Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1915-09-30
THE FALL ARMY WORM.
Worllna lee Way Northward-Ho~ 10
Deal With the Pest.

1 9NAN WIN AttA
lPreparsd by the United States depart
saaI nent OF agrieultnrel 49,. -.
The department OF agriculture has
warned the farmers 20 be prepared q
meet the attack OF the fall army worm
which Is coming east and north from
Texas,
When they first appear the worms
are very small ana feed beneath mat
ted grass, etc. but they grow rapidly
and suddenly migrate In myriads "a
the corn or sorghum fields. IL the
ground beneIth the corn rows Is
grassy the worms Will probably orig
mate there aud feed there until partly
grown before attacking the corn. There
IL danger, therefore. that before the
farmer II aware OF their. presence he
will find his corn stripped TO bare
stalks and his alfalfa 20 bare stems.
Where close examination OF a corn
field shows the presence OF the fan
army worm actually attacking the corn
the department recommends busting
them with powdered arsenate OF lead
using three TO FIVE pounds per acre
mixed with two or three times Its
weight OF -four.
This precautlon is, of course, out OF
the question on forage crops or on
corn afterward to be used as fodder
on account of the danger OF poisoning
stock. In such cases 100 pounds OF
wheat may be mixed with couple OF
pounds either OF paris green or pow
dered arsenate OF lead, preferably the
former, and the whole mass worked
into a stlff dough by the use OF three
TO four gaii0ns of molasses and the
Juice of half a dozen oranges or lem
ons added thereto. If this Is sown
broadcast on the ground where the
worms are at work they will feed
upon 1t and be killed. This worm, 1t
has been found. viii come to the pol
soned bait from distances Of from five
to ten inches.
In alfalfa fields the immediate cut
ting and curing OF the alfalfa Is advis-
able as soon as the infestation has
been discovered. This will not only
save the hay crop, but will cut Off the
food Of 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
from the field the ground should be
rolled with heavy roller or brush
dragged, or the poison bait can be used
The habit of the moths of descend
ing an inch or two into the ground In
order to pass into the pupal state is OF
great importance in their control. 1t
has been estimated that shallow cult
walton will destroy from 80 to 80 per
cent of the insects at this time, the eff
flciency of the measure depending
upon the thoroughness with which the
work is done. In alfalfa the use of the
spiked tooth harrow or the alfalfa cul-
tivator is best unless 1t is known that
disking is not injurious to plants.
Cultivation Of the ground between
the rows of corn has been found to de-
stroy nearly all of these pupae, thereby
the development Of another
generation. Ordinarily there are from
three to four or even FIVE generations
Of the fall army worm in the course
Of a year, the damage done increasing
as each successive generation spreads.
When fields are threatened with in
vasion, but have not as yet become
infested, deep furrow should
be plowed out around the entire cir
conference of the field. Into this fur
row the advancing worms will fall.
They may then be killed by dragging
a heavy log through the furrow, or In
sections where irrigation is possible
the furrow may be filed with water
and small quantity Of kerosene sprin-
lxled over the surface. This will kill
the worms almost instantly.
The fall army worm when a full
grown caterpillar is about one and a
half inches in length. The body Is
striped on a ground varying in color
from a pale, yellowish brown to black,
more or less streaked and intermixed
with dull yellow. On each side there
Is broad yellow undulatlng line more
or less strongly notified with red.
When very young. however, the cater
pillar is nearly black. The worm will
attack almost any form Of vegetation
that is encountered and owes its name
to the fact that, except in the extreme
south, it does not appear until very, |
much later in the season than the
common army worm, which it closely
resembles.
Feed Table For Poultry.