The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1891-03-12
FARMER AND PLANTER.
THE BoLL-WoRM.

time to read any thing on the subject.
Perhaps few persons have any idea of
the extent of the damage by the boil
worm. Several years since Prof. G. "
Riley was sent to the cotton States by
the Government to investigate the boil
worm and cotton worm. He made an
exhaustive report. The following Ian
guage appears therein:
'In many parts of the South it is the
chief enemy known to cotton. While
there can be no doubt that the corn crop
suffers more from its attacks, year in
and year ont, than from any other one
enemy, the chinch bug not excepted.
1 am not aware of any statistics of
the damage by the boil worm. In the
absence of any such data any estimate
of the damage in Texas, or for the
South, would be a rough guess. How
ever, it must be enormous, amounting
to many millions of dollars every boil
worm year.
From observation, and from con-
versing with some of the most intelli-
gent farmers, am able to give pretty
good estimate of the damage for this
county.
In this (Lamar) county, the damage
for 1888 and 1889 amounted to two-thirds
of the crop. While the two crops aver
aged about $1,000 bales for each year on
$4,000 acres, it would have been co. 900
bales each year; clear loss of 10000
bales each year.
1t is now a well-established fact that
the corn worm and boil worm are iden-
tical, and if we had no corn we would
have no boil worms.
A few facts and figures would illus
trate the point. According to Commits
sioner Fosters report for 1888, the cot
ton acreage OF Lamar County was
about $4,000 acres; in 1889 about the
same. The yield was about 40, 900
bales of cotton for the two years, worth
about 81, 900, 900. the corn acreage was
about so, 600 acres. The yield was about
1850, 900 bushels, worth $500, 900.
If the $4,000 acres in cotton and the
$4,000 acres in corn had all been planted
in cotton, estimating it at three-fourths
bale per acre, it would have made 20O,-
900 bales OF cotton, worth $4,000, 900,
against value of 50, 400, 600.
l do not think it would pay to aban-
don the culture of corn. But I do be-
lieve it would pay to destroy the worms
in the corn. It is as practicable to kill
worms as to kill weeds.
From reading Prof. Rileys report, and
from observation. we find that there are
from four to five crops, or broods, of
worms, each year, beginning in May
and ending in October; and that there
are four stages of existence, viz: the
egg, the worm, the chrysalis and the
moth, the four stages of existence COW
ering about thirty-ive days.
The last crop of the year ''digs its
holes several inches, apparently cement
ing the dirt as it goes down, making a
smooth channel from near the surface,
there being thin film of dirt over the
entrance. 1t pupates, or transforms to
the chrysalis state in the bottom of the
hole
These channels can easily be found by
scraping off h alf an inchSof the surface.
The chrysalids are about $40 of an
inch in length, of light mahogany
color. The moth matches in Nav or
June, when the maximum temperature
reaches about so deg, or little over.
The first appearance of the worm is
noticed by observing the corn when
about eighteen inches high having the
appearance of having been riddled by
bird-shot They are next found in the
silk of the corn.
There is probably nothing more at
tractive to the moth and nothing fur
nishes more delicate food for the young
worms than the corn-silk A few DAYS
after it is Matched it eats its way to the
end of the ear of corn.
Prof. Riley, after going over all the
known remedies, sums it up in the fol-
lowing language: 1.-THE more promis-
ing ones are fall blowing, trap lanterns
and poisoning" AS the chrysalids are
but little affected by freezing the first
remedy is of but little use. Trap-lan-
terms have been used for thirty or forty
years with Indifferent success. The
trouble is the moonlight nights and
cloudy evenings. The difficulty in poi
soning is that tie worm is hidden either
in the corn or cotton, and besides it is
dangerous to man and beast.
Prof. Riley gives the testimony of a
planter who had his corn wormed bv
hand, and thereby saved his crop.
Last year a farmer in this county
planted about four acres in cotton. from
which he gathered over four bales. The
field was surrounded by timber and no
corn near it. His neighbors raised about
one-fourth of a bale per acre. His sue
cess can only be attributed to the isola-
ton from corn.
Some of the most intelligent farmers
of this county are of the same opinion
that if the worm can be DESTROYED in
the corn we would never have them in
cotton.
With this end in view an experiment
was made last summer which may solve
the boll-worm problem. An implement
was used to crush the worm in the end
of the ear of corn. It is believed that
one man can go over two acres per dav
and destroy ninety per cent. of the
worms.
The greatest objection to this plan is
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