The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-05-30
The Cotton Bon Worm.

The Cotton H0u worm.
 This insect causes more damage to rotton than any other of the insect foes of our main crop. Prof Malley. who for a number of years made a special study of this pest in Texas, es- fimated the damage done by it in that State in 1902 at $4,T50,00o,s and the damage in other parts of the cotton belt was probably in proportion. This would make the estimated damage about $15,000,000 for the entire South. This would be about one-third as much loss as was attributed to the boil wee vii in 1903. Alabama has for many years had her full proportion of in- jury from the boil worm. the damage being especially conspicuous during last August, this insect being in some localities one of the two principal agencies in changing the promising crop prospect of last summer to the disappointing outcome of the fall.
 The injury to cotton is very slight until August or September. This Is because the insects that survive the winter are few, requiring several 3 generations for the individuals to be- come numerous enough to inflict seri- ous, damage. An equally important reason for the relative immunity of cotton up to July or August is the fact that the boil worm prefers corn ears to
 
 degree as long as there is an abundant supply of tender roasting ears near at f hand This Is a fact of tremendous Importance for the reason that we must make constant use of it in the warfare on the boil worm.
 There Is stil time to make use of this momentous fact in increasing the cotton crop of the present year. The aim should be to provide tender roast ing ears from the middle of July until September. By so doing the moth will @deposit the greater lart of its eggs 2 on the corn plant during July, Aug ust and September, just as it usually does in the earlier summer months, as indicated by the injury to corn tassels a and ears, all c1-lsed by the boil worm
 In recent fs-rmers bulletin from tho United States Department of Az riculture, which can be had free on ap- pIicatton to Washington, and which AEhould be carefully read and reread by every cotton grower, Prof. Quaintance, . graduate of the Alabama Polytechnic Institute. not only narrates the we'll known life history of the boil worm. but adds the results of valuable ob- servations recently made by himself. For example. he found during August that the eggs of the boil worm were deposited by the moth in the following p0sifions On leaves and leafstaIks 6b per cent, and on the squares and Flowers S5 per cent. This observation ts an encouragement to use poisons in combating the boil worm, in spite of the fact that this practice is unusual and that poisoning is generally believ- ed to be useless, because of the im- presston that the young boil worm immediately after matching enters a square or. boil without eating any con siderable part of the surfaces that roisons might reach. Prof. Quain- fance finds that the worm does eat enough of the leaf to be poisoned
 His experiments indicate that the use of Paris green, dusted on as Is us- ually done in poisoning the cotton caterpillar, Is highly effective and profitable in reducing the number of boil worms. He made three appIica- lions or the dry Paris green, undiluted, using about 3 pounds of the poison at each application.
 The writer would recommend that preparations be made in ample time this year to try the effects of Paris green on the boil worm. for in many localities it's use will also be abso- lutely necessary against the cotton caterpillar which has been increasing so rapidly for the last few years. The two objects can be accomplished at the same time. although this may necessi- ee earlier poisoning than would be absolutely necessary against the cater { pillar and it will also increase the im-
 sance of several applications of the Paris green.
 However. since rains may make eis2piRg during part of the season ineffective, it is the part of wisdom also to make other preparations now for forestaIling the boil worm. This is best done by planting either com mon or Mexican June corn at an early date, or better some of each in or around the cotton fields. Probably one row of corn for each dozen rows Of cotton would suffice. Prof. Quain- tance does not even consider 1t neces- sary that the corn be cut and fed He counts on ample protection to cotton from the preference of the insects for corn and does not fear that late plant ed corn will serve greatly to increase the numbers of boil worms at that late date, since he and others have noted in the corn ear when several boil worms are present they become canni- balistic and destroy each other.
 Those who feel that they cannot spare a row of cotton even where the stand is poor and where the benefit of corn as trap crop would probably more than compensate for, the space occupied, can plant corn, including some Mexican June corn, in the miss ing spaces. Corn planted at the us- ual time, or even when cotton is plant ed win not answer
 If one is inclined to be skeptical as 4o the benefits of this use of corn to the displacement of a fraction of the cotton plants. he is pointed to the fact that on one corn plant thus used Prof. Quaintance last year counted early in August S04 boil worms. Then let him remember that the young worms do not go far in search for food. but usually remain on the plant where the egg is deposited.
 The planting now throughout the cotton fields of late variety of corn is 8 procedure that can scarcely re- suit in appreciable loss in the cotton acreage and which may be a means of greatly increasing the yield of cotton by protecting it against Its worst and most widely distributed insect enemy. Is this simple and inexpensive plan worth trying? Mexican June corn can be bought of all Southern seeds men and of many growers Those who have it should at once advertise 1t through the press or by means of To- cal notices posted in public places. If this variety cannot be conveniently had, use the common late corn grown everywhere in the South. The writer would especially request that any who ehus use late planted corn would re- wert results to him at Auburn, Ala.
 J. F. Duggar