The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1919-06-19

| Although the female moths of the
| European corn borer are capable of
| flight, and may extend gradually the
present limit of the pest by natural
| spread, the chief danger of the cOun-
| try's corn crop lies in the possibility
! that such plant material infested
by the insects may be transported
| throughout the country and start other
! sources Of infestatiOn. In order to
| combat this danger it will be necessary
strictly to enforce all federal and state
guarantees, prohibiting the transpor-
tatiCn out of the infested area of all
plants or plant products likely to be
infested by the borers.
a most effective method of destroy
ing the European corn bOrer is TO burn
all of the previous years corn stalks,
corn stubble, crop remnants and stalks
of garden plants, weeds and larger
grasses that may contain the over
Wintering bOTers. This must be done
during the late fall winter and early
spring, while the bOrerS are hiding In
such material. Infested plants may
also be disposed Of when practicable
by feeding them to live stock or by
burying them in n manure or compost
heap. 1t should be clearly understood
that each and every plant likely to be
infested must be destroyed. This in
cludes the stubble and upper part Of
the roots. Occasionally plants or parts
of plants which may seem hardly
worth the trouble to clean up are like
ly to harbOr enough borers to give rise,
by the end Of the season, to as many
insects as We're present before the
cleanup operations began.
Burning Most Effective.
Complete burning is undoubtedly the
most effective and cheapest method
known for the destruction of infested
material, especially during the late
fall, winter and spring, when the vege-
tatlon is dead and dry. 1t may be nee.
essary to sprinkle the plants with oil
or 10 use other fuel TO secure complete
combustion. Where it is possible and
safe 10 use a running fire in destroying
infested plants, this is the quickest
means.
In some cases, particularly in that
of corn, the infeStatiCn may be con-
trolled by feeding the grain to live
stock either directly from the field OF
as ensilage. From the economic stand
point this is the best possible means of
destruction. In some infested districts
il is common for the owners Of dairy
COWS to collect fodder from the sweet
corn paintings Of tie market gardens
as well as from home gardens after
the crop has been harvested. Where
fodder is fed green ii should be run
through a shredder or cutting machine
before it is given to the live stock, as
this process greatly reduces the
chances that any of the borers con-
tanned therein will survive.
The practice Of blowing under in
Tested material is not recommended,
because plowing, even when carefully
done, will not cover the material deep
iy enough to prevent the borers from
making their way to the surface, and
a few stalks may remain exposed.
Experiments in applying arSenical
poisons to the surface of corn plants
have shown that large numbers Of the
borers may be poisoned in this manner
during the early stages. At this period
they feed to slight extent on the
surface of the plants, especially on the
leaf plants. 1t was found impossible,
however, to protect the plants entirely
in this manner, as the number of Dor
ers not killed by the poison was suf-
ficient TO damage the stalks and ears
severely. The cost Of applying these
pOisOns is prohibitive, because several
applications are necessary, and the
method is not recommended.