The Lafayette advertiser. [volume] (Vermilionville [i.e. Lafayette], La.) 1865-19??, 1907-06-12
THE BOIL WEEWL
and THE BOIL WORM

The present almost desperate situa-
ton in which the cotton planters OF
Louisiana are placed, as a result of
bad weather and consequent lateness
of the crop, makes it important that
they should utilize every possible
means for the protection of what crop
they may be able to make.
Under the present conditions, al
ready d~iscouraging, the boil weevil is
not the only enemy of which the far
mer stands in dread, for the mild
winter has made conditions favorable
for a great abundance of boil worms
as well as of boil weevils. The boil
worm, allow US to point out, Is a very
different insect from the boil weevil,
but as an enemy to the cotton crop it
is a close second to the latter pest.
Through the kind cooperation of
the newspapers of the State we are
able to place the following infOrma-
ton before the cotton planters. which
will enable them to fOrestall the
boil worm and prevent a large part of
the injury which it will do this sum-
mer and autumn if not ''check-mated"
in advance.
Our farmers have not paid much at
teItion to the boil worm in the past or
become familiar with it's work in the
cotton fields. and as a consequence a
large part Of the damage which has
been charged to the boil weevil has in
reality been done by the boil worm.
OF the loss thus far ascribed to the
boil weevil in Louisiana probably
from 80 to 40 per cent has been done
by the boil worm.
To understand the remedial
measures recommended below, it is
necessary that one understand some
thing of the life history of the boil
worm This worm is the larval or
s'worm'' stage of an olive-brOwn moth.
about the same size as the leaf-worm
moth.
The winter is passed by the boil
worm pupa, or chrysalis, in the
ground and from these pupae the
moths issue in spring and deposit
their eggs on the corn, then from 6
inches to 2 feet high. The larvae
Matching from these eggs feed on the
'sbud'' of the corn and when mature,
enter the ground and pass through the
pupal stage The next, or second
brood of moths appears when the field
corn is in tassel and silk and the eggs
of this brood are laid on the silks of
the young ears. The larvae Matching
therefrom bore into the ear and feed
on the tender kernels. The ''cOrn-
ear worm" and the boil worm are one
and the same insect. These worms
mature and eater the ground as did
those of the earlier generation and
the moths from them appear, in nor
mail seasons. about August 1: but by
this time the corn ic the field has be-
come too hard to attract them and
TIE moths accordingly go to the cotton,
which is their second choice as q food
plant, and deposit their eggs on it.
These eggs produce the very destruct-
i've August and September boil
worms which work havoc with the
crop, destroying both squares and
bollS by eating into them
Nov it happens that eOrn in silk is
always the preferred place for depos-
iting eggs, and therefore. if corn be
planted in or about the cotton field at
such . time that it will come into silk
when the early August brood of moths
appears, these latter will deposit their,
eggs in large numbers on the corn In
stead of on the cotton. When these
eggs hatch the little larvae fight
among themselves until but one or
two, out of the many hundreds hatch
ed in the eaE. remain. for they are
eannibals and will not tolerate each
Others company. BY thus colonizing
them upon this late corn they can be
made to destroy each other.
We therefore advice the farmers to
plant . few rows of corn across the
cotton fields, every 2O or 300 feet,
making this planting between June
9Th and 18th. considering the lateness
OF the season, this will bring them into