The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1915-07-09
THE FALL
ARMY WORM
IS COMING
WARNS FARMERS
TO BE PREPARED TO MEET
THE ATTACKS OF THIS DE-
STRUCTIVE PEST.

Washington. July 9.-The presence
southern and central Texas and there
is every reason TO believe that it will |
work its way northward as the season
| advances. Farmers in the line OF
march therefore are being warned |
| by specialists in the United States !
| department OF agriculture to keep n |
sharp eve upon their crops, especially |
alfalfa, corn and the sorphums, in
order to prevent the pest from getting |
start upon them. Wien the first |
appear the wCrIns are very small and |
feed beneath matted grass, etc, but
they grow rapidly and suddenly mi |
CRATE in myriads to the corn or sor- !
ghum fields. If the ground between
the corn rows is grassy the worms
will probably originate there and feed
there until p;rtly grown before at
taclling the corn. There is danger,
therefore. tina; before the farmer is
aware of thei- presence he will find
his corn stripped to bare stalks and
his alfalfa to bare stems
Where a close eXamir alton of a
corn field shows the presence OF the
fall army worm ectual'S attacking
the corn, the department Of agricul-
ture recommends busting the plants
with powdered arsenate of lead, using
from to pounds per acre, mixed
with or 3 times its weight OF flour
This precautiol is, of course, out OF
the question IN forage crops or on
corn afterwards to be used for fodder
on account of tbe danger of poisoning
stock. In such cases a hundred
pounds of whaa. bran may be mixed
with couple pounds of either Paris
green or powdered arsenate of lead,
preferably the former, and the whole
mass worked i:ito a stiff dough by the
use of to gallons of molasses and
the Juice of nalf dozen oranges or
lemons added thereto. II this is
sown broadcast on the ground, where
the worms are at work, they will
: feed upon it and be killed The
worms, it has been found, will come
to the poison-,i bait from distances
, of from to 10 inches.
In alfalfa feds the immediate cut
ting and curing of the alfalfa Is
advisable as soon as TIE infestatlon
has been discovered This will not
only save the hay crop but will cut
off the food q the fall army worm
and check thereby the development
of another generation which may be
many times more destructive than the
first AS soon as the hay has been
removed fror, the field the ground
should be roller with heavy roller
or brush dragged, or the poison bait
can be used.
= The habit Of the moths of descend
S ing an inch or two into the ground
a in order to pass into the pupal state
j Is of great Importance i'll their con-
r troll II has been estimated that shall
S low cultivation will destroy from 90
= to 80 per cent of the insects at this
time, the efficiency of the measure
y depending upon the thOroughness with
, which the work is done In alfalfa
. the use of the spiked-tooth harrow
or the alfalfa cultivator is best un-
. less it is known that disking is not
a, injurious TO the plants Cultivation
=, of the ground between the rows OF
corn has been found to destroy nearly
, all of these puIae, thereby preventing
the development of another genera
ton. Ordinar' Y, thre are from 3 TO
or even generations OF the fall
:, army worm in the course OF year
h the damage done increasing as each
4 successive generation spreads to the
s northward
When fields are threatened with in
= vasion. but have not as yet become
d actually infesed, deep furroW
should be pl0wed out around the
entire circumference of the field. Into
this furrow tha advancing worms VIII
S fall. They may then be killed 10y
dragging a heavy log through the
: furrow. or, in sections where irri
r cation is possible. the furrow may
e he filled with water and small guam
s tity of kerosene sprinkled over the
t. surface. This will kill the worms al
most instantly
r. The fall arTy worm, when tuI
p. grown caterpillar, is about IL lncA-
+ es in length. The body is striped
, on a ground varying in color from
% pale. yellowish trown to black more
mr. loss streaked and intermixed Will