OCR Text |
Show Busy Potato Flea Is Easily Halted Sprays and Dusts Are Best Suited for Control of Bothersome Pest. The potato flea beetle is a tiny, plump, shiny black insect abmit us long as the diameter of the lead in a pencil and slightly narrower In width. The presence of flea beetles may be easily detected by the peculiar perforated per-forated appearance of the injured foliage. In cases of serious damage to leaves by this pest, says a writer in the Wisconsin Agriculturist, the leaves look as If they had been riddled by shot. The beetle hops like a flea which gives it Its name. During the warm days of June and July is the time to watch for this pest and use the sprays and dusts best suited for Its control. Flea beetles feed on a large variety of plants, but are most troublesome on cucumbers, potatoes, tomatoes, egg plants, radishes, and cabbage, and are believed to be responsible for the spread of certain diseases. In July or August a second brood may play havoc with potatoes, tomatoes, and egg plants. Fortunately flea beetles dislike leaf surfaces covered with any foreign material, such as sprays or dusts; and if treatments are made before J serious injury occurs and if the leaf surfaces are thoroughly coated, the insects are easily held In check. Since the adults appear suddenly and work fast. It is important to keep a close watch on the field or garden to detect de-tect the first signs of invasion. Calcium arsenate In bordeaux mixture mix-ture is regarded as the safest and most effective spray, while tobacco dust with lime of a calcium arsenate and monohydrated copper sulfate dust with lime are recommended among the dust preparations. |