A Living from the Land

by William Budington Duryee

There are two distinct classes of insects, the division being based upon their feeding habits. The larger group, both in the size of the insects themselves and in the number of species, is the leaf-chewing group. These can be destroyed by the application of stomach poisons to the plants under attack. The other group consists of the sucking insects, which penetrate the veins carrying nourishment to the leaves and appropriate it for themselves. Such insects multiply with extreme rapidity, generally feed on the underside of the leaves and may cause complete wilting of the plant before their presence is suspected. In such cases a “contact” spray or dust must be used. This is based on the principle of causing the insect to “inhale” the material through breathing pores along its body. The insecticide must be composed of extremely fine particles or must be of such an oily nature that it will readily penetrate such pores. In addition to these, certain repellent materials are being developed which cause the insect to seek food where the disagreeable conditions do not prevail.

Table III

PRINCIPAL INSECTS AND REMEDIES[3]

Plants attacked	Chewing insects	Character of damage	Treatment
Tomato, pepper, eggplant, turnip, cabbage, etc.	Flea Beetles	They gnaw or eat small holes in the leaves.	Dust or spray with a prepared nicotine or pyrethrum mixture. Bordeaux mixture sprayed, or dusting for disease is also effective as a repellent.
Asparagus	Asparagus Beetle	Feeds on the shoots and brush.	Dust with either arsenate of lead or calcium arsenate, mixed with 1 part of wheat flour. Spray with arsenate of lead or calcium arsenate, 1 tablespoonful if a paste or ½ tablespoonful if a powder, and 1 tablespoonful of lime to 1 gallon of water.
All kinds of beans	Mexican Bean Beetle	Eats the under side of leaves	Dust with 1 part of magnesium arsenate mixed with 3 parts of lime, or dust the yellow larva under the leaves with a pyrethrum dust.
Early cabbage and cauliflower	Cabbage Maggot	........................	Keep the ground thoroughly cultivated around the base of the plant or use tar paper discs for larger plantings.
	Common Cabbage Worm and Cabbage Looper	Feed on the shoots and brush.	Same as for asparagus beetle. Pyrethrum dust is also very effective.
Cucumber, squash, and melons.	Striped Cucumber Beetle	Eats the leaves and the stem of the very young plants.	Protect with a cheesecloth or do the same as for the asparagus beetle.
Pumpkins and squashes	Squash Vine Borer	Kills the vines by eating in the stem.	Take a sharp thin-bladed penknife and slit the stem lengthwise, opening it and killing the borer. Then bank the ground around the stem of the plant.
Tomato, eggplant, potato	Potato Beetle	Eats the leaves.	Same as for Cabbage Worm.
Tomato	Tomato Horn Worm	Eats the leaves.	Same as for Common Cabbage Worm.
Tomato fruits	Tomato Fruit Worm	Eats the tomato fruits.	Same as for Cabbage Worm.
Tomato, eggplant, pepper, cabbage, and other crops.	Cutworms	Cut the plants off near the surface of the ground.	Protect with paper collars placed around the stem of the plant, extending 2 or 3 inches above the ground, or distribute poisoned bran mash, placing it near the plant. Thoroughly mix 2 level tablespoonfuls of paris green in 5 pounds of dry bran, then add from 4 to 6 quarts of water in which ½ pint of cheap molasses has been mixed. Cutworms work at night, therefore apply the mash in the late afternoon or evening.
Plants attacked	Sucking insects	Character of damage	Treatment
Tomato, potato, strawberries, and beans.	Leaf Hopper	Feeds under the leaf, causing a whitening and curve of the leaves with a dying of the edges.	Dust or spray with a prepared nicotine or pyrethrum mixture. Bordeaux mixture is also effective as a repellent.
Practically all garden vegetable plants.	Aphis (plant lice)	Sucks the juices on the under side of the leaves and on the stems.	Either dust or spray with a nicotine or pyrethrum mixture as recommended on the package. Be sure to hit the insects on the under side of the leaves.
Cabbage group, strawberries, and beans.	Red Spider	Sucks the juices from the under side of the leaves, producing a whitish cast on the cabbage group and a brownish cast on the other groups. Especially prevalent during prolonged dry hot spells.	Apply a dusting sulfur.

Table III (pages 107-108) describes the character of damage done by both groups of insects, the plants attacked and the most effective methods of control.

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Do’s

Grow vegetables for health, recreation and economy.

Organize the vegetable garden for a maximum of output, variety of foods and to facilitate its care.

Use lime and chemical fertilizer or manure liberally for intensive culture.