Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 16, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 January 1918 — Destroy Home Pests. [ARTICLE]

Destroy Home Pests.

Clean up the cabbage patch! Don’t. raise a crop of insect pests on the stalks. That is what is likely to happen if stalks of cabbage or cauliflower, collards, brussels sprouts, and such vegetables are left In the garden after they have fulfilled their fobd mission. Entomologists of the United States department of agriculture advise that where such remnants of the garden can be promptly fed to hogs or cattle a double purpose will be served—lnsect pests will be kept down and a food provided for meatmaking animals. ■ The plants just named are affected by the same clasps of insects of which there are several distinct kinds —cabbage worms, the cabbage looper, harlequin cabbage bug, cabbage aphis, and other plant lice and cutworms—any one of which, if It occurs in sufliciently large numbers, is capable of destroying an entire crop. After the cabbage has been cut the stalks are likely to bear numerous shoots which harbor the insects in autumn and even during early winter. Cabbage heads which have not properly matured either because of Insect ravages or for other reasons also may provide a place of refuge for bugs. All such crop remnants which cannot be used for feed, and weeds or other rubbish, should be destroyed now by burning. If the gardener is familiar with the use of arsenicals some stalks may be left growing to serve as traps for Insects, the specialists say. The pests which gather on such traps can be readily destroyed by dusting the plants with dry paris green or arsenate of lead diluted with about 20 parts of finely sifted lime or road dust.