INSECT AND FUNGOID PESTS OF SWEET PEAS IN ENGLAND.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLVI, Issue 25, 20 December 1911, Page 38

INSECT AND FUNGOID PESTS OF SWEET PEAS IN ENGLAND.

1 he sweet pea is very fairly immune from insect and fungoid attacks. Pests of both kinds ocelli', but they rarely attain formidable proportions. Early troubles may arise soon after the seeds are sown- that is to say, sown in tile open: Seeds that have absorbed moisture and become soft are much sought after by two species of millipedes —the flattened millipede, and the beautiful snake-like millipede. The flattened millipede, as its mime indicates, is flattened dorsiventrally, that is, from above to below. About .} inch in length, it is pale violet above, and whitish beloW, and it possesses about 70 yellow legs. It is exceedingly voracious, and. therefore, very destructive. The snake millipede is slender and cylindrical; its shiny body is about half an inch long, yellowish in colour, with a double row of light red spots along each .side. These millipedes live for two years and feed all the time. Any fleshy vegetable matter is acceptable to them, and they do a considerable amount of damage. Living underground as they do. they are difficult to reach, but they may be caught in traps in a similar manner to wireworm. Lime. too. is distasteful to them. The beautiful snake millipede has one redeeming feature—it is a flesh eater as well as a vegetarian, and snails are a favourite food. Millipedes are often mistaken for wirew onus, but they’ are not in any way, related to these equally destructive pests. Tn the seedling stage, slugs and snails make their presence felt by their ravages, unless precautions are taken to combat them. But slugs and snails do not come within the scope of this article, so only passing mention can he made of them. They are often blamed, however, for damage done by a group of caterpillars known as