GARDEN ENEMIES

Evening Post, Volume CXVII, Issue 51, 1 March 1934, Page 9

GARDEN ENEMIES

THE CRIMINAL SLUG

HOW TO DEFEAT HIM

Slugs are perhaps the worst of all the gardener's enemies. Day by day, winter and summer, they take toll of all the garden produces—bulbs, choice flowers, rock plants, seedlings, and practically every kind of vegetable. And in many cases attack by slugs means the complete destruction cf the plant, says the "Manchester Guard-' ian." English northern gardens , are, often heavjly infested by slugs. The animals ! seen^jto flourish, ii . the : damp atmosphere and heavy, rather acid,soils with an abundance of organic material that are |commtfn in industrial" areas.: These conditions of soil and are liot conducive to a high standard of plant health, and consequently plants-do not'throw off the- effects of, slug injury readily. '■. i! ■ "While all ■ gardeners are • familiar with the general appearance of slugs and have seen the silvery' trail they leave across the garden paths, not many are acquainted with the outlines of their life history. Slugs are hermaphrodite—that is, the; functions of male and female are carried out by each individual during the course of its life. This helps to account for the overwhelming numbers of slugs". They reproduce by means of eggs. The eggs are translucent, whitish in colour, spherical, and are laid in batches, sometimes- separate and sometimes adhering together. The batches of eggs occur in crevices in the soil, among garden rubbish, and under the leaves of low-growing plants, and may be found throughout-the year. In the . summed the eggs hatch in from three to four weeks, but in cold weather the. incubation period is much'longer. Kewly-hatehed slugs are very small and transparent. At first they feed on fragments of decaying plants or on humus; but , after a time they are capable of attacking sound plaut tissue. ._■ .-■• /■•■ . THEIR WORST FOE?. Drought seems the. worst enemy.of slugs. Their' : ; bodies1 are always covered with a- coating of slime, and the silvery trail that 'marks \,heir tracks across the garden is a film of slime spread over the-ground to eilablo them to, move: readily:over- it. Excessive or continuous loss of slime- may kill the slugs, so.to conserve and renew the. slime -''.the',animals live in "moist situations, feed^oh moist, sueeulent food, and do 'most of their travelling in wet weather or at night when the: surface of the ground is damp. It is almost impossible to eradicate slugs completely ;from the garden, but a good deal can be.done to check the injury they cause and protect valuable" plants or crops from attack.. Investigations at the Universities- of Leeds and Manchester have shown that copper sulphate is an effective 'slugkilling agent." (Since it is used in small quantities it is best mixed with a diluent like finely : ground lime that also neutralises the acid quality of the copper sulphate. A suitable mixture consists of orie part copper sulphate to two parts lime, and lib of the mixture is sufficient for fifteen to twenty square yards. This,should be sprinkled over, the ace and; lightly forked in when' the* ground is, (ieanedjjarid ,- dug in- * the, . wiriter,'and'a, second .^application, may be given in -spring.about a fortnight before cropping. Sometimes it is more convenient to apply the copper sulphate in solution; one'ounce in three gallons of Vater is sufficient for six square yards, and "dressings of. lime should 'A en be applied separately. WHEN" TO DO IT. It is usually advisable to adopt the copper sulphate treatment during the winter and early spring and to use repellent measures for protecting plants in the summer. A number of substances can be used as repellents: lime,ssoot, salt, naphthalene, and madeup creosote powders. These should be employed. for ringing ■ plants, dusting beneath: spreading:, plants or hanging Tock plants, or sprinkling between rows of seedlings or vegetables.. It should be recognised that these: substances do not kill slugs but serve to keep them awayr . ■ r . \ Trapping is a useful means of dealing with slugs in a small garden. Bait consisting of little heaps of bran may be'put down at regular intervals and covered with weighted cabbage or lettuce leaves, or bran, or cabbage and lettuce leaves can t>e used under strips of sacking. Such traps should be examined every day and. the slugs destroyed. To get the best results from measures against slugs it is necessary to maintain a high standard of garden hygiene. Garden refuse and crop remains should be properly composted , with interlayers of soil .and lime, and- dry refuse should be^burnt as soon as crops are cleared. Where soils" are rich" in humus it is often beneficial to substitute well-balanced artificial manures for the usual farmyard manure in order that slugs have as little food and shelter as possible.