The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-10-22
CORN WORM BUSY. I:
IN SOUTH DAKOTA:
Professor Wheeler Classics the
: -4-4 Pest and Discusses
Remedies. :. " As.-g. Il
Specials to Tho Journal,

Specials to Tho Journal.
Brookings, s. D., Oct. 21.-Professor
W. A. Wheeler, botanist of the Brook:
tngs agricultural college, says of the
50 serious damage to the corn crop in
South Dakota and the neighboring
states this year is known under various
names depending upon the plant which
it attacks. 1t is known as the corn
worm, the corn-ear worm, the cotton
boil worm or simply boil worm, tomato.
fruit worm, tobacco-bud worm or the
false-bud worm Of the tobacco, and by
= various other names. The pest has va
rious food plants, the most common Of
which are, however, CORN cotton, to-
mato and tobacco. These four crops
are often very seriously injured by its
attacks. It also feeds upon the pump
kin, melon, squash, red pepper, ground.
cherry, bean, pea, as well as upon some
the gladiolus, mignonette, geranium,
= etc.
It will be difficult to find an insect
more widely distributed than is the
corn worm. It has been found in every
quarter of the globe, therefore no To-
calities in which any plants upon which
it feeds are grown can be considered
States it is very well distributed, hav-
ing been reported from the Canadian
= boundary to Texas and from the Allan
tic coast to California. !. : : Z
In the Northwest. -,
In South Dakota and Minnesota the
worm is coming to be quite commonly
corn crop. This year it seems to be
locally very abundant in the corn fields
of South Dakota. It's injuries are most
= apparent late in the season, when it
attacks the ears of the corn after they
appear. The worm does not, however,
limit itself to the ears, but earlier
in the season attacks the buds,
young leaves and tassels. AS soon
as the ears appear the worms enter
the tip Of the ear and feed upon the
silks and young corn. The silk is some
times eaten at the time of pollination,
- before fertilization Of the kernels can
take place, thus often preventing Ror-
worm continues feeding upon the ears
of the corn until they are mature or
until time for the worms to enter the
ground and go into the chrysalis stage
for winter. .,..... III -
The color of the worm varies with
= its exposure to light and also with the
kind Of plant or the condition of the
plant on which it feeds. It may be
found in all variations of color from
a light green without spots. or stripes
to very marked striped worm some
times appearing almost black. In the
northern states the insect probably very
seldom has more than two broods OF
generations in single season. The
- mature insect is medium sized moth
This moth lays its eggs at twilight upon
any portion of the plant.
No Known Remedy.
From the above brief outline Of the
insect and it's life-history it will be
leen that practical remedies to combat
this insect are hard to find. In fact
no good remedy is known. Very late
fall blowing of infested corn fields to
disturb the insects in the pupa stage
and expose them to the severe winter
weather may tend to lessen the mum.
bers the following season. Unless this
were done almost universally in the
infested localities it would not have any
very perceptible effect the following
season. Rotation of crops which would
bring some crop upon which this worm
did not feed upon the ground to follow
the corn might be beneficial.
The japanese government has ordered
in Germany 100000 Kilograms weigh,
of bronze coins, about the size of al