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page 19
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editor's note Pages
17-22 of this booklet deal with disease and insect prevention.
earthly pursuits recommends natural and organic disease and pest control.
I have included the sections of the booklet that offer safe solutions and
have omitted the sections that advocate chemical/toxic solutions. I have
also listed several resources for more information on natural, organic
Integrated Pest Management. please see page 17
for some links to alternative methods of disease and insect control.
I apologize for not including the pages as part of this historical
document but I cannot in good conscience publish methods so totally against
my beliefs.
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Some Other Forms of Protection
One form of protection against cutworms is a
collar 2 inches wide made of stiff paper, placed around the stem of the
plant and with its lower edge inserted in the ground, to prevent the pests
from reaching both stem and upper part of root.
Small frames covered with mosquito netting or
cheesecloth set over young plants will protect them. |
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GUARD AGAINST DISEASES AND INSECTS |
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure in
the matter of controlling diseases and insects. Clean garden soil aids in
keeping out insects and disease. All plants purchased should be healthy and
free from disease. The roots should not be swollen or knotted. Treat Irish
potatoes for scab before planting. Do not plant cabbage having clubroot or
sweet potatoes affected with black-rot.
Many insects carry disease and spores from one plant to
another as well as attacking the crops directly.
Avoid wounding or bruising plants and vegetables when
cultivating and harvesting them, to prevent certain insects from gaining
access to them.
Have order, neatness and cleanliness in the garden. In
the fall turn under promptly, all vegetation so that insects and disease
spores may not find winter quarters. Keep down all weeds, as a great many
insects feed naturally upon them. All diseased plants which remain at the
end of the season should be burned, as should all rubbish which is of such
character that i will not decay and is therefore not useful in making
compost. This includes trash, sticks and the like. It may seem like a waste
of vegetable matter to burn the dead tomato vines, bean vines and other
plant tops which have been diseased, but this should be done because to save
or compost these for fertilizer would simply be maturing and saving millions
of disease spores which would be on hand ready to attack the crops next
year. More than this, a clean garden appeals to the eye and to the pride of
the owner as a winter landscape.
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Corn stalks, cabbage leaves and stumps, beet tops
if not canned, and other healthy plants should be saved for mulching or be
added to the compost heap.
The remnants of vegetable matter, which are not
infected with disease or insects, should be made into compost heaps for the
coming year and covered with stable manure and dirt to hasten decay, as
decayed vegetable matter enriches the soil. (Directions for making a compost
heap are given on page 5). Plowing or deep
spading in the fall is important, as it breaks up the winter homes of
underground insect pests. Rotation of crops also lessens the danger of
attacks from insects and diseases.
TAKE NO CHANCES
Too much emphasis cannot be placed on the need
for taking precautions against diseases and insects. Familiarize yourself
with such diseases and insects as prevail in your neighborhood on the crops
you plan to raise. Then provide yourself in advance with remedies and
equipment. Watch carefully for first signs of trouble and apply remedies at
once. Inspect your garden every two or three days.
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* [ed. note]
see Mulch, Intensive and Lazy Gardening
Books for alternative methods of preparing the soil and planting.
"Carrots Love Tomatoes"
is a good reference for companion planting - which plants like to be planted
closer to each other and which ones do not like each other.
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