One Thousand Questions in California Agriculture AnsweredWickson, Edward J. (Edward James)
Science
One Thousand Questions in California Agriculture Answered
Wickson, Edward J. (Edward James)
Agriculture -- California
How can I keep certain insects from getting into my dry beans? I have
finished picking the crop. Every year a little, short, stubby beetle
gets in them before spring and makes them unfit for use.
You have to do with the bean weevil. The eggs are inserted by the insect
while the beans are still green in the pods; subsequently the eggs hatch
and the worm excavates the interior of the ripened beans. The beans can
be protected after ripening by heating carefully to 130° Fahrenheit,
which will destroy the egg, or the larva if already hatched. Of course,
this heating must be done cautiously and with the aid of a good
thermometer for fear of destroying the germinating power. The work of
the insect can also be stopped by putting the beans in a barrel or other
close receptacle, with a saucer containing about an ounce of carbon
bi-sulfid to vaporize. Be careful not to approach the vapor with a
light. After treatment for one-half hour, the cover can be removed and
the vapor will entirely dissipate. This is a safer treatment than the
heating. Similar methods of control can be used on other pea and bean
weevils.
Slugs in Garden.
Can you advise me how I can get rid of slugs in my garden?
When barriers of lime, ashes, etc., are ineffective, traps consisting of
pieces of board sacking and similar materials placed about the field
prove inviting to the slugs. They collect under these and by going over
the field in the early morning they may be put into a salt-water
solution or otherwise destroyed. Arsenical sprays applied with an
underspray nozzle to the lower surface of the leaves will help control
the slugs. Poison bran mash consisting of 16 pounds of coarse bran, 2
quarts of cheap syrup, and enough warm water to make a coarse mash, is
very good for cutworms and should be equally effective for slugs. It
should be placed in small heaps about the plants to be protected.
Cabbage leaves dipped in grease drippings and placed about the fields
also prove attractive bait for the slugs, which may then be collected
there. If a person has a taste for poultry, the keeping of a few ducks
may solve the slug problem without further bother. Cultivation or
irrigation methods that give a dry surface most of the time also
discourage these pests.
Cause of Mottle Leaf.
What is the cause and cure of mottle leaf of citrus trees?
There are apparently a number of causes of this trouble, all more or
less obscure and hard to overcome. It is generally thought that it is
due to poor nutrition, whatever the reason for poor nutrition might be.
The presence of a nematode or eel worm on the roots has found to be a
cause of mottle leaf in many cases. Poor drainage, too sandy soil and a
number of other things frequently cause it. Whatever the cause, no one
good method of cure has been found.
Potato Scab.
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