Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1915-08-31
ARMY WORM IS
HURTING CROPS
georgia State Board OF Entomology
Tells How To Apply Effective
Remedy

Atlanta, Collaboration is In the
hands of the Georgia Board of Ento-
mology showing that the army worm
is ravag1ng the crops in several wide
ly separated sections of the State.
and that there is danger of a still
more serious spread of the pest unless
proper means are taken by the farm
ers to combat it.
Tne army worm, which is so named
because it travels in great numbers
and devastates as it goes, should not
be confused with the cotton cater
pillar. The cotton caterpillar attacks
the leaves of the cotton plant, while
the army worm seldom, if ever, feeds
on cotton.
The army worm attacks corn, sor-
ghum, alfalfa and forage crops, and
the principal damage it is now infiict-
ing in Georgia is on alfalfa, sorghum
and young corn.
The army worm matches out from
eggs deposited by the moth in clus-
tiers of fifty or more on the exposed
surface of grasses and food plants.
When the worms or caterpillars hatch
out they usually form colony at first,
remaining in close proximity to each
other. They grow very rapidly, and
in two or three weeks reach a length
of about one and a half inches. There
is wide variation in the color mark
ing. The ground color on the back is
usually either greenish or black.
Three distinct yellow stripes are plain
ly traced along the back. When seen
from the side, a stripe is noticed just
above the legs, which may be light
gray, pink or yellowish in color. When
molested 1t holds on tenaciously to
the object on which it is feeding.
An Effective Remedy.
While the ravages of this pest are
serious If not checked, State Ento-
mologist e. Lee Worsham points out
that there is an effective and easily
applied remedy, which consists Of the
use of arsenate Of lead or Paris green
as follows:
III thO Vase VI ypuA6 CoiH VI sur
ghum, the poison should be applied
as spray, using one of the following
formulas:
Two to three pounds of arsenate of
lead, and four to five pounds of I'M
slaked lime to fifty gallons of water.
Or, one pound of Paris green, and
two to three pounds Of unslaked lime
to 100 gallons of water.
One thorough spraying should be
sufficient, but if the pests recur, the
plants should be sprayed again.
The spray, however, is only for
young corn and sorghum.
For alfalfa, and ali other crops 9TH
er than corn and sorghum, 1t is much
better to apply the poison by dust
ing, for which one of the following
formulas should be used:
One pound powdered arsenate of
lead to six or eight pounds of unslak-
ed lime or -four.
Or one pound of Paris green to
twelve or fifteen pounds of lime or
-four.
How To Use Poison Dust.
The most convenient way is to dust
through bags of eight7punce duck. A
good arrangement is to take two bags
and place one on each end of pole,
walking through the fields with the
pole held horizontally, or resting it on
the saddle bow If riding on horse
or mule. If the crop is planted in
rows the pole may be cut so as to
measure just the width between two
rows, so that one bag is above each
row as the busting progresses.
The same busting combination may
be used to splendid advantage in con-
trolling the spread of the worm and
preventing it from entering new fields.
The best way to do this is to dust the
plants thoroughly around all the edges
of the field thus forming poisoned
barrier which the army worm cannos
pass.