Symphylans Cited As Grow Editors Note: The following report on symphylans was recently submitted as a special report to Lancaster Farming by Gibbs & Soell, Inc., New York City public relations firm. The article was reviewed by Arnold G. Lueck, associate Lancaster County ag agent, who em phasized that while the garden symphylan is a common insect pest it is still not believed to be an economically major one in Lancaster County. “To date,” Lueck reported, “we’ve found three widely scattered infestations of sym phylans in Lancaster County. Two were in com fields and one in a field of processing tomatoes. Each area was treated with an insecticide and is now back in production.” The report is for educational purposes to alert farmers to the nature of the insect and to prepare him for battling it if it should crop up in his own fields. Cora growers have had a lot to worry about in recent seasons outbreaks of rootworm and leaf blight, the cost-price squeeze. Now there’s another warning being sounded about a “new” crop pest called symphylans which attack a variety of field and truck crops. They look a lot like one of their more well-known relatives, the SOtll ANNIVERSAY SALE —OF RUSSELL F. HEILMAN & SON SATURDAY, MARCH 18,1972 Location; Lebanon County, 1 mile north of Cleona, Route 422. 10 miles south of Interstate 81, Extension 30. 85 - TOP PUREBRED CANADIAN HOLSTEIN COWS & HEIFERS - 40 CALVES Negative health charts day of sale. D. H. I. A. records day of sale. 25 FRESH AND CLOSE SPRINGERS 25 COWS Bred for Fall Freshening to a Son of SEILING ROCK MAN His excellent Dam in 3 lactations has 60,205 milk and 2370 fat, 3.96 per cent. January D. H. I. A. 20 Cows and 15 First Calf Heifers, Average 60 lbs. milk daily, 3.7 per cent. SPECIAL ATTENTION MILKING DAUGHTERS 12 TOP BRED HEIFERS 7 Lassie Leaders, 5, 3 yrs. Fall Freshening 3 Whirlhill Kingpins by the following sires: 3 Forrest Lees 6 Selling Rockmans 4 Golden Cross 1 Lassie Leader 1 Penstate Ivanhoe Star, 2 yrs. i Selling Petro 1 Padamar Astronaut, 3 yrs. i Man-O-War HEIFER CALVES 40 Purebred Calves - 1 to 8 months in age; mostly from Canadian Artificial Sires LOOK! 10 Daughters from CORNESET CENTURION MEDALIST 2 PUREBRED RED HOLSTEIN HEIFERS featuring a daughter from AGRO ACRES MARQUIS NED, milking 75 lbs. daily PLEASE NOTE: Cattle of this caliber with type, size, sound udders and good pedigree required a lot of hard work and many driving miles. 100 YORKSHIRE HOGS 35 Bred Gilts. Due last of March & April 4 Serviceable Boars 3 Boars and 12 Gilts, 5 months old Balance in Shoats, 30 - 90 lbs. SALE TIME: HOG SALE... 11:00 A.M. CATTLE SALE - 12:30 P.M. REFRESHMENTS —HILL LUTHERAN SUNDAY SCHOOL VISITORS WELCOME ANYTIME WRITE FOR CATALOG: FRED NAUGLE, Pedigrees DUPES & EBERSOLD. Auctioneers Russell F. Heilman S> Son ROUTE NO. 4, LEBANON, PA. 17042 Telephone: 717-867-1625 717-867-2781 common centipede, and they’ve probably been around for just as long. What is new, however, are the heavy infestations currently reported in Pennsylvania and bordering counties in New York and New Jersey. In Pennsylvania where the problem is most serious, for example, infestations in some counties are severe enough to kill a crop, according to Penn State University entomologist Stan Gesell. “Heaviest infestations are in the lighter soils of eastern and southeastern Pennsylvana,” Gesell reports. “But they are everywhere now even along the western boundary, and they’re in just about every variety of cultivated field crop from com to strawberries.” Symphylans are especially difficult to deal with, Gesell points out, because they’re hard to see even when infestations are advanced. “Symphylans start slowly and may take years to build up to an economic infestation,” he says. “You won’t see them unless you know what to look for and symphylan crop damage is often confused with soil nutrient deficiencies or rootworm in jury,” Gesell says. “The problem is currently severe enough for us to sound a Progressive damage of corn roots by and root system is at far right, symphylans is shown. Healthy corn plant grower alert and urge greater control efforts.” The eggs usually hatch in May and June, generally right after corn seed starts germinating, Gesell reports. As soon as soil temperatures reach about 45 to 50 degrees, they start attacking seedling roots and continue all season. According to Ohio State ex tension entomologist Dr. B. D. Blair, who has observed the pest for many years, affected plants initially will resemble plants damaged by nutrient defiencies. Growers may note dwarfing, stunted growth, or purpling or yellowing of leaves and stalks. LAYSERCTTA FARM COMPLETE DISPERSAL REGISTERED HOLSTEINS AND FARM EQUIPMENT FRIDAY, MARCH 10, 1972 Location: 5 miles North of Lebanon, Pa., 1% miles Southeast of Route 22 Fredericksburg, off Route 343, 5 miles from In terstate 81. 73 Head Registered Holsfeins, 42 milk ing age, 9 bred heifers, 17 open heifers, several heifer calves; (1) open Reg. Red & White, (2) young Red & White full sisters due before sole by Milk and Honey Ivonhoe, their dam w/over 19,000 milk. Many fresh and bred back for fall, several close or recently fresh, nearly all Atlantic sired, DHIA Ave. for 5 years 14,193 milk, 542 fat, 3.8 per cent. Certified and Accredited, vaccinated, insterstate tested, Sale includes: Darkie —6y. 339da. 20,452 - 749 - 3.7 per cent; No. 30 (Posch) 3 y. 356 da. 18,166 - 571 - 3.1 per cent; No. 51 Black Gold 3 y. 326 da. 17,902 - 652 - 3.6 per cent; No. 15 Butterboy 4 y. 319 da. 17,936 -823-4.6 percent; No. 57 Apollo 2 y. 305 da. 17,125-581-3.4 per cent; No. 21 Leander 5 y. 301 da. 16,219 - 741 - 4.6 per cent, and others over 15,000 milk. Dtrs. of following Hilltop Apollo Ivanhoe (2), Posch Sov. Ivanhoe (2), Kilansdale Ivanhoe Jack (4), Domcroft Majesty (3), Eagle Point Design Bonus (3), Winterthur Ivanhoe Kid Samson (2), Black Gold (2), Adohr Victor London, Performer, Archie, Whittier Farm Apollo Rocket, E. Golden Topper. R & W. heifer by Ames Somnus Aristocrat, bred to Larry Moore Jack (Red). “Cattle have size, type, pleasing udders, see them Sell”!!! Full line of equipment including 4 - John Deere Tractors 3020 Diesel, 2520 Diesel, 1520 Gas w-loader, 630. M. H. Self- Prop. Combine, Hesston S. P. Windrower, N. I. Mounted picker, other harvesting, haying, planting equipment pur chased within past 5 years. Sale necessary due to labor problems. Equipment at 10:00 a.m., Cattle at 1:00 p.m. Catalogs available, Sale under Cover. Sale by NED L. AND JOSEPHINE M. LAYSER #2, Jonestown, Pa. Phone 865-2644 Auctioneers - Diller, Kreider and Buffenmyer Lunch by Meyers Brethren Church Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 4.1972 ng Crop Pest Symphylans range in size of legs and two antenae. up to an inch long with 12 pairs “If attack is severe enough the plant will never mature thoroughly and will not produce an ear,” he warns. “Often an apparently healthy field of knee-high corn will wilt almost overnight following a period of dry weather,” Dr. Blair reports. “Later in the season, affected plants may discolor, then die.” Symphylans usually do not attack an entire field uniformly, but concentrate on patches or “hot spots.” These may vary in size from a few square yards to much larger areas. Such spots can expand from 10 to 30 feet every year until the entire field is overtaken. In some areas symphylans tend to attack the highest yielding areas of a field, apparently because of a preference for richer, heavy textured soils, Blair indicates. To detect economic in festations, Gesell recommends taking soil samples during or after the growing season “Dig up a root system and quickly lay it on paper. An average of five symphylans per shovelful in dicates a control problem,” he says. The insect looks like a small centipede varying in size up to one-third of an inch long. Adults are narrow bodied, stark white in color with 12 pairs of legs and two long anteaae. Even if no insects are visible, a simple examination of the plant’s root system can also signal an infestation. If root tips show damage, have no root hairs, or if the roots tend to grow in tight clusters near the base of the plant or are discolored symphylans can be the cause. Growers with minor but still crop-damaging infestations often (Continued on Page 34) 33 *
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