their
plan you have to know how to make and apply nicotine-sulphate
solutions; and for fungi other stuff, depending upon whether it
is the dormant or growing season. Whereas the use of a torch
as shown on last page serves all these manifold purposes far

more easily and cheaply, than any other method under the cir —

cumstances. If the Bureau of Plant Industry and Entomology
do not want to admit this, let them go ahead and show why.

a=
ha Tea)

On pages 39 to 41 of my Circular No. 151 you find an ac-
count of how torches can be constructed largely out of fittings

~such as woald make up a tower blast torch outfit, that will make

it possible to apply heat to insects affecting cereal- and forage
crops that require a contact insecticide as does the spring grain
aphis or the spinach aphis, detailed information being given on
pages 12 and 13 of my Circular No. 144 and elsewhere. The
Bureau has no feasible means of control, whereas it is easy to

tup a cart or some light automobile truck with a tank supply-
ing gasoline under pressure and feeding.any desired number of
burners. And this same method at the same time destroys the
spores of fungi that come in the way of the burners, thus keep-

ing down the fungus diseases affecting these crops.

As for freeing the seed grain of fungus spores this can also

_ be secured by the use of a blast, by letting the seed slide slowly

down overa wired screen’and letting one torch, or, better, two

hs or more torches from ‘different directions, play upon the seed,

i

thus licking it clean. This does not injure its germinating qual-

- ities and costs only a small part of the Burean’s plan.

There are several important other insects mentioned in the
kentomologist’s report that call for consideration here. Of new
pests there is the Japanese beetle, mentioned on page 5. It isa
very general feeder having thus far been recorded from a _ total
of 41 plants. ~The insect attacks the ends of sweetcorn and in
the movement of green corn to market can be scattered to yari-
ous parts.’ It appears that the beetle was brought into this
country in shipments of Japanese iris during the summer of tort.
..-50me 625 acres are now heavily infested... and it is scatter-

ingly found over some 7000 to 10000 acres, with outlying infes-

tations over not less than 25000 acres... The immature stages
are passed in the soil where the larvae feed on decaying vege-

table matter. The adults appear by midsummer, continuing un-
til cool weather in the fall. During hot days the beetles are

strong fliers, which adds much to the danger of their spread...”’
Let us see: 25000 acres is about 39 square miles. A circle
with a radius of 32 miles would about include this area. Thus

36

s to believe th
Aiers during hot

omologist wants u

ong

the Ent
the beetles str
anywhere within this area and
at eradication” when the pest
oreater area and when it breed
weeds including grape, apple,
and corn, and with the
_ The Hetlesiseemae &XPG
time, hence on low growing ©
and the fact that the larvae fe
- ter mm the soil means that they
right below that layer of de
and also the resulting pupae,
In addition there 1s reasoll to
nights the adults swarm an
trap 10 conjunction with
There is, howeve
of control. It cons}
sown corn, especially
ends of eweetcorn th
with the preferred food
y distributed. 1
th the b
aS een
ct the adul
when such
n sown two
r till fall w

why,
more cenerall
But wi
it will,
possible
cially sweetcorn,
AC little “uch cor
from mid-summe
lf this corn be then rolle
the picking olf, otherwise 1
The U
“Theory |),
ber of Con
qa matter of
had shown t
ture stages O

t

He has done §
gress wanted to
fact, in

hat while there

a

is probably
son many ©

list NOW
set
rops coul

cay
can be rea

d are attracte
qa bait an
r, yet an
sts im conce

eetles strong
ts to tassels

ill decidedly co
d down,

Entomologis

be shown
a similar case,

f the harlequin ¢

at in
t had kept —

he speaks at

cherry; buckwheat, §
incomplete.

hemselves to vl
d be secure

w during day
d by pomtnyins
ing vegetable mat- Me
the top of the soul

here they, -
poultry, — mn

ed upon decay
are hidden on
ing vegetable matter W
dily found by
at GUTINe eee daxkiang
d to atorch used ase atm
easily trapPeeun as Kl
efficien
to tassels of |

believe th

d could be
er and a very
the adults
insect

t means |
ate ita

oth

ntrating
Ae Viren

sect becomes —
t attack readily Helen
fiers during hot days f a
n a favorite food plant,
sown corn, eSpe- |
the ‘ion stage.
o as to provi ssel
ncentrate th
poultry O1V
has to be done by
t is NOW likely
before time an
bot

su
ts

with cor

tassels are 10

weeks apart § 3
e beetles.
d

O

is no bett
abbage

about 7 years with a, |

tes

attacks the
no good reason 7

rom “4
mS

37
air-blast torch and while it is an insect feeding normally only
upon cruciferous plants such as cabbage, turnip and horseradish,
the adults congregate largely, especially during hot weather, up-
on tassels of sweetcorn and can there be picked off by Hand or
by the judicious use of a blast, approaching them going back-
wards to cover them quickly and effectively with the blast. The
Bureau has since then published the statement that the use of a
torch-is effective and practical in all stages except the egg, giv-
ing no credit to me for priority, this action constituting a de-
liberate infringement of copyright.
In practice this happens to be of but little consequence, be-
cause asa matter of fact I have since then devised a much _bet-
_ ter way of control.. I showed that, in as much as the immature
on stages congregate upon the under side of the leaves in colonies
ee “and have to be looked after separately involving much time, a
much better way consists in concentrating the adults, in plaid
view for action upon them. This can easily be done,«if only care
SA is taken that some cruciferous plants are allowed to bloom and
seed at intervals during the growing season. The adults will
~ then congregate upon the seedheads, and poultry given access
— will pick them off, making the control of this highly injurious in-
SS aect i in a way automatic.
Plainly sound as this method is, it, with all else I have ever
written, according ‘to the U. S. Entomologist, is all wrong. The
Bureau of Entomology was created to promote entomological
knowledge 1 in its broadest sense.
. ‘The so-called grape mealybug has become troublesome in
parts of California... This is a diffeult insect to handle, “since it
~_ secrets itself under Sireda of bark where sprays cannotreach it
he readily” (Ent. Report 1918, p. 2). Yes, sprays suchas the Bu-
reau has been using cannot reach it readily, but a blast from a
hot air torch can do it easily and cheaply, and it was. shown to
the Entomologist for many years that this is so in the case of
many insects that are similarly concealed. Moreover the grape
ubject to several troubles that cannot be nearly aswell han-
d with anything than atorch. A blast from a torch is the

38

very best means to control the grape leai hopper. During the
early part of the season before breeding is well under way it is
just under these shreds of bark that the hibernated hopper seeks
protection against cold and wet, at which time an application is

most effective. Again, even in the drier sections of California

the growers have to fight fungus, in this case the kind known as
Oidium. ‘The blast of a torch licks off the spores of this fungus
and does away with the much more expensive use of sulphur,
now relied upon to relieve this troubie.

The alfalfa weevil is on page six shownto have extended its
range considerably, as usual, and on the other hand is credited
with being held in check Sinton by important natural en-
emies. I had shown on page 11 of my Circular No. 151 from
D. A. Bulletin No. 107, p. 57, that, given the chance, poultry
is the best possible control measure imported or otherwise, and
this would then work also on most other alfalfa insects, includ-
ing grasshoppers.

Finally on page g.of his report the Entomologist speaks a-
bout ‘sweetpotato weevil eradication and control.’ This insect has
recently been discussed by the Bureau of Entomology in Farmers’
Bulletin No. 1020. Records as there given on page 8 show that

the weevil was present near New Orleans, La,, as far back as_

1875 and at Manatel, Fla. in1878. It appears, serious damage

did not occur to any great extent until rccent years. ‘This, con-

sidering the long time since its original introduction, brings up
the question of food plants. ‘",.,the insect breeds exclusively

on sweet potatoes and closely Melated plants such as morning ~

glory and bindweed...’"(p. 16). The ‘‘closely related plants’?
include the whole botanical family of Convolvulaceae. Under
Figure 5 1s shown a Florida beach being overrun with the beach
morning glory. to give a little idea of what job it is to carry out

the proposed means of control by “‘keeping down volunteer

sweet potatoes and all plants of the morning glory family, cul-
tivated or wild”’ (p. 24) In Figure 6 is shown a ’’corner of a va:
cant lot in southern Florida, showing mat of wild or volunteer
sweet potato vines badly infested hy the sweet potato weevil. ””

A he

4 ats
ae Fs od inl Dy at ie
et tu bi oy pi ate ee
ert. Sore eo Bahn ~
-

‘ =
. 5
ee het
(Eh . van Nr See ee
Tee See ae a SF A ia tie

s
\

29

There is every reason to believe that the damage to culti-
vated sweet potatoes has become pronounced chiefly because the
wild food plants have become more and more excessively infest-
ed. To eradicate the wild convolvulaccae, granted it were feas-
ible, simply means, aside from driving the then there existing
weevils to cultivated sweet potatoes, to make that much room
for some other plants that may breed insects or fungi affecting
some other crop. It will be found to be indefinitely more feasi-
ble to keep these convolvulaceae reasonably free of the weevils
when you step to consider what poultry on a large scale can be
reasonably expected to accomplish. This all the more as sweet
potato vinesare apt to become infested by the mealy bug, and
especially as theterritory known to be infested by the sweet po-

- tato weevil is largely infested by the Argentine ant, which, as is
ss well known, fosters these insects. With this ant capable of
ns anywhere in rotting vegetable matter, and preferring,
whenever available, the excretions of aphids and coccids to all
other foods, you can readily see that the Bureau’s plan of using
_ poisoned Sweets to control this ant, aside fromits many draw-
_ backs cannot begin to touch this pest at large and that control
at large of this ant is only possible by a systematic and exten-
_ Sive use of poultry, this all the more as poultry in small num-
bers cannot hold its own against the ant, since the ant attacks
the hatching chicks, which in turn proves that poultry is by na-
_ ture an enemy of the ant, as claimed by me as long as four years
ago in my Circular No. 147. pp, 26 to 28.
| Of course it is very good practice, as recommended by the
- Bureau, to have, if otherwise practical, pis eat up the remnants
of the sweetpotato crop. Also there is little doubt that arseni-
cals early in the season are helpful as claimed, but unless the
ncultivated convolvulaceaa are taken care of, there is everyrea-
to believe that witha female hable to lay as many as 300
-s and four generations a vear, there will as the wild food
ts become more and more heavily infested, be a constant
y dispersion from these wild foodplants to cultivated crops,
that if thes wild foodplants are kept reasonably clear by the

oe Le ee

.
~
B-

ys

40

use of rose also. , ae
‘“Weevils in all stages may be ae in hares root ; alo

the gulf coast during the winter’’(p. 5). As it is the to ypart
the root that is infested, poultry can readily get at the
by scratching. ““The fed and yellow colors of this. insec
metallic blue background of the body are undoubtedly of
ing nature.’’ Hence, possibly , poultry might be cautions
attacking the weevils. There appears to be no good
however, why they should not readily eat the larvae and,
‘,. The larvae on hatching tunnel through the vines to the
the vines die and frequently the roots become badly riddl

such torch as BGord on ae page will prove of more bene
anything else that can be used in the way of artificial ¢
In that case the operator will find it expedient to carry?
in the left hand to raise and move the vines a little, ©
the weevil to the direct blast. Incidentally this treat
that extent keeps down other insects, and is especially o
against insects that require a contact insec ticide SPIAYs :

ican ae put down as an axiom that the rate con.
an insect is controlled by its: food- and breeding supe

ed only 0.35 foot per om aa I was able to oes tr
cial test, thateven after squares had been set: weev
move more than necessary to secure squares, in one
festation beginning at about’ the time of the setting of
having been confined by August 6 stfill to a small area,
because of the small number of weevils causing the —

; \
+

festation inthat case. Yet with uninfested squares more or less

completely absent, the weevils have been known to readily pass

over non-cotton-producing territory 40 miles wide without diffi-

culty. Hence while the sweet potato weevii apparently is a weak
_ flyer, there is noreason toexpect that in case of insufficient
_ breeding material on wild plants, it would not assiduously hunt
_ for the more suitable cultivated sweetpotato plants that may
. have been kept protected i ina way by the use of arsenicals, and
find them even if they site be a good many miles away.

7 le -

. Contrary to a statement on page 20 of this Circular Senator
BS. Thomas P. Gore and Representative Asbury F. Lever are no
;., longer chairmen of the Congressional Committees on Agriculture,
= having with the majority -in Congress passing to the Rebublicans
been superseded by Senator Asle J. Gronna and Representative
Gilbert N. Hangen.

_ According tothe U. S. Entomologist I am wrong on every
point. Naturally he will not want to agree with me when I say
the country owes him for his extra work done as» humbugolist at

least a six month’s course of treatment at some first class peni-
tentiary to get the humbug bacillus out of his system. In any
case, | do not propose to worry my head off. If the Governors

of the states chiefly affected, their Officials in charge of Agricul-
ture and their State Delegations to Congress do not want to take
any interest in the matter, I simply shall bide my time till the
public has of the U. S. Entomologist’s humbugology had its fill.
Under date of December 16, 1918 Secretary of Agriculture
__ Houston handed to the Governors at their meeting at Annapolis,
-Md., a lot of sugarcoated talk about the beauties of co-operation

Y OF CONGRESS @

tin viinaivia’®
0 021 468 204 7