The gazette-times., May 13, 1915, HOME AND FARM MAGAZINE SECTION, Page 8, Image 14

HOME AND FARM MAGAZINE SECTION
United States Department of Agriculture Special Page
Bulletins and Special Articles Issued by the Government, of Interest to the Northwest;
Suggestions Covering a Wide Range of Activities; Results of Federal Investigations, Etc.
Birds Check Wireworm's Menace
continue discing as often as Is neces- Long Runs by Speedy
sary to maintain the dust mulch and r: Qt.nura Pat
keep down the weeds; (3) plow the K,ver "earners r
Summer fallow in July or early in T"HAT river traffic In the United
I 1101.01 anil Immorifatalv HMO" (i I C . 1 ,. . 1 1 1 anA
BIRDS are probably the most im- before sowing to wheat. In regions iVVhVtnh crop , .V BC"C7"
portant factor in restricting the where wheat is seeded down for hay ?Zt lS rUDS by thr"gh faSt stearaers
depredations of wireworms, ac- any treatment of infested wheat fields 1 a. thes worms are of three dlf- a thlng of the past ls Bhown y Bn
cording to the United States Depart- is precluded. Where wheat is not fe.f,t aee" ln most infested fields Investigation of water transportation
ment of Agriculture's new bulletin followed by seeding, the field should and 1 abQUt one.third of these In this country which the United
(No. 156), -Wireworms Attacking be plowed as soon as the wheat is m . ,n th al gtage eacn year states Department of Agriculture has
Cereal and Forage Crops.'v While harvested. u ,fl t tn t the flrst year o just compIeted. The report puh-
this bulletin is a "professlona paper" Thorough preparation of the corn 4,,. -.m nnt Khow startling uyo rv.,f x.Tn 7i
and goes into great detail regarding seed bed and a liberal use of barn- .FHoweier if the Vactto is lMiJ?K!" ! n !!'
the life history and habits of these yard manure or other fertilizer Will E?e'',f of vears it will , , "d fTl?" P M
pests, it also suggests a number of often give a fair stand of corn in doubtU X 'the nun, r n'a,' "l?J$t In
practical methods for checking or spite of the wireworms. a vigorous i"! Jfr oLZlrzhU tra? H1 k lengt 1 ,r0U f , .M
eradicating this menace to such crops plant often being able' to produce ge W , cylal ?e U8 in kUUng Jar ZXtZ v l maZum
as wheat, cotton and corn. roots enough to withstand the depre- ts n"hnf hLdlinff the eator fouud, is ubually the maximum
Among the birds that are known dations of several wireworms. ufd 'w n Materially vedZl he "VL nr .nLt?'" IZ VJJ
to feed on wireworms (either the The wireworms that attack corn wiU materially re(luce miles or -more being uxor. exceptional.
larvae that do the damage or the and cotton are not hard and wiry w e"8-. merelv sottens UD the SiT1mLL.L; . ... 1?.m
adult beetles) are the following: as are most of the tribe, but soft and f "S "fn M w"d aeed iCrtl f Z
Bobwhlte, flicker, mourning dove, elongated. When full grown these Jt eX c op J Vlte, m tour and on "5f it wa
ruffed grouse, crow, Whippoorwlll, grubs are about an inch ln length fP'A fruemientlv destroyed A B? 0 ' , it in
California quail, cowbird. bobolink but scarcely thicker than Pack fXwlng By the 1 t Zllt
Besides the above, certain hawks, thread. Unlike most of the Eastern the Summer plowing. By ine even six miles au hour J
cuckoos, woodpeckers, phoebes, fly wireworms, which are usually most Lf ftr turned down to such a "MpI, . ,J t iVi
catchers, jays, blackbird?, orioles and destructive in damp, low-lying fields, ot germinate Si, trelaht trSftlc '
sparrows help the farmer in protect- thest insects seem to be far more P" B V "Drout whenever 0 , gni.YnJ ..hi. friht
ing his grain from the undesirable numerous on the higher parts of the Vll tU? p2? pSSS
'wEtoth. wireworms. when they tt"2lort teSJ 5 ZlTeTi it' Imat fc
do most of. their damage are merely blesome species of the Southern One c rop of J t arm vrl,e ot ,arloll9 ThU
grubs measuring from one-half inch United States. Investigators are, as ?eJ vcs" ?Lal..Mo, nf ?hl L mnS.
to over three inches in length, they yet, unable to recommend definitely lnB.yRe.a"-t vttrlatlon ot these sugges- ""SM. ,dJ t S
are more readily recogniJd 'when any cultural method, but it is prob- tlotaB!nMld ily adapt th mothe r K 0? apples was 15 cents
grown into adult beetles. These able that something in the near fu- on8 ions inhabited by the X Uraae firm price was
beetles are known in certain locali- ture will be shown to be effective. S,umorni' which occurs J 5 hf glt r e in this i"
anl , M; 5'l Tt'HaCJ Dostmction in Northwest , lhroghont most of the Northern 8Vance was thus 8.7 per cent of the
S .nH? The dry-land wlreworm, which at united States, but seems limited as f , In th case of cotton
o snapnin the tore nar? of the bodv Present seems to be confined to cer- a pest to cereal crops in certain parts tT&min the Sonta thl9 percentage
when pmcfd uVon its back or held tain regions in Washington and" Ore- of Washington, Oregon and Idaho. ranged from 0 9 t0 3 Eggs var?e(1
Mi&SSSw fnognvdcbeedestroedbefoU sairaws gTO,a "sjssxffa
Oddish brown with three at (1 D c or drag harrow the Sum- in color. bulk hay was frequently charged
.-..wo,ls AometA?es L,,h nH thorohv nnsprvfi the ac- alfalfa, etc., arc described in the new from 3 f0 15 n(!T cent.
grouTTbe T L ate7 Winter, moisture; (,) bulletin. ; .SM
which reeds upon stored products in
warehouses and granaries, is one of
these false wireworms. The beetles
of this group of insects do not snap
Boy Champion's Potato Pointers
system of waterways consists of the
rivers emptying into San t'ranctsco
Bay, and here there is a rich truck
region which is not conveniently
reached by rail, but is comparatively
, , . , m uepartmem 01 8iicunm , tust before BlantlnK I went over ., -
One of Worst Pests. t utah.a Agricultural Col- ugafn with the .quare timber in or- the principal centers for this traffic.
The true wireworm, economically, iege potato Club has raised a crop aer t0 make It perfectly level. On A second Coast system consists of
is one of the five worst pests that of potatoes valued at S187.77, on April 18 I planted the eed In plowed the Columbia River and Its trlbu
attaek Indian corn. It is amongst one-half acre. His net profits were furrows four inches deep and the rows tares. From Portland steamers run
the 12 worst nests attackine wheat $141.07. This Is the best record of 30 inches apart, the seed being propped down the Coilimba t0 Astoria and up
JZ !v. attack'Dg w,hfBt all the Utah potato club boys this about 12 inches apart in the rows. The f p , F Aboye th9
and oats. W ith the exception of the a" lne ul?p" " rial d was then covered about 'our rfillln Falls oihpr boats reach tioints
cotton and corn wireworms these ln- season and u 1 a 1 result , Howard Dal- M de wlth B BmaI1 hand plow. Cell o ral a 1 other P"
sects begin their attacks immediately ton. of Willard City, Utah, the cham- A the Ilula PianU appeared on the I pper Columbia and bnake
after sefdins : t me when thTv attack Pion. ls t0 be 8lven an educatlnal above the ground I began my work on Rivers.
fhe seed eaStine ouTe dfand trip 'to California at the time of the the field. I at once f r..d th. field 0 .
leaving only the hull. When they are talT.... ... DO, a nt ,, rwth aBBDike-tooth harrow. This I Farmers Assist in the
very numerous they often consume .."""6" """""" did May 5 and repeated the same treat- r . jt.i r:L
all the seed, making reseedlng nec- 80 &,ood for A frt arl ment on m!? w. o May 26 1 used the Foot-and-Mouth Fight
essary, and ln severe outbreaks a r"-" - ""ri hand cultivator, drawn Dy one norac, -t-hk recent lifting of the foot-and-
second reseeding is sometimes made which has Probably not been exceeded givlng tnem a thorough cultivation I mouth quarantlne3 from la e
before a stand ls obtained
Aside
cost
planting
nuitu iim yiuuiju,, uul ;r , giving them a tnorougn cuiuvhuuu 4 mouth auarantlne from larira
more than a dozen times in that dis- wltn th,a implement, after which I cul- " . q aranllnes Irm 'arg
from the extra labor and lt'.a l " ' " .1 ",?M ",hr ' " ficatlon of th ,arZ: T .,m
of the seed, this delays the na tne pomto en.. other sections hWn .
of thn crnn nnrt if it lifi experw WHO ubu giuuutu uu Vuv .uw nnuiiw urawm. ..,., " T V" " .
corn n the Northern Stat the sea- Practice the .most advanced methods Dur,ns all the time 1 was working c"c,tt' "'""lies say, oy tne
;?8.??I:nf.ta.t.e" of farmlne. As others who grow po- . mv ootatoes I watched their growth co-opera on, no only of the various
planted a cron and exceDt for the tatoes on irrigated land may be in- very carefully, as 1 was warned about ate omciaii, but of farmer8 and
fnl, ,? 1 A, , ' , terested in this boy's achievement, the appearance of plant diseases and stockmen themselves. Where this
fodder, it Is a fa lure. Where wire- s the storv in his own words insect enemies which might appear to co-operation has been most in evi
worms are present, even in very small l?wgtIBh"enJ7d ,t whlch may be '"Jure the plants. Fortunately, as far dence, progress in the eradication of
numbers, corn will make a poor . D"w ,a, ' .'"", ' i aa I was able to detect, noither plant the disease has been most ranld Tho
stand, which will necessitate the of value to potato gr owers not . only d,geasca nor ,nscct enemle8 appeared, ne a authorltlet haw of course
planting-in of missing hills. In some "J uta"- but in erigatrt wttona tne growlng planta had BUcn a over the moTement oMl
reeions wherp these inserts are oiille of Colorado, Idaho, Washington, Call- Btrong, thrifty appearance. '""V , , , lne n"vemenc or llye-
numerous it 1 ; customarv to sow tornla, Wyoming, Montana, Nevada, Up to June 15 the plants had grown stock in interstate commerce only;
numerous It is customary to bow - Mexico, Kansas and rapidly and gave a strong, vigorous the local quarantines are established
three or four times the amount of n- Herfuthe story: appearance. Soon after this date they and enforced by the state. Their ef-
seed that would normally be neces- IseDrasKa- ere w iub u j. began to blossom, and on June 25 I gave f tciency depends in great measure
sary In order to get a good stand. Tho Story. tnem the first application of Irrigation upon tho willingness of the people to
The wheat wlreworm is normally a In the early Spring of 1914 I bought water. I Irrigated them on July 6, submit to the necessary restrictions
grass feeder, living on the roots of my seed potatoes at Burley, Idaho. I and again on July 20. The crop was Tn De0Dle no, jlv 0Dserved the
sod, and with the abundance of its purchased the Idaho Rural potatoes, matured Z, quarantine regulations, but they did
natural food supply producing no ap- They were not especially selected seed, jJ " erTa eurCge that I all in their power to expedite the
preciable. disturbance in the. mead- therefore I was very careful in prepar- Quld not work ln them without de- work of slaughter. In many cases
ows, but when the sod land ls broken ing the seed for planting. I was anx- Btroylng them. they had the ditches in which the
these wireworms concentrate in the lous that every seed piece had one or The operatlon9 practically ceased animals were to be buried dug and
drill rows or hills of corn, the usual two perfect eyes on it. 1 then treated (rom thig time on until the tubers were waltlne for th kllllne ennes Ah a
crop to follow sod in the Eastern the seed with a formaldehyde solution rlpe and ready for digging. I gent a rule 0Diectlon wag taken to th
United States, and often produce ab- ("" P"t to 30 gallons of water) This 8ele0ted B0 pounds to the State Fair, B0Drolwrt viiuatloS of the -Si
RrilntP fillnrp of the rron hv ripqtrnv- treatment consisted in soaking the seed which was held at Salt Lake City Octo- appraiser s vaiuailon of the COn
solute failure of the crop by destroy- (beIore cutUng) for two hours in the ber 3.10 for which I received honor- demned stock, which is the more sur
Ing the seed and eating off the roots prescribed solution. The purpose of the able mention by the judges. On Octo- prising -In view of the fact that M
of such plants as may germinate, treatment was to kill any scab germs ber i3i i4 and 15 1 harvested the crop little was generally known of tho
This species is usually more destruc- appearing on the surface of the pota- and the potatoes were weighed and seriousness of the disease The
tive, therefore, on land recently toes. Other than this there was no goid rgi,t from the field. I found, on farmers did not want to part with
broken from sod. treatment given. careful checking of the weights, that thplr stock Thov Raw that h .nr
Combatting Wheat Wire.or m. Tnd. M, edV.0 5 yM'SJSSS Jfo-tb. d feeT TefU Sf KS
To combat the wheat wireworm, with barnyard manure, using eight tons 0f 720 bushels per acre. they had had no experience with the
the Department's specialist recom- of wet manure to the half acre. I The following table will give the nfter effects of the pestilence the
mends plowing sod land immediately plowed the land 12 inches deep, using itemized cost of production, with the constant aborting, the failure to
after the first hay cutting, usually follr nrses for the work. I immediately nt profits per half acre: produce milk, the ability to dlssem-
early in July, when the land is in- followed tIh!p'0".w"? I1',1 Value of crop 187.77 inate disease months after, the vis-
tended for corn the following year, ucl I did the plowln? in the for vSSt manure...:...., 2.00 InffiThev IfTZZf'
This land should be cultivated deep- noon and Ion0wed with the harrow in Spreading manure 4.00 Nevertheless they accepted the situ-
ly throughout the remainder of the the afternoon. I did this to conserve Plowing v in ation, helping instead of hindering.
Summer. the moisture and mellow the soil. After ?vrI,,win "lx tlmes-" In only a very few cases was there
Land that is In corn and badly in- harrowing I pulverized the clods by cost of seed,' ibb" ibs.'.". '. '. SM anv attempt to conceal the existence
fested should be deeply cultivated dragging up the soil with a square- planting seed 2.00 of the disease; in fact, public opin-
even at the risk of slightly "root- frameJ timber. I tried ln every way Cultivating two 1 times . 1.00 ion -was so strongly against this that
PhrUn!dngh'ethconZucd laTlZ SfSZA fJ fB " PraCtlCa"y T ' ' B'
should be continued as long as the 0, 8UCCeB8 was K00d cultIvation. g"yen iSnd Soo o 77i , a .
corn can be cultivated, and as soon Flve days later, on April 5, I again ' 1 n lana"-- Some folks are always ready to
as the crop Is removed the field went over the land with a spring-tooth Total cost $ 46.70 Jln the procession no matter whither
should be very thoroughly cultivated harrow. The following week I again Profits 141.07 it ls bound or how dusty the path.