The evening times., 1899-06-20
GOVERNMENT Farm
PROVES A FAILURE
The CutwOrm VS.. Agricultu.
raj Department officials.
Corn Crop Ruined by a Mischievous
and RavenOus Pest
Ground RepIowcd to Exterminatc
the Intruder-Projectt to He Re-
sumcd Ne.t Season.

The first crop planted on the Govern
ment's farm on the Potomac Flats has
turned out to be failure. and the men
Were busiiy engaged yesterday and Sat
urday in replowing the field. 1t was not
the intention of the experts at the De-
partmen; of Agriculture TO do more than
prepare the ground this year for the heavy
crop they intend to plant next season, but
after the place had been thoroughly pow
ed Botanist ColvilIe and his assistants held
a consultation and decided to plant soIe
OF Virginia's famous horse-tooth corn.
There was small quantity of the seed
in the department, and this was put in the
ground and more ordered. The order was
not filled very promptly, however, and the
farmers were compelled to use other corn
to finish out the rows which had been
made.
Everything went along nicely and the
corn came up in excellent shape. When it
had grown about six inches. however. the
experts noticed every morning that some
of the tiny blades were dropping. and that
about the middle of the day they would
turn yellow and fall down completely. The
cause of the difficulty was soon deter
mined. for as soon as the faded stalk was
seized in the hand ii came out of the
ground easily, and was found to be cut
through just below the surface.
The devastation was the work of the tiny
cutworms which are the worst pests en-
countered by the farmer working in new
ground.
Almost the entire garden that had been
planted was destroyed by these worms and
it was finally decided to abandon all ef-
forts toward raising a crop and proceed to
get rid OF the worms. The only way to do
this is TO deprive them OF anything to work
upon. Ii has therefore been plowed and
narrowed and narrowed and plowed until
the loan is now no more than powder. The
soil is probably the most fertile of any
in the vicinity of the District and the de-
partment officials are more pleased with
their choice OF land now than they were
when the project was first suggested. 1t
is the intention OF the official farmers to
devote the entire sumer to the preparation
of the soil for the immense crop they in
tend to plant next year and all their efforts
are being directed with this end in view.
They are going to have hard time to get
rid of the cutworm, however, as it has had
undisturbed possession of the soil for
number of years and does not like the in
trusion upon it's rights.
This little pest, as stated before is one
of the most insidous enemies Of the small
farmer. 1t destroys for the sake Of de-
stroying most Of the time. The worm
fourishes in almost every section of the
country and preys upon the tender young
shoots Of the vegetable and decayed mat
ter that can be found. They are very
careful in their choice Of diet and seem
to prefer the products Of new ground. For
years the Flats have been the repository
for all kinds of decayed vegetable matter
and this is one of the most popular deli
cacies of the cut worm. The moths which
are responsible for the existence of the
worm have lived by the thousand on the
flats and have deposited millions of their
little eggs in and beneath the soil. Every
one of these eggs has gone through the
process of incubation and brought into the
world a healthy. muscular worm with an
Unsuitable appetite for young plants and
decayed vegetables. The worms work all
the time, but they are more active at
night than at other times.
They attack plant and cut all the way
through its stalk. Their primary object
in thus destroying the crops is to get food,
but an old farmer said he never knew a
Gu: worm who was satisfied with taking
enough plant life for food.
They had vast quantity of unused en-
ergy when they had concluded the pro-
visioning of their lairs, and would then
turn in and cut up all the remaining just
to keep them from taking on too much
In this way large tracts are
sometimes devastated and the farmers
have very hard time to get rid Of them.
Botanist Colville who has had charge OF
the farm project, has gone to Alaska with
a large party of scientists to study the
country. The trip is private enterprise,
and the information obtained will probably
be used in the compilation of book ON
the flora and fauna OF the Northwestern
Territory.