Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1885-1909, 1896-06-18
NEW TOBACCO WORM.
The Threatening Pest Has Appear
ed In DupIin-Other To
bacco Notes,


of tobacco worm has appeared
and owing to the difficulty of ex-
termination promises to be a ser
ious enemy to the tobacco indus
try.
The State Agricultural Ex>
pertinent Station to-day an
nounces its discovery as follows:
"A small caterpillar has been
discovered mining the leaves Of
growing tobacco. The caUerpi!~
lar is about half an inch long,
greenish with a dark brown head.
It makes an irregular or blotch
mine by eating the green matter
parenchyma Of the leaf, leaving
the skins intact and the leaf
transparent. The caterpillar is
extremely voracious aud us sew
eral unusually mine one leaf, the
leaf is soon rendered worthless.
Being protected by the skins
Of the gist of the North Carolina
Experiment Station gives this
remedy for the pest: Being
protected by the skins Of the leaf,
no ordinary poison or insecticide
will destroy this pest, nor can it
be hand picked without destroy :
ing the leaf. The only treatment
is to watch for leaves showing
transparent blotches and when
found to remove Or burn them.
So fars this pest has been ra>
ported only from ole llocality e.
North Carolina, but it behooveS
tobacco growers everywhere TO
look out for it and destroy it as
soon as it appears If it becomes
common it will greatly harm the
tobacco growing industry of the
State"
TOPPING.-There can be no
stated time for this, as it de-
ponds upon the stage of growth
in which the plant may be, and
the latitude or climate. As a
general thing it should be topped
before the seed-bugs are visible,
for when these appear the plant
has expended most of it's vigor
and is no longer able to mature
the upper leaves. The number
Of leaves that may be left to a
stalk depends upon the quality
OF the soil; if it be very strong it
it will mature twenty Or twenty>
four leaves, but in general from
sixteen to twenty is amply SUI
ficient 10 leave on d stalk in any
situation. In topping it is bet
ter to pinch. out enough of the
crown of the plant to leave the
first two leaves not less than
three Or four inches long, as
they grow more vigorously and
mature more rapidly than the
small and tender leaves found
about the blossom>buds. In
pinching out the heart Of the
plant, care must be taken not to
break or injure the upper leaves
that are left. When topping the
plants intended to produce seed
for the following years crop
must be spared; they should al
ways be chosen with regard to
the heaviest, as we'll as the
longest and broadest leafed
plants, as weight and size Of
leaf is tn chief consideration of
tobacco = growers. The seed
stalks should be left stand until
the pods are fully formed and
begin to turn brown, when the
leaves may be stripped off and
saved, and the stalk be spaded up
and placed beyond the reach of
frost until the seed is fully ripe.
SUCKERING.-Soon after the
tobacco has been topped the
suckers" begin to appear from
the junction of every leaf with
the stalk; they must be punched
as soon as they are large enough
to be caught by the thumb and
finger. and every new ore that
appears must be served like
wise, for if left they consume
much of the nourishmeut that
would otherwise go to to the
leaves, besides much impairing
the process of curing when the
stalk is hung up.
CUTTING AND HOUSING.-When
the top leaves have attained the
size of the lower ones and begin
to be dotted with reddish spots,
the tobacco is ripe and ready to
be cut off and hung up to cure.