The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1899-05-05
SWEET POTATO INSECTS.
Ii I~nvcterhte wor and How
10 Combat Them.

rho Inycterate Cutworms and How
to Umbn Them.
Injurious insects (tlea beetles. tortoise
beetles and cutworlns) which so dam.
age newly set plants az to seriously in
tcrfere with their growth and thus pre-
vent early maturity of the tubers, are
one of the most important factors OPP
posing profitable sweet potato culture.
And not only do they prevent an early
crop. but the damage done to the young
vine seriously c~urtails the late crops,
Sweet potatoes being one of the impor-
tant crops of Maryland, the station of
that state has issued a bulletin on tho
insects which attack the plant and how
to deal with them, The bulletin clearly
describes and illustrates each insect
and ut the same time gives the remedy
for it, It's practical character will APP
pear from the following extract about
cut worms
These inyeterate enemies Of the
trucker, the cutworms, do not usually
fail to devote due attention to the
young sweet potato plants when they
are first set ont. and frequently their
injuries are such ms to make necessary
considerable resetting, The rigor of
their attack is doubtless due to the fact
that sweet potatoes are usually planted
on light soil which has no other cover.
Ing than weeds and grass during win
ter and Is cultivated for s0ule li,tie
time before the plants are set ont, thus
thoroughly starving the cutworms and
putting them in excellent condition fol
a hearty meal
Though many species injure the
young plants by cutting the stems at
the surface of the ground. the dark
sided cutworm (Agrotis messoria) has
most often been recorded as specially
preferring them, and AN account Of il
will be more or less typical of all the
nearly related species. Grass land is
the usual hnbitation of cutworms. and
here the eggs are deposited in late sum
mer and hatch in n few days. The
young worms eat rather sparingly and
are only partially developed by the first
frosts, when they curl up under such
shelter as Is securable and hibernate
during the winter, With the appear
ance Of vegetation in the spring they
revive and commence to eat voracious-
ly, Thus. as already shown. il their
only food plants are turned under and
the ground cultivated before the potato
plants are set such u procedure only
sharpens their already intense appetite
The larvae become full grown the lat
ter part Of May and enter the pnpal
stage. from which the adult moths
emerge in July and August. Fortunate
ly there is but one brood of this species.
but Of many there are two.
II practicable, deep fall blowing will
turn under large numbers Of the young
worms and thus destroy them. Other
wise keep the land thoroughly cultivat-
ed in the spring, and about three or
four days before setting ont the plants
scatter over the field lunches Of grass
or clover from ii plot which has been
thoroughly sprayed before cutting with
a mixture of one pound of paris green
to 100 gallons of water, BY placing
these poisoned baits every II to 30 feet
apart the cutwornls will he lured ont
Of the soil to IA certain death. and all
will soon be found dead about an inch
below the surface.
II appearing late in the season, II
mash composed of 80 pounds of wheat
bran, ono pound of paris green and
about two quarts of cheap molasses,
with Just enough water to moisten it,
will be found more convenient. \ table.
spoonful placed on the ground near the
plants every 10 OF IL feet will be suffi.
cient.
-