Изображения страниц
PDF
EPUB

general level, while in very dry marshes it spreads evenly over the surface. It was nearly all pulled by hand three years ago, at

cost of $1.50 per day, but the remains of the roots in the soil, and the seeds grown on adjoining marshes, still have a tendency to reproduce it.

By far, the greatest enemy of the cranberry is the vine or "fire" worm. These worms commence to feed upon the tender growing shoots of the plant, drawing the leaves together with their webs. They destroy the fruit to the greatest extent in early June, as they are hatched about this time from eggs deposited the previous season. They soon pass into the pupa state, where they remain about two weeks. The method pursued on this marsh differs but little from that on others. As soon as the crop has been secured, and necessary work done, the marsh is flooded until about the 20th of May. This prevents the vines starting too early, or the eggs of the fire-worm moth from hatching. At the afore mentioned time the water is lowered two or three inches below the surface and maintained at that stage until a week or two before gathering the fruit. In the meantime, if the insects make their appearance, a cool day is chosen and the marsh is flooded, care being taken to prevent scalding on drawing off the water.

Another of the more important marshes is the one known as the Sacket marsh. It is second to none in extent, but has not the facilities for flooding, the water being derived from the rainfall and spring freshets. It is not as free from sage as the other marshes, but has suffered less from insects. Mr. Sackett has but few buildings for pickers, though he has the best "cranberry house" in town. His pickers are nearly all from Berlin, and travel to and from that city.

Before this part of the country was fully settled, Mr. S. A. Sacket, who resided in Chicago, instructed some agents to purchase land for him in Wisconsin. They did so, but invested in the cheapest and poorest land they could find, for the purpose of defrauding their employer. When Mr. Sacket came here he found his land a vast shaking bog, 700 acres in extent, covered with tall seeds, wire grass, and here and there a few scattering cranberry vines. He set to work to improve the marsh, and the result proved most valuable to the owner, as the marsh produced enormous crops for several years.

Round's & Co's have a marsh of 240 acres improved by ten miles of ditching; their buildings have a capacity for 800 pickers. H. Spencer runs about 160 acres, improved by eight miles of ditching, and has three-fourths mile of track for cars. He has his buildings prepared for one hundred pickers, but is intending to erect more this summer. J. D. Walters has about forty acres of good marsh. There have been less failures in crops on the three marshes last named than on the other marshes, and they are more free from sage and other noxious plants. There are several smal

marshes lying around these larger ones, which I have not time to

mention.

In 1872, there were raised in this vicinity 14,400 barrels, 43,200 bushels of berries, furnishing employment to 10,000 pickers. The yield was so great that the best forty on "Carey's," produced 21,600 bushels, or 540 bushels per acre, the depth of berries being three or four inches, nine or ten on each spur. Of the outlying marshes, in Warren, the most remarkable is the Donnelly marsh, ten acres of which produced 1,100 barrels, and John A. Williams, who resides near Pine river, town of Leon, has set out vines on a marsh, flooded it, and has made a good cranberry meadow.

ENTOMOLOGICAL NOTES.

STRAWBERRY LEAF ROLLER. this pest has increased with great

α

For two or three years past rapidity, and done much dam

age in different portions of this state, and unless energetic measures are taken to prevent their increase they will make our strawberry crop very uncertain. It has been the experience of those engaged in strawber ry culture in other western states that "it is impossible. to raise strawberries where these insects are thick." We are indebted to Prof. A. J. Cook, of Lansing, Michigan, for the cut of this pest, and also that of the strawberry worm.

FIG. 4. STRAWBERRY LEAF ROLLER.

a, Larva, natural size; b, Head and first segments of body magnified; d. Last segment; c, moth, hair lines indicate natural size.

As described by Prof. Riley, the larva of the strawberry leaf roller (anchylopera fragaria) when fully grown is less than a half inch in length, of a color varying from a light yellowish brown to a dark olive green or brown; its body is soft and somewhat transparent; its head, a shining yellowish brown, with dark eye spots on each side. The first segment of the body is the largest, and they slightly diminish in size to the last, which has two black spots on it. It has sixteen legs. The first brood of these worms appears in June, and feeding upon the pulpy substance of the leaves, causes them to roll up, within which the worms spin a lining of fine silk and change to the pupa state. They become moths the fore part of July. The head and the thorax of the moths are of a reddish brown; the wings are also brown, streaked and spotted with black and white; the hind. wings are dusky. The wings are very broad at the base, measuring nearly half an inch in width,

when spread. After pairing, the female deposits its eggs on the plants, and in a short time the second brood hatches out, which reaches its growth toward the close of September, when it goes into the pupa state and there passes the winter.

REMEDIES.-Doubtless it would be advisable, where they are very destructive, to plow up the old beds, set on a new site and with plants not infested with the pests. Mowing the vines soon after the fruit is harvested, rake off the leaves, and when dry burn them. Mr. Stone, of Fort Atkinson, has been successful in preventing their depredations by sprinkling the vines in the spring, as soon as the leaves have made a fair growth, with Paris Green, (using a teaspoonful to a pail of water), and repeating the sprinkling a week or two afterwards. Treated in this way, his vines were nearly free from them the past season. Going over the beds once or twice a week and picking off the curled leaves by hand and burning them will keep the worms in check, where not very numerous.

THE STRAWBERRY CROWN BORER, Analcis fragariæ, is another foe of the strawberry, and causes much damage in some sections, especially in old beds. "The larva," according to Prof. Riley, "hatches in June or July from an egg deposited in the crown of the plant, when it commences to bore its way downward into the pith. Here it remains till it has become of full size, working in the thick, bulbous root, often eating through the more woody portions; so that when frost sets in, the plant easily breaks off and thrown out. The grub is white, with an arched back,

948

[graphic]

I

is

FIG. 5. STRAWBERRY CROWN BORER AND and tawny, yellow head, and

BEETLE.

a, grub; b, side view of beetle; c, back view; hair lines denote natural size.

when full grown measures about one-fifth of an inch. It

undergoes its transformations to the pupa and perfect beetle state in the root. The beetle makes its appearance during the month of August; is about one-sixth of an inch in length, of a chestnut brown color, and marked and punctured as seen in c, Fig. 5. The only remedy seems to be the total déstruction of the plants and beds infested. The frequent turning under of the old vines and renewal of the beds will doubtless do much to hold in check this and nearly all insects preying on the strawberry.

THE STRAWBERRY WORM, Emphytus maculata, belongs to the saw fly order. The perfect fly is of a pitch black color, with an oval abdomen, having two rows of dull, white lines. They may be seen flying about the vines at the beginning of May. The female, in laying her eggs, punctures the stem with her saw or ovipositer, and deposits them within. In about two weeks they hatch, and the presence of the worm is discovered by small holes

eaten in the leaves. Their color is dirty yellow and gray green, the head of a darker color than the body; they have twenty-two

legs, and when full

[graphic]

grown, are about threequarters of an inch long. When not feeding, they rest curled up in a spiral form, on the under side of the leaf; on the least disturbance, they fall to the ground. They moult four times before reaching maturity, then they descend to the ground, form a weak cocoon of earth, line the inside with gum, and change to the pupa state, from 1, 2, Pupa; 3, perfect fly. magnified; 4. Larva; 5, perfect fiy, natural size; 6, larva at rest; 7, cocoon; 8, antenna en- which the second brood larged; 9, egg enlarged. of flies are produced in

[ocr errors]

FIG. 6. STRAWBERRY WORM.

the latter part of June and the first of July. The second brood of worms is rapidly developed, and in the fore part of August they go into the ground and form their cocoons, where they remain till the middle of April following, and then appear as flies, again to repeat the work of destruction.

The remedies most commonly used before the fruit has set, or after it has been harvested, are White Hellebore and Paris Green in a dry powder, or in solution, and applied in the same way as for the currant worm or leaf roller. When the worms have dropped to the ground, they may be destroyed by a mixture of warm water and kerosene poured on to them.

The MAY BEETLE, Lachnosterna fusca, is regarded by many as the most destructive pest of the strawberry that we have. The larva of the May beetle is well known as the white grub worm. The beetles themselves, often, are so numerous as to do much damage in the destruction of the foliage of the trees, but by far the greatest loss is occasioned by them in the three years in which they remain in the larva state, by destroying the roots of the plants. The loose and highly manured soil of the strawberry bed is especially adapted to their development, and working underground it is very difficult to destroy them. By frequent stirring of the soil, many of them will be exposed to the attacks of the fowls and birds, who are our most efficient helpers in their destruction. No opportunity to kill the beetles should be allowed to pass unimproved. As they are attracted by lights at night, many may be destroyed by their aid. They usually cling to the foliage of the trees during the day, and a slight jar will cause them to fall to the ground, and then they can easily be destroyed.

PHYLLOXERA.-This destructive insect is a native of this country, and has doubtless infested our wild and cultivated grape vines for a long period. That its presence has not been marked

[ocr errors][merged small][merged small][subsumed][merged small]

with the destruction that followed its introduction to the vineyards of Europe is doubtless owing to the greater constitutional hardiness of our vines, in part, but more especially, because it has been held in check by a host of parasitic foes, developed by its long continued existence here. Much damage has resulted in certain localities from its attacks, and should some misfortune over

[graphic]
[graphic]
[graphic]

take our friends the parasites, or by improper culture, we should weaken the constitutional vigor of our vines, the ravages of this pest may become as general and as severe as it now is in Europe. Some of our entomologists and horticulturists attribute the mildew and rot to which

[graphic]

our vines are now subject to a weakened vitality caused by the attacks of the phylloxera, and it is for the interest of every one engaged in grape culture to become familiar with its habits, and to watch its development, and if found preying upon their vines, to seek out, by experiments, some remedy. The accompanying cuts were prepared by Prof. C. V. Riley, state entomologist of Missouri, and the de

[ocr errors]

FIG. 9. ROOT FORM PHYLLOXERA. a, swelling of roots; b, young root louse; c, antenna; d, leg; c, b, g, mature lice; h, i, j, magnified portions of skin, tentacles and joints; Datural size denoted by amali figures at the side.

scription is mainly taken from his article prepared for Johnson's Cylopædia, and from an address by Prof. A. J. Cook before the Michigan Pomological Society,,

« ПредыдущаяПродолжить »