Minnesota Insect Life Volume 1-4 (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1920 Excerpt: ...Those of the summer broods of both the midge and the seed chalcid which may have escaped will find the clover heads too mature for their purpose. The same results may be secured by pasturing the clover until June 15 or 20 or clipping it back in May, and leaving the second crop for seed. Volunteer clover and first-year clover should be kept from blooniiiig. If, at the time of hulling, one is careful to clean up and burn the chaff and litter about the huller, many of the seed chalcids will he destroyed which might otherwise winter over. Drilling in clover seed, rather than broadcasting, would doubtless prevent the emergence of the chalcids from any seeds that might be infested.--W. W. ENGLISH SPARROWS. These pests which have become so firmly established throughout the United States and Canada, are amongst the hardest to combat and their complete extermination is impossible. At the same time, methods of lessening this evil have been discussed in previous issues of Insect Life and we will gladly mail copies of these issues to parties in Minnesota, asking for them. We' have just heard, however, of a new and quite original way of discouraging their nest building and boosting about houses which reaches us very opportunely, since the birds have already begun their housekeeping, littering up our porches and walks, and defiling cornices, pillars, and sides of our houses. This ingenious method was discovered quite by accident upon July 4, when, in the evening, the "discoverer" of the method was celebrating with Roman candles. He found that when, by chance, the candles were pointed into some trees used by sparrows for roosting and nesting purposes, and in consequence, the discharged colored balls went through the branches, that there was great consternation a...