The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1907-06-09
THE BOIL WEEVIL
AND THE BOIL WORM

The present almost desperate situa
ton in which the cotton planters o
Louisiana are placed, as a result of tn
bad weather and consequent lateness O
the crop, makes it important that the
should utilize every possible means 70
the protection of what crop they may b.
able to make.
Under the present conditions, already
discouraging, the boil weevi is not tn,
only enemy of which the farmer stands
in dread, for the mild winter has made
conditions favorable for great abun
dance of boil worms as we'll as of boil
weevils The boil worm, allow us tc
point out, is very different insent from
the boil weevll, 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 te
place the following information before
the cotton planters, which will enable
them to forestall the boil worm and pre-
vent large part of the injury which it
will do this summer and autumn is not
'check-mated' in advance.
THE BOIL WORM.
Our farmers have not paid much at
tention TO the boil worm in the past or
become familiar with IT'S work in the
cotton fields, and as a consequence the
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 80 to 40 per cent
has been due to the boil worm.
To understan.: ,he remedial measures
recommended htic it is necessary that
one understand something of the life
history of the boil worm. This worm
is the larval Or 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 inches to feet high.
The larvae Matching from these eggs
feed in the bud 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
identical, being one and the same in
sect. These worms mature and enter
the ground, as did those of the earlier
generation, and the moths from them
appear. in normal seasons, about August
1; but by this time the corn in the field
has become too hard to attract them
and the moths accordingly go to the
cotton, which is their second choice"
as food plant, and deposit their eggs
ON 1t. These eggs produce the very de-
structlve August and September boil
worms, which work havoc with the
crop, destroying both squares and bolls |
by eating into them
CORN PREFERRED FOR DEPOS-
ING EGGS.
Now it happens that corn in silk is |
always the preferred place for deposit
ing eggs. al. therefore if the corn be |
planted III or about the cotton field at |
such a 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. Such corn
often has thousands of boil worm moth
Eggs on a single ear. When these eggs
latch, the little larvae fight among
themselves until but one or two out of
he many hundreds Matched on the ear
emain, for they are cannibals and will
lot tolerate each others company BY
iiuS NoiSiHZHiS tiiNIu upClI tIliS late GOTH !
hey can be made to destroy each other.
We therefore advise the farmers to
liant a few rows of corn across the cot
on fields, every 200 or 900 feet, making
his planting between June and IS.
Considering the lateness of the season.,
his will bring the corn into silking at
bout the time the moths of the third t
eneration appear. Mexican June corn, S
it can be obtained, is better for this |
urpose than the ordinary field corn, Is
nd the Mexican June corn could be lc
lanted as late as June IS to q and 2
ave silks at the proper time to catch Q
lie eggs and worms of the August g
rood
The important feature to remember is t
lat this corn must be brought into tas- /:
i and silk soon after August I. t
ORN PLANTED WITH COTTON. P