Milford chronicle., 1910-03-25

AMONG the enemies which the
~ farmer has to combat perhaps
~ none are more troublesome
than insects. Nothing is more
bggravating than to have a promising
crop Of fruit or grain attacked by a
horde of bugs" and greatly Injured
Il not entirely ruined.
Insects, like weeds. are very difficult
70 deal with If you go at them one at
. time, but If properly managed they
can be easily held in check. From
the standpoint Of the damage they do,
insects may be divided into two
slRsses-thOse which attack field crops
and those which are injurious to fruit
and garden crops.
Tnere are a NUMBER or insects
which attack corn. While these are
Seldom present in large enough num7
baTB to destroy any considerable part
81 the entire crop, the money value
Ct the damage they infiict on the corn
gFUWn on a quarter section each year
amounts to no small sum.
One Of the most Important Of these
pssts is the corn root worm. The
sGgs, which are laid in the cOrnfeld
daring August or September, hatch
turing the next June or July. The
worms when full grown are about
0ne-third OF an inch long and as big
around as a pin. They bore up inside
the roots injuring them so badly that
the growth OF the plant is seriously
checked. Often, too. the roots are so
weakened that the corn blows down
badly Some time during August the
worm goes through a transformation
called pupation. which changes it into
a small light green beetle. This bee
tie feeds on the silks and tips of ears
and lays eggs for the next years crop
OF worms.
Another insect which lives on the
roots of corn is the root louise. These
lice are very small and helpless. They
are kept through the winter in the
egg stage in ant hills In the spring
after they hatch they are placed on
the corn roots by the ants. The ants
are very fond of a sweet fluid which
Is secreted by the lice and they take
care Of them for this purpose.
Other insects which do more or less
damage to the corn crop are the stalk
bOrer, wireworm, white grub, bin bug,
etc. These insects live and
in grass land and from there
end their way into the adjoining corn
aelds. They do the greatest damage.
however, when the grass land Is
llowed up and put into corn.
The damage from nearly all insects {
Affecting corn. small grain or grass
AN be readily prevented by a good
Iystem Of rotation. This is especially
rue If clover is used. since such in
ects as cutwOrms and grubs do not
work to any extent on clover. The
requent blowing Of the ground and
hange Of crops where a rotation is fol
owed are fatal to most insects. Dam
&c from these pests will be still fur
her reduced il the soil IS kept so well
applied with plant food that the
lants can get a quick start in the
pring. Treated in this way, they are
lore vigorous and better able to with
tand insect attacks.
These remedies. with the exception Il
the last. cannot be applied to or Il
hard and garden crops, since these !
lust be grown on the same land year n
tter year. For the insects affecting =,
less crops spraying is the best rem n
iy.
The principal insect that attacks the n
lple is the cooling moth. These in n,
cts pass the winter in ball of silk, b,
; cocoon, which they spin around n
lemselves. These cOcoons are hidden -
.neath the bark and under rubbish nv
lch as happen to escape the hungry n
arch OF wOOdpeckers and other birds -
lange to the pupa stage in the spring p,
this stage changes take place In nj
fe the body of the worm which 81 m
ansform It that early in June It n
mes ont Of the cocoon as a small M
own moth. IN
These moths lay great numbers Of In
rs. which hatch into small worms
1ese worms eat their way into the N
pie through the blossom end. The an
plas thus anRcted usually fan on