The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1884-05-19
The Nature OF tho Fell Destroyer and III,
atf Methods Of nenliny WIZ, u,,,,

The Nature OF tho Fell Destroyer and the
| Methods OF Dealing With Him.
Pdper Rad Before Oxford 10 Furmef Club.
Every farmers son knows that greasy,
bloated, wanton curae. Ho Is night ma.
rauder. Ho 10. no. foreigner as Is tho
Hessian fly or cabbage worm. The Indians
fought him and hated him.
There arc twelve varieties OF cut.worms,
all night workers, and from night moths.
They do immense damage to all tender
growth. Some climb trees and destroy
hut buds. In England Europe thoy often
destroy third OF u crop, and some years
here they deauoy entire crops oil garden
truck, and cut down The stand Of corn 80 as
to nects,i'a!e replanting. They simply
cut plants asundor, aud move on to destroy
rather than to feed. They riot In their
wantonncea and are as mean a public
enemy as the Court House burners OF Gin.
cinnsi. They iIfes! our fields, gardens
and orchards every year, and destroy at
least 20 percent Of our crops, and YET we
iarmers have 10 fight them single hauded.
They are 80 sneaking in their methods,
Work In the dark and hide under ground,
80 tha! few farmers know their origin and
their ways well enough to fight them suc.
cessiully. ~
Tho parent moths arc all Of somber
hue, gray or brown. Thei. very color does
not attract the attention OF birds, and they
ny and lay their eggs ut night on plants or
substances near the ground, mostly during
the latter part Of aummer. The eggs hatch
early in the fall, and tho young worms
crawl into the ground and feed on tender
roots. BY the time winter comea they are
two.thirds grown, when they 10 into tho
ground anu atay until spring. They then
are favenops, and come up and attack the
mrs! green succulent thing which comes In
their way. And now 10 the time the corn
crop suHers. When full grown, they do.
scend again into the earth and form oval
chambers, in which they 70 into the pupa
or chryBalis state for two to four weeks. ont
OF which they como in the form Of moths.
In tine, tho moths lay eggs, and the
eggs hatch, and the worms iiot In their
wantonness, and 20 back into the earth,
unless they sometimes are overcome with
rains and not suns, when we farmers some
times SEQ their carcasses bleaching on the
ground. But 1t Is sale 10 Say very email
percentage OF them miscarry this way.
Riley Gays some OF the cut.worms have two
broods year.
Riley and Cook have not found the ealt,
SCOT, ashes and the like, recommended by
farmers, 10 be reliable. The French pess.
ant has tho children to follow the blow,
when breaking the land. Tho children
pick up cus-HornH aud their pupa, and
feed them to tho pigs and chickens,
Where children are abundant this is
profitable way to employ them.
In some crops We can 20 over them in
the msrning and sec plants cut, which is
signal tina. tho destroyer is hid away Just
under the ground. Dig him out and crush
him, and stop his evil career.
Late fall and early spring blowing ex.
poses them 10 the birds and pigs. Every
turning OF the ground exposes some TO the
birds and diminishes the numbsr, He
used TO think disloJgirg them from their
winter quarters by late tall blowing would
destroy many. Prof. Cook says cut worm
will stand CO. below zsro and be ready for
business on tho approach OF spring,
The gardener can afford to wrap smooth
piece OIL paper around tho stalk Of cabbage
or other plants Of value, ss the cut worm
cannot cut tho paper or climb it.
Thick planting OF corn is another old
remedy, az the rhyme shows: -.
zone for the blsckbi,d end one for the crow,
Two ior thccut worm aud three for to grow"
He thinks this couplet ISLANDERS the crow
and blsehbifd, since they eat cut-worms
and grubs, ana in their eearch for the YER
MIN they often pull out the corn. 80 these
worm.
Dr.. Brewer Gays he saw robin for days
iced liz young with the moth OF the cut
worm, and the number destroyed was i'm.
mense.
Whippoorwills. nfsht.haRks and night
swallows destroy the moths in great mum.
beis, as they do the May beetle or June
bug, which flies only in the night.