Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1918-06-25
cutworms.
HOW TO CONTROL THIS COMMON Garden
PEST.

HOW TO coNTRoLTHIs COMMON GARDEl
PEST.
Numerous inquiries concerning tn
ravages of cutworms on beans, corn
lettuce, cabbage and other garden vege
tables are received each year By tht
Maine Agricultural Experiment Station
Sometimes . writer will wait too long be
fore making inquiry and since verJ
prompt remedial action is necessary ir
controlling cutworms It 10 deemed 3D.
visible to emphasize their importance ai
this time. Doctor Lintner Of the New
Jersey State Department Of Agriculture
has estimated that out worms cause
American vegetable growers an annual
loss of 81 ,000, 900 and Maine ID not the
least of the states affected.
Cutworm injury is very CHARACTERISTIC.
The plants are gnawed or cut OF, just OF
the surface or perhaps little below the
level of the ground and later In the
season the cutworm will often climb the
plants and injure foliage and frnIt. The
depredations begin just ss soon 90 the
young plants appear above the ground,
and continue into July. Oddly enough
We seldom see the cutworm for he feeds
only at night and buries himself In the
ground a. soon as daylight appears o.
though sometimes he crawls under
boards or rubbish. II You should dig
for him around the base of Q ruined
bean plant you would find q smooth,
naked, clay colored, curled up, worm
like caterpillar about an inch long.
This is the culprit. Step on him!
Cutworms are the caterpillar stage Of
the very common "Miller" moths which
lowered about the lamps as long ago as
Esop wrote his fables and are still to be
seen on summer evenings. It 10 these
moths which lay eggs, generally In grass
land or amongst weeds, from which the
young cutworms hatch 10 the fall, usual.
ly in September. The young cutworms
feed during the fall months on weeds
and grass and then hibernate during the
winter. If this land should be plowed
in the spring thus depriving them OF
food they will be very hungry when the
young plants come up and Mr.. Cutworm
is generally right there waiting and will
begin to out away the young plant stems.
II he js left undisturbed he will wax tat
and finally descend into the ground
where he becomes pupa or motionless
bag in which he changes over to a
rownish or grayish moth, later coming
out to fly about the lamps. If the egg
was laid In grassland, the chances are
that the injury from this insect would
not be suspected for under these c0ndl-
tions there is an abundance of his nstur-
al food. II, however, he grew up In what
turned out to be . garden and
the gardener was q conscientious
objector to the presence OF
cutworms, then the chances are that the
following old fashioned receipt would be
used.
Control cutworms with poison bait.
This is very easily made up of white
arsenic (can be bought at any drug store)
some molasses and something such as
bran with which to make mash. To
the old fashioned formula wheat bran
was used but any stock feed middlings,
meal, old oatmeal, oat bran or similar
material is almost as good. Mix the
white arsenic and the bran material
while dry and put the molasses into Q
cup or q bucket of water to dissolve.
Then add enough Of this sweetened
water to the bran to make 1t just moist
throughout. Place q teaspoonful at the
base (not touohing) of each plant sf-
fected and near the base of adjacent
plants. Where the damage seems to be
along an edge bordering q piece Of
grassland, put some down near each
plant along the border.
Use the following quantities: For
gardens OF IL acre or less use:
1quart bran Tor substitute.)
/ teaspoonful white arsenic.
/ tablespoonful molasses.
Water to moisten.
For 1 to 2 acre gardens use:
10 lbs. bran Tor substitute).
/ lb. white arsenic.
quart m6iasses.
Water to moisten.
For use where general infestation exists
In q acre plot or more, scatter sparing-
ly over entire field:
80 lbs bran Tor substitute).
Q lbs. Paris Green or 8 lbs. arsenate
OF lead (powder).
z Qtg. m0lao6ee.
Many people add to this poison mash
the juice and crushed pulp of some fruit
that happens to be handy such "a grape
fruit, apples, tomatoes, oranges, can
taloupes, etc.; which may have just gone
by and 1t is considered by scientific people
to be q very good practice. This poison
bait Is cheap, easily mixed and easily
applied. The fact that 1t is very old
remedy which was standard many years
ago has given Q sufficient test to its
reliability. One of the best features of
the poison is that as soon ~ the worm
has fed he crawls into the ground from
which he never emerges 90 that the birds
do not eat the dead cutworms. But we
are sometimes deprived - this way from
seeing the results OF our control method.
Another method of cutworm control
is to dip freshly cut clover into arsenate OF
lead mixture and then leave bunches OF
clover near tho base of the plants.
Both of these remedies should be ap.
piled in the evening 30 that tho sun will
not dry them out too much to suit the ap.
petite of the cutworm. Care should be
taken to keep poultry away from areas
thus treated.
Fall plowing 10 effective In killing
many cutworms by turning them up to
the weather and exposing them to birds.
|-Chss. D. Woods, Director, Maine Ex.
pertinent Station.
49, n., Va. n~~<>a~ Dad.