The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1892-10-22

value of the corn more than cOmpen.
safes for the small percentage of worms
thus maturing.
SO late in the season seem to be special.
ly attractive to many beneficial insects
as suitable resorts, and the egg parasite
and many of the other smaller natural
enemies of the boil worm are found
abundantly on these silks and in the
ends of the ears. Whether they are at
tracted by the corn silks being fresh or
in search of the objects of their prey,
the fact remains that, being thus CON-
veniently quartered in the trap itself,
these benei cial insects have more fire.
quent and better opportunities for sue
cessfully preying upon the obnoxious
insect. Their attack under such cir
cumstances may be said to be artificial
ly concentrated more or less against
specified injurious insect, and hence
makes them more efficient agents in re-
ducing and assisting in the control of
the ravages of that-species- A portion
of these beneficial insects would also
be destroyed by any treatment of the
corn looking to the artificial destruc-
ton of the boil worm. In view of these
additional facts it seems best not to
urge such a measure.
AS to the first preventive measure,
some insist that cutting out infested
corn early in the season endangers a
good stand. In reply it can be said
that, much of the corn being drilled in,
some is chopped out at the time of the
first blowing At the time of this first
chopping a greater proportion of the
drilled corn can be left and at the same
time necessary to most efficiently at
tack the boil worm the portion cut out
will be counterbalanced by the slight
excess left from the first thinning. But,
as already stated, absolute chopping
and burning need not be resorted to if
care is exercised so that the crushing
process be thoroughly done. In that
case the worm is destroyed and the
plant, as experiments have shown, is
not materially injured, and still makes
a good ear of corn.
To the second some object that by
planting trap crop in the manner rec
commended you actually encourage the
greatest possible development in point
of numbers, that succeeding broods will
be proportionately greater. and hence
the measure will be worse than no
remedy. This has already been par
TALLY answered. The trap corn is
reduced to the minimum. in guam
tity. This makes a maximum crowd
ed condition which induces the maxi
mum cannibalism in the species and,
as already explained, actually makes
the boil worm its own destroyer. On
the other hand, If the trap corn were not
planted the moths would of necessity
deposit on cotton. Here there is plenty
of room and each individual worm
would feed and mature Independently;
hence no conditions exist to induce
their preying upon each other and the
maximum number of worms attain ma
turity.
The results of this preventive meas
ure may be concisely stated to be: First,
protection of the cotton. Second, the
minimum number of boil worms reach
maturity without additional expense
after being trapped. Third, the first
and second are both attained without
special cost, in that no money
outlay is necessary; no additional
labor, since the same would be re-
quired were the rows cotton instead of
corn; at any rate corn enough is pro-
duced to pay for the time and labor re-
quired. Fourth, beneficial insects are
more or less attracted and their attack
concentrated to a certain extent upon
single obnoxious insect. Fifth, the
planter thus protecting his cotton is
certain to succeed, whether his neigh
bors attempt equally with him to pro-
tect theirs or not, for, having fresh
corn in good condition in his cotton,
visiting moths from adjoining farms
will choose to deposit, and the result
ing worms will ravage, the corn to the
practical neglect of the cottca.
oOw-PEAs.
For attracting Or diverting the boil
worm moth from the cotton this crop
ranks next to corn. The essential point
to be attained is to plant the
peas at such a time that the
crop will be in the height of its
blooming period during the latter part
of August and September. The boil
worm moth is very fond of slipping the
sweets at the base of the developing
blooms and very young pods The peas
answer the purpose best it seems if
planted in distinct rows adjoining cot
ton fields. The growth should be rank
and dense, so as to induce the moths to
make these rows of dense growth their
hiding place. From observation it has
been often found that where patches of
peas in prime condition were met with
during August and September the moths
were found there in great abundance
and to the practical exclusion of them
in the adjoining cotton
In case it is found that the late
planted trap corn will mature rather