The Bossier banner., 1882-06-29
The Battle with the Bugs and Worms.

The careful farmer has already COM
menced the fight with insect life, with
the full knowledge that it must be kept
up until harvest time, if he would reap
q full crop of either fruit or vegetables.
Almost every year brings to light some
new enemy; but man tires not; he exerts
himself to find some remedy for each
successive new destructive enemy ;Tand
just as he begins to congratulate him.
self on being able to fully protect some
fayorite fruit or choice vegetable from
all OF its enemies, some new enemy more
difficult to destroy appears Thus far
the race between the appearance of new
destructive insects and mans advancing
intelligence is kept about equal BY
constant efforts and eternal vigilance
man is thus far able to protect the fruits
and vegetables of the earth to degree
necessary to furnish him with an album
dance of food. But should he for a few
seasons cease his. efforts to check the
ravages of the multitude of insects, he
would soon come short of many lux
uries, if indeed he did not haveto submit
to short rations of the substantial things
of life. 3sist Il seEkI Elz13tsszs u e
One of the latest new comers on the
Atlantic coast of destructive insects, that
lives on human food is large white or
grayish worm, that eats its way into the
cars of corn just beforeit hardens. This
promises to be not only "a very destruc-
tive enemy, but one very difficult to- de-
stroy. Should it spread over the vast
icornfields Of the West itlsweuld destroy
hundreds of millions, of bushels, of corn;
already it has made beginning that
looks serious indeed; it spreads rapidly,
and is now found scattered from the
prairies of the West to the Atlantic coast.
Every farmer should be careful to plant
corn grown in sections where this enemy
is not found, so if the eggs are in any
way attached to the corn, they may avoid
Introducing so undesirable an enemy; but
we are inclined to the opinion that the
eggs are not laid until summer, and the
dangeris in transporting the grub Until
we know more of the habits of this en-
emy every precaution should be taken to
avoid it; its habits should be carefully
studied the coming season, that we may
be better able to find aremedy.
Among the creeping enemies Of the
= etiuCA tuClC dlE lCW IuOI6 ucSLEucIlYI OF
more difficult to manage than the gray
cut-worm, who seems to take pride in I
cutting down whole row of beans or
dozen hills of cucumbers This enemy
must be dug out very early in the morn-
ing and destroyed; as he works only in
The night he is very near the surface at
sunrise. IS sssess3 Il.
Among the bugs that fill the air the
rose bug tries our patience about as
much as any; while he is not particular
what he eats, he is sure to get our most
beautiful roses, and also our choicest
punches of grapes as soon, or even be-
fore, the bloom is off; If we have some
new choice variety of apples he is sure
% try the favor of them as soon as they
ire as large as bullets, and though they
may be as hard as lead and as bitter as |
} button pear, he. eats away upon them
with the same apparent relish he does on |
! choice rose. Hand picking early in |
he morning is the surest remedy for this |
snemy. s - ss'a
The farmer who is determined to sue
,eed must steel his heart against insect
ife, and fight them with every weapon
his ingenuity can devise; but after doing |
MS best he will have to lose portion Of |
his profits by the creeping things OF the |
earth. .-AqssGchusetts Pou0hnan.