The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1912-08-21
The Gardez Web Worm
SHORT HISTORY AND
HAslTs or THIS FARM PEST
The Best Methods Of Successfully
Combating This Destructive
Animal-Prsvsntive MeaS
ures Should Be Used

One = the most serious peats with
which the farmers must contend Is
the garden web worm, which Is some
tines called the alfalfa web worm.
Its principal damage is done 10 alfalfa
However this insect is general
feeder as it attacks most vegetables
sugar cane, cereals. and several Of the
forage crops, and occasionally young
cotton has been severely damaged.
This worm spins a loose web with
which Il draws together the edges Of
a leaf; or 1t fastens together two con
unuous leaves, forming a shelter from
which It craEis forth to feed. It i2
rery active, and feigns death when
disturbed, OF spins q thread and drops
70 the ground and hides in crevices
Or in the loose earth. It is a yora-
cious feeder. and most OF its work is
done at night ana during the day It
rests In its web When the larva
gets full grown il spins a delicate
hrDwnlsh cocoon within its silken re-
treat In the earth and changes 10 a
brown chrysalia with pair Of term
luai prominences, each bearing three
short apines at the posterior tip Of
the body.
The larvae are easily killed by an
arsenical poison. Paris green is us-
ually used in the form Of a powder,
at the rate Of one pound to an acre.
II is more economical to apply the
poison with an air-duster, which will
distribute it evenly over the field,
than to use the old pole and bag meth
3D. The latter method consists in
tying choese-cloth bag to each end
Of a pole, which is made 10 pump
against the pommel Of a saddle as
the Eorpe moves Whenthis method
is used, one pound Of Paris green
should be diluted with ten pounds OF
air-slaked lime, to prevent too much
poison from issuing and burning the
plants. Both cotton and alfalfa can
be treated in this way. The Paris
green win wash of within two or
three weeks.
"A solution Of Paris green Zone
pound to 100 gallons Of water) or ar
senate Of lead (three pounds to fifty
gallons Of wateT) win be just as effec-
tive as the powder form. On account
Of It's adhesive qualities, arsenate Of
lead should not be applied to plants
which are to be eaten.
The parent of this caterpillar or
worm" Is a small moth. having a
wing expanse Of about threefourths
Of an inch and varying in color from
yellow to buff. The larvae vary III
color from a pale greenish yellow 10
a dark yellow with black spots.
The garden web worm passes tho
winter in the pupal stage under the
soil. During the latter part of May
or the first of June the adult moths
make their appearance aud begin TO
deposit eggs on the leaves Of the
host plant. Within a week these eggs
hatch into larvae, which have been
described, and they begin feeding on
the foliage. There are at least three
generations year, and it is the last
two which do the greatest amount Of
damage.
In the fall Of the year all rubbish
should be cleared away and the land
plowed deep so as to destroy as many
pupae as possible Many will be
killed, and the. others will be exposed
to birds and incicaent weather; and
in this way the number Of moths
emerging the following year win be
materially lessened.-T. E. McElroy.
Department Of Entomology, Oklahoma
A. & M College, Saltwater.