Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1916-07-21

| CORN AND COTTON WIREWORM-A, ADULT
BEETLE; b. LARvA ENLARGED.
ment of agriculture has just published
farmers bulletin 725, "Wireworms De-
structive to Cereal and Forage Crops"
by j. A. Hyslop.
east and middle west is pale yellow,
cylindrical and shiny. When full
grown 1t Is about one inch in length
and about as thick as the lead in q
pencil. It can be readily recognized
by the two dark spots near the base
of the tail. Normally it feeds upon
grass roots and produces no disturb
ance in the meadows. When the sod is
broken, however. the insects gather in
the drill rows or hills and destroy the
seed or eat off the roots Of the plants
which sprout. In this way the crop
often is absolutely destroyed.
To control the wheat wireworm land
intended for corn should be plowed
Immediately after the first cutting of
hay. usually early in July. Through
out the remainder of the summer this
~ infested land in corn should also
be deeply cultivated even at the risk
Of slightly root pruning the corn. AS
soon as the crop is removed the field
should be very thoroughly titled be-
fore sowing to wheat. Wheat fields
that are not seeded to other crops
should be plowed as soon as the wheat
is harvested. This kills the worms by
destroying their food supply and pre-
venting proper Information. Where cir
cumstances permit, interposing be-
tween sod and corn such crops as
field peas and buckwheat, which are
not severely attacked by wireworms,
will materially reduce the number Of
worms in the soil when corn is
planted.
Corn wireworms damage cereal and
forage crops in the middle Atlantic
states, the New England states and
the Mississippi valley. They are red.
dish brown in color, about one and
one-fOurth inches long. cylindrical in
shape and have three slight lobes or
projections on the tail These insects
spend a considerably longer time in
the soil than the wheat wireworm. In
some cases they have been known to
live in the ground as long as six years.
On the other hand. they are almost
exclusively confined to poorly drained
and heavy soils. For this reason
heavy lining and thorough tile drain.
ing will undoubtedly prove beneficial
in their control. The thorough cult
vation of waste land, especially along
drainage bitches and creeks during
midsummer, and the deep cultivation
Of crops and fallow land are also rec.
commended.
Meadow wireworms attack corn, DO
tatocs. onions, cabbage, radishes, tur.
nips, horseradish. spinach, sugar beets
and alfalfa. In the northwest they are
most destructive on irrigated lands and
In the east on poorly drained areas.
They look very much like the dry land
wireworm, but can be easily distin-
guished from other varieties by their
forked tails. They do not usually Mt.
tack beans or peas, and the planting
of these crops before seeding to corn
would therefore assist in controlling
the pest. The thorough tile draining
Of infested fields in eastern areas and
the heavy lining Of the land at the
rate Of about two tons to the acre, to-
gether with deep cultivation during
July and August are other measures
that specialists recommend for their
control.
The dry land wireworm and the In
fated wireworm of the west are yer.
similar in appeaia:. L and seem ~ t.
confined to the Dr. farmin" regions =
the northwest ana ~ the whca; re-
gions Of the northern uiiIie wn%:
In the dry land regions this .'.~r
worm feeds on.y GIr.as spt!nG r,.v
hot. dry months it passes III dept
of from four to eight inches below the
surface. This habit makes it possib.
to control the pest by bre.:h'ns ~ the
soil in the hot months. The restin--
wireworms that are not actually crush
ed by the cultivation will soon sue
cumb to drying when their cell gre