The Glasgow courier., 1916-04-07
KILLING OF WINTER WHEAT
BY Cutworms and the Extreme VIM
ter Weather

Reports are already coming to the
Experiment Station from several Sec
tions of the State that the army cut
worm which caused serious loss OF
winter wheat last year is again d.
ing damage Reports of serious win
of wheat are also coming
to us. Farmers are urged, therefore
to examine the winter wheat fields
at once to see if the crop has been
killed out or is being destroyed.
How to Look for CutwOrms
Look very carefully in the grain
fields for plants that have been eaten
by worms and search for the small
worms from half inch to an inch in
length with the usual cutworm ap-
pearance. They are more easily
found in the late afternoon.
How to Look for Winter Killing
Plants that have died from winter
injury lie shriveled and dead on the
ground and may be easily pulled up
as the roots are dead and broken.
Sometimes a field may show a little
evidence of life and the plants take
on a green color for a short time ear
ly in the spring and then die down
in places so that the field has a spot
ted appearance. Don't conclude that
the crop has killed out until growth
is fairly we'll started in the vicinity
as all winter wheat plants look with
cred and dead early in the spring.
To distinguish between cutworm
injury and winter-killing it should
be borne in mind that winter-killing
has already been done and that the
cutworm injury is just beginning.
There should be no difficulty in max
ing certain of the cause of the dam
age if the individual plants are close
" examined. The worms eat off the
top of the plant, while if killed by
severe winter the entire plant is there
but withered and dead.
What to do for Cutworms
To meet the cutworm difficulty and
keep the loss from this cause at
minimum, the farmers should start
at once to carefully watch their fields
and keep this up till the danger from
the worms is passed. In this way they
will be able to detect at the earliest
possible moment the presence OF the
worms in injurious numbers. 1t is MOI
sufficient to recognize the difficult!
after the destruction is well undel
way. If the State Entomoligist ha<
been informed earlier last year, il
many cases much grain could hav'
been saved. Poisoned bran mash, re
commended by the Experiment Sta
; ton last year, was very extensivel!
used and was uniformly reported t.
be satisfactory. =
: Grain growers should be prepared
7 in advance to control the worms !
thew come. In view of the fact tha
5 large amounts of bran or shorts am
Paris green may be called for on shor
notice, in any neighborhood, farmer
should have in mind where they ca
] buy and get quick delivery. Send t
! the Experiment Station for circula
4 on cutworms.
: What to do, for Winter-killing
!. AS soon as the farmer is certal
v that fields or parts of fields have bee
e killed out he should plant some sprin
crop. If the field is in fair conditio
e the crop may be drilled in at onc'
e while if the soil is baked or poorl
S prepared last year it may be wise
0 disk before seeding.
u Marquise spring wheat has dor
q we'll in Montana and this may I
e seeded where the winter wheat VIZ
a killed out, at the rate of from thrt
a or four pecks per acre. Other sprin
n wheat varieties which have given ia
n satisfaction are Scotch Fife, Blueste
n and Kubanka; the latter is Macaro