The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1895-05-13
PROTECTION AGAINST cuTwoRMs.
Remedial Measures Are Clean Culture.
Fail Flowing, Insecticide Fertilizers, Etc.


Fall Flowing, Insecticide Fertilizers, Etc.
TIE presence Of cutworms in field
becomes noticeable Immediately after a
crop has been set out, whether sweet
potatoes, cabbages, tomatoes or what
ever else it may be, or soon after the
seed has ,sprouted, be it corn. onions OF
other vegetables. All over the field
plants ha disappeared or have fallen.
Investigation will show that they have
been cat or eaten off at the surface OF
even little below it. In the cornfeld
they cut off the plants almost as fast as
they come above groun d. and white po-
tatoes occasionally suffer as severely ?.
Normally the insects are grass feeders OF
feeders upon low, succulent vegetation
and in grass Or clover lands, therefore,
Or in masses Of rank vegetation general
ly, the moth lays her eggs. Other things
equal, clover or sod land will be most
likely to be infested by cutworms, while
land cultivated late is most likely to be
free
With other remedial measures suggest
ed in ksllletin from the New Jersey
station arr clover culture and early fall
blowing II is important that the plow~
ing is done early. But when land has
been wintered with an infested sod Gov
ering it and is plowed in the early
spring tho farmer is not quite helpless,
according to the bulletin quoted. If the
land is to 30 put into crops, prepare as
usual Snd apply all the potash and nitro
gen IN the form Of kainit and nitrate of
soda f;1 a TOP dressing. Delay seeding
until s'11':l CT natural moisture has dis
solved I'd carried down the fertilizers.
Pho. ! to, NAY be applied at any time,
IS thee have no insecticide properties.
t.; 90 will, as rule, protect the
co1A crop.
T. c. IS like sweet potatoes differ
e:ftiHc'asl is Indicated, the poisoned bait
rene l.e',g the best This is simply
prove; ''..5 the cutworms with poisoned
food Il ;!lo soil is prepared for plant
ing. 1l:o,c,p3t est plan is to spray rank
I,s.e,l CT cloycr with one of the arsenites
:aol as The ratio Of G. pound in 100 gal
les CT water, and as soon as it has
gc1.2oEhc5 dried cut it close to the
grop,ld. Next spread in little heaps at
-.,tc-va1s ever the field to be protected
This aTc-tls complete protection when
carefully carried out The clover may
be CIT FIRST, made up into loose balls
and dipped in q poisonous liquid. The
mere nrmcroJls the traps the greater the
cl,a:,eo CT destroying the insects. They
viii be found in the morning an inch or
50 beneath the surface under the bait,
and after % hours the majority will be
dead. 10 plants should be set out until
tho poiGcrod bait has had an opportunity
to act fer two nights at least.
A modification of this plan, which
has been very successful with sweet Pc
tato plants, consists in mixing dry wheat
bran with paris green Or london purple
sufficient TO color it family, in weight
about one of poison to 80 Of the bran.
The mixture should be as complete as
possible, and then water added to make
a soft n1ush that can be ladled out with
q spoon without dripping. The water
may be sweetened to add to the attract.
ivcncss Of the mi1tura A teaspoonful
should be nl1cod On each hill of plants
10 be protected On the evening of the day
the plants - first set out.