Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1913-08-01
Getting Rid of Cutworms.


Oregon Agricultural College, Cor
vallis-Cut worms, reported to be
epidemic in the wheat fields of Eastern
Oregon and Washington, may be COM
batted by many methods, one of the
most efficient of which is simply good
farm practices; fall and winter plow-
ing; cleaning up and burning trash
about the fields and in fence corners
rotation of crops; and thorough culti-
walton.
"The adults are moths, most of
them nocturnal in habit, medium
sized, smoky gray and brownish, -
says A. L. Lovett, assistant entomolo-
gist at the Oregon Agricultural COL
lege. GAS caterpillars they are sleek,
well fed, ranging when full grown
from one to nearly two inches in
length. They are variously colored,
dull yellowish, smoky gray, whitish,
greenish striped and clouded, and very
sparsely haired.
"They have three pairs of true legs
on the three segments just back of the
head, and five pairs of prolegs on seq
ments farther back. They remain
tightly curled in some darkened place,
under clod or down in the soil a
short distance, throughout the day,
emerging to feed at night.
Occasionally, under peculiar condi-
tions of climate, numbers or food sup
ply, they assume army habits, crawl
ing in hordes during the day and de-
vouring everything green in their
path. They are then termed army
worms. Nearly every year there is
one or more of these outbreaks, and
certain species have SO frequently as
sumed this army habit as to have
gained the distinction of a definite
name, as the true army worm, the fall
army worm, the wheat head army
worm and the erratic army worm.
"Cut worms have a wide range of
food plants and few field or garden
crops are immune.
Ornamental plants frequently suffer
severely, and several species of the
worm have assumed climbing habit,
and attacked the fruit buds and leaves
of our orchard trees. Some species
cut plants well above the top of the
soil, others just at the surface, and
some others underground on the stem
and roots.
"Some pass the winter as eggs,
some as adult moths, but the majority
hibernate in the soil as half-grown
caterpillars ready to emerge in the
spring and attact the first green shoots
that appear. Their normal habitat is
the grass lands, but where new land is
broken up they will attack the culti-
waited crop. A single female will lay
as high as 200 to 500 eggs, usually
placed in mass on the host plant.
Because of their frequent occur
renee and number the cut worms have
invited the attack of a variety of
enemies, both predacious and parasi-
tic. All types of poultry and several
species of birds, including the robin,
cat-bird, black bird and quail include
the cut worm in their menu. Toads
should be given free range in the gar
den and encouraged to stay, as they
feed freely on all these worms; spi-
ders, certain ground beetles, ants,
wasps, and the ,spined soldier bug all
prey upon the cut worms. There are
also many parasitic flies which deposit
eggs in or on the caterpillar and their
larvae feed on its internal organs.
"Fall and winter plowing will do
much to check certain species, espe-
cially those which are in the egg stage
at that time. The poison bats are
really the standard remedy for the cut
worms, however. A poisoned bran
mash should be placed over the field a
few days before the crop is set or ap-
pears. If the caterpillars are working
in from one side, lines of poisoned
bran mash should be strewn at right
angles to their course. For tomatoes,
cabbages and like crops large spoon
full may be placed about each hill after
planting.
"Since the worms are now prac-
tically full grown there is little that
can be done this season, but where
they are proving menace, l would
advise that early fall plowing be done,
as well as winter plowing, to expose
those that are alternating to the
weather and the birds. Then clean up
and burn all trash and weeds about the
fields and in the fence corners. If the
cut worms are very bad establish ro-
tation of crops, SO that something may