Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1883-05-11
The COrn-ROOt Worm.

4
The corn-root worm. in the form in
which it affects the roots. of corn. is a
slender, white grub, not thicker than a
pin, from one-fourth to three-eighths of
an inch in length, with small. brown
head, and six very short legs. 1t COM
mences its attack in MAY or June.
usually at some distance from the stalk.
toward which it eats its, way beneath
the epidermis, killing the root as fast as
il proceeds: Late lin July or early in
August it transforms in the ground near
the base of the Hill, changing into q
white pupa, about fifteen-hundredths OF
an inch long and two-thirds that width.
! looking somewhat like an adult beetle.
but-with the wings and ,wing-covers
rlIrin1entary, and with the legs closely
drawn up against the body. A few
/ days later it energies as a-perfect insect,
about one.ifth oil an inch in length,
varying in color from pale. greenish-
brown to bright grass-green, and usual
" without spots or markings of any
kind. The beetle climbs up the stalk,
! living ON; fallen pollen, and upon the
! silk, at the tip of the. ear, until the latter
dies, when few OF the, beetles, creep
! down between the husks and feed upon
the corn itself. while others resort for
food to the pollen q such weeds intthe
I field as are at that time ia. blossom. In
September and October the eggs are
laid IN The ground upon or abont the
Y roots of the corn, and most of the
beetles lsoon after disappear from the
! field They may ordinarily be found
upon the late blooming plants. feeding
as usual upon the pollen of the flowers,
and also to some extent upon mods
and other fungi. and upon decaSing
vegetation. ''-i - ~ i.7,s,s,7, IS :
r. There can be no further doubt that
the insect is single-brooded, that it
shibernates, in the egg, as rule, and
that this does not hatch until after the
ground has been plowed and planted to
corn in the spring, probably in May and
I june Although the adult beetles.
when numerous, do some harm by eat
| ing the silk, before the kernels are fer
tilted by the pollen, and also OCCASION
| ally destroy a. few kernels In the tip of
I the ear, yet the principal injury is done
by the larva in its attack upon the roots.
Although the roots penetrated by the
larv9e die and decay, thrifty corn. will
throw out new ones to replace those
lost The. hold. of the stalk upon the
ground is often so weakened that a
slight wind is sufficient to PROSTATE the
corn. ~ Under these circumstances it
Will often throw ont new, roots from the
! Joints above the ground, thus rallying,
40 certaino extent, against serious in
| jury As the results lOf numerous OBJ
serrstions, it is seen that; little or no
mischief is done except IN fields that
nave been in corn dufingcfiie year or
two PRECEDING, and a. frequent change
of crops is, therefore, A complete pre-
vedttys Beyon this, the life history
of the Insect gives us litue hope of fight
ing il effectually, except at too-great ex-
pense, al the eggs and worms are scat
tered and hidden in. the ground, and
the perfect beetleS is widely dispersed
thron ghout the field. ~ II TYv
This insect was first described by&Say.
Nhofound it hesr tie Rocky Msuntaiis.
Its ravages upSn oeFn were first noted
by Riley. nhi TeRoft 70 the Department
tnS 4fFTf99ltHHF we fGf lSTTiPrg RrsT
! fheFe sxistsi Mobtamna, Ad Ae
place is vel. known TO many Montan.
lssense Number Of bones and skulls zot
bison, buffalo, deer, beaf7and smaller
animals. These bones are carefully
piled along the !. sides of the, caye,
and number thousands. n is sup
posed they, were, placed there by In.
dams The writer of this has been in
the cave and seen the skulls and bones.
! LIE GIVE IS not over thirty miles. from
the hAeAof the Utah & Norfher7i Rail.
road, and is near the southern boundary
OF Montana Chicago Herutd ~