Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 171, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 July 1919 — The Army Worm and Its Control [ARTICLE]

The Army Worm and Its Control

How to Dispose of Pest Which Swoops Down on AU Green Crops

The army worm that has been doing so much damage to corn, wheat and green crops in various sections of the country, is the caterpillar form of a moth that flies only at night, according to Frank B. Wade, deputy entomologist for the Indiana state conservation- qommission. bulletin Issued by the commission, Mr. Wade describes the family history of the pest and tells the most approved methods of fighting It. — ; ZZZZ-mi “To begin with,” said Mr. Wade, “the moth is about one and one-half Inches across the spread wings and is brownish gray in color. The caterpillar, when full grown, is about one and one-half inches long, is smooth, and is usually greenish in general color with one broad stripe of dark gray or black down the middle of the back and with a narrower stripe of the same color on either side. The broad stripe usually has a fine light broken stripe running down its ceflter. The head is greenish-brown, speckled with black. “It is this caterpillar form that does the damage by eating every green thing within reach. So numerous do they sometimes become that one can actually hear them eat in concert. When they have cleaned up on the food supply in one field they move en masse to an adjoining field, and thus comes about the familiar name of army worm. “The full grown caterpillar ceases to feed and goes into the pupa or resting state after from three to four weeks of feeding. Here it remains beneath the surface of the soil, as a rule,, for about two weeks. The pupae look something like date seeds. The moth on emerging from the pupal ca ® e dries its wings and flies away to mate. The eggs are then laid usually in the folded part of grass blades, and they hatch in from eight to ten days, thus starting the tiny caterpillars once more. “To cdntrol these pests one should be alert to detect the first attack, for the area invaded is usually relatively small at first and may be mowed off and straw scattered and burned, thus destroying the caterpillars. Another method of control is to spray the infested area heavily with paris green (one pound to 50 gallons of water) or with lead arsenate (two pounds to 50 gallons), bucn sprayed material should, of course, not be used as feed. “Poisoned bait will also do good service. Make up a bran mash with pounds of wheat bran and one pound of paris green or two pounds of lead arsenate and moisten it with cheap molasses or sirup and add the Juice of half a dozen lemons or oranges. . By scattering this bait broadcast throughout the Infested area in small pieces, a large number of worms may be killed. “To keep the worms from moving on to new feeding grounds, trenches should be plowed entirely around the infested area. The trench should beat least six inches deep and should have a vertical side toward the new grou . It should have postholes at intervals for the worms to fall into and it should be kept as dusty as possible by dragging a log through it to pulverize the soil. It should be tended at all times when the worms are on the move, as they should be burned when they begin to get numerous in the trench. A gasoline torch or straw covered with coal oil may be used for this “In wet weather the trench will not stop the worms, and then a line of heavy road oil laid an inch or two wide on a smooth hard surface should be used. Drag a plank heavily loaded with stones over the ground to prepare the “The C army worm appears about the same time each year, but in small numbers and without doing noticeable damage. It is only when, because of circumstances which are not thoroughly understood, the army worm becomes X numerous, that it is a menace. Probably some of its natural enemies fared ill last winter and were not on hand in their usual numbers to dispose nf X worms this spring. At any rate they are with us, and if not properly handled they bid faFr to do more damage in the localities where they appear than the seventeen-year locust.