The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1880-07-09
killing the Tobacco Worm.

In the tobacco worm we have, says
writer in the Rural NeW Yorker, by far
the largest insect known to be excessive
ly injurious to crops. In comparison
with the little codling moth, it is q
veritable monster. That an insect SO
large can for years increase in numbers
in spite of all the efforts and devices of
tobacco growers for its extermination,
seems trifle strange. The spread of
this pest may be compared to that of the
potato beetle. The enlarged area de-
voted to the "weed," and the introduce
ton of the tomato into general cultiva-
ton have given it ample opportunity to
multiply; for it may be held as rule
that undomesticated creatures of all kinds
increase in numbers the more literally
and easily attainable is their supply of
food.
The insect is pre-eminently tobacco
feeder, although it also eats the tomato,
but this is merely it's second choice.
Under my observation last year the
foliage of tomatoes next to a tobacco field
was attacked only to a slight extent by
the larvae, while the tobacco plants were
loaded with them. On the previous
year no tobacco was raised on the farm,
and the tomato field was full Of worms,
which damaged and ate great quantities
of even green tomatoes. In the Cana
dian EatOmot0gist for November, 1878,
the Rev. G. j. s. Bethune, of Port
Hope, Ont. says: GA market gardener,
who lives close by me, informs me that
on one day during the summer he and
his assistants together gathered four
bushels of the worms"
The way most followed in extermlnat-
ing the pests, however, is to pick off the
worms from the growing tobacco con-
tinually from the 10th of July to the
final harvest crushing the small ones be-
tween the finger and thumb, and throw
ing the large ones violently on the
ground, or stamping them under foot.
To this the thorough grower adds the
precaution of looking on the under-side
of the leaves for the eggs, and crushing
them also. Many small worms are tn, 9
found under the leaves, especially If
young plants, where but slight signs If
their presence is noticeable by hoies
seen on the upper side.
A flock of turkeys kept in the tobacco
field has often proved most advantageous.
They never damage the tobacco-as hens
are apt to do by jumping up among large
and tall plants-while they walk careful
ly among the stalks, spying out and de,
vouring every worm. Thus this helpful
fowl would prove doubly profitable if fed
in this manner.
notice that skunks prowl about the
tobacco fields every night in cutting
time, and dig out and eat q great many
worms that have crawled into the ground
to change into paup@. AS near as can
get at the truth about it, the skunk
never touches the tobacco worm on the
leaf, but after it reaches its full growth
and resorts to the earth, it Immediately
becomes delicious food for him. The
number of fresh holes or cavities each
morning denotes the reduction of tobacco
moths that otherwise would have to be
fought in the next year campaign. The
number of insects devoured by skunks is
enormous, but, of course, they feed on
beneficial insects as well as on those
which areinjurious to crops. The amount
of worms destroyed by several species OF
microgaster and other parasites, is ex-
ceedingly small; neither are the worms
ever attacked by any epizootic, at least
as far as my observations have reached.
DR.. Hagen, of Cambridge, Mass, II
confident that an epidemic can be started
among the worms or moths by bringing
q few specimens in contact with yeas'
fungus, or by sprinkling prepared beer
mash ON the plants. This yeast, OF