The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-04-12
Worms, Bugs and Weather to
Worry Farmer in Summer.
Rotation of Crops Important,
Says State EntOmOlogist.
STUDY BUGSANDCROPS
Corn Must Not Follow Corn
More Than Once.
Early Winter Flowing Help in
Destroying Insects.

Manhattan, Kan, April 12.-T. j.
Headlee, entomologist of Kansas State
Agricultural experiment station, in the
following article gives some interesting
facts about the various creatures which
attack the growing corn plant, and ad-
ViseS how to avoid them:
kansas will soon be planting about
100000 acres Of corn. Are the farm
ers taking into consideration the insect
parasites which probably will reap 10
per cent of the possible yield? From
the time the seed is planted until the
resulting yield is sold or fed into stock
1t is liable to injury and destruction
Injury and destruction that, by the APP
plication of thought and effort, can be
largely eliminated.
''The creature which will attack the
crop are now in the soil of the proSpec-
tive corn fields, or in the fields near by.
THE damage done by insects which
do not migrate in large numbers during
the growing season will depend upon
the climate, the nature of the soil, and
the use to which it has previously been
put. Corn planted on land recently in
sod is likely to suffer from the attacks
of white grubs, wire worms, sod web
worms, cut worms and corn bill bugs.
Corn planted upon land which has long
been in corn is likely to suffer from
the attacks of corn root lice, northern
corn root worm and corn ear worm.
Corn planted on clover sod, wheat stub
BILE. oat stubble. COW pea or soy bean
land, unless it is too recently out of
grass sod, is likely to be absolutely
free from serious insect attack.
TT is now generally accepted that
there is no better method of conserv-
ing the fertility of the soil than by the
intelligent rotation of crops, and it is
equally true that there is no better
method Of preventing the injury done
by insects incidental to the nature of
the soil and to it's previous treatment.
If iG mt hard fn nndpTSf9 and VV1W Xxrhan
the millions of grass plants upon which
q host of white grubs, wire worms and
cut worms normally feed, are destroy
ed by turning the sod, and a few hun
bred corn plants are set in their place,
the hunger of these creatures frequent
ly brings about an entire destruction
of the crop time after time. When we
understand that the white grub requires
about three years to complete its
changes and the wire worm a similar
period, it is not difficult to explain why
corn may be injured when planted on
land two years out of sod. Corn bill
bugs winter in grass lands. When the
infested grass is turned under and corn
hungry from their winter nap, natural
ly attack the first green thing they can
reach.
Proper Crops to Follow.
1.-THE type of rotation may be varied
to suit our individual needs, but certain
general principles must be observed if
the work of injurious insects is to be
materially reduced. Corn must not fol-
low corn when the northern corn root
worm is abundant. Corn must not fol-
low corn more than once where the
corn root louise is serious. Corn must
not follow grass within two years, if the
grass land is seriously infested with
white grubs, or wire worms, or both,
and it must not follow within one year
If the grass land is badly infested with
cut worms. Corn may follow clover,
soy beans, COW peas, with perhaps less
Insect injury than anything else, or it
may follow wheat oats, barley or mill
let, with little chance of harm.
1.-The corn ear worm and the chinch
bug are the creatures which will come
In from surrounding fields during the