South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-05-17
EUROPEAN BORER
THREATENS CORN
Future OF Americas Greatest
Crops Depends on EradiCa-
ton of Crop Pest.

The European corn Ha-er threat
ems the future ~ America greatest
crop. This pet plies his trade with
the industry OF beaver 90 the eN-
tent that be U.s. the moss dangerous
plant pest that aas t-. rumlgratcd
from foreign fields 20 rhe corn lands
OF Uncle sam The larvae. or bOr-
ers. hungry as half starved rats
tunnel through all parts n the corn
plant excepting the roots and de-
stroy or severely injure tre ears and
stalks. THAT their dict may have
variety they also attack celery
Swiss chard beans ,eeJs. spinach
oats. potatoes. tomatoes. turnips. ass
well as dahlias chry.anthemIms
sladiolas. geraniums. timothy other
grasses. and weeds Two genera
tiOns occur each year. SO that null
uplication and spread are rapid.
especially as few are destroyed uy
natural enemies
Specialists of the United states
department OF agriculture. i'm farm-
ers bulletin 1896. describe the dam
ger 20 American corn hv the pres
ence OF the European corn borer in
eastern Massachusetts. They SUR
mise that the pest was introduced in
war hemp imported from Europe
for use in Massachusers cordage
factories. or possibly in bales OF
broom corn imported bv factories iu
central New York. There are g5
towns an Massachusetts including AN
area or about $40 square miles. i'm
tested with the insect. which has
been confined 10 the limits of it's
original infection exec Jt for an out
break discovered in January i'm the
vicinity OF Schenectady. ". y. COW
ering an area OF approximately 800
square miles
How Pest Works
The larvae. or borers tunnel
through all parts Of me corn plant
except the fbrous roots. They
cause the most serious damage 10y
their work i'm the stalks and ears.
which they partially or totally de-
strOy. Generally they enter the
stalk at its upper end and near the
base OF the tassel and az first tun-
mel upward. This damage so weak
ems the tassel stalk that il breaks
over before the tasseI natures. re-
sulting i'm loss OF pollen and the
lack OF normal grain formation on
the ears These broken tassels.
with EXTENSIONS OF sawdust-Iike ma
terial at the breaks. are the most
conspicuous signs Of infestation i'm
the field.
Field counts In badly infested
areas have shown as many as 90
percent of the tassels broken over
in this manner After destroying
the tassel the borers tunnel down
ward through the stalk. gradually
increasing the size Of their tunnel az
they develop. Instead Of entering
the stalk near the tassel many OF
the borers enter between the leaf
sheath and stalk al a point lower
down. and tunnel upward or down
ward according 20 their individual
preferences When several or many
horers are working within the same
stalk it soon is reduced To- mere
shell This injury cuts of the sup
ply 81 nutriment from the develop
ing ear and greatly weakens the
stalk. which eventually breaks over.
Some Of the partly grown borers
leave the stalk and enter the esry
through the husks and also through
the stem and cob Here they feed
upon the immature grain and tun-
mel through all parts of the cob.
Eggs Laid In summer
I'm july and August many of the
moths deposit their eggs directly
upon the newly developed ears OF
late corn. The resulting crop of
borers feed az FIRST upon the silk
and then enter the ears directly
where they feed voraciously upon
the grain and cob As many as Is
ful-grown borerS. each about am
inch long have been found feeding
upon and within "a single ear OF
corn This extensive injury 10 the
ear results I'm its complete destruc-
tion Some idea OF This damage
may be gained from the fact that
- plants, ComprisinS u hills. were
selected az random from "a badly in
tested Massachusetts corn Geld. and
All the borers found therein were
t.' NAhtttf ''ttlf'hE't tft.M counted
Fcrty-siN horer= on an average
we're found iu each plant. while one
OF The plants contained ~ borers.
one Hill consisting OF four plants
contained Gi1 borerS AT the aver
age rate Of fs borers a plant an
acre OF corn would contain over a
million OF these pests The borers
enter and damage other crop men.
toned previously In the same way
AS described for corn. but usuau,
10 less serious degree In addition
60 the actual loss caused bv the
work ~ the borers. There Is also TN,
possibility that soruc OF these prod
ucts. when shipped 20 market may
contain the insect and thus serve as
carriers 81 the pest 20 new locations
Spreading 81 Insects.
Although The female moths ~
the European corn borer are cap.
able % light and may extend grad
uelly the present limit OF the pes
hy natural spread The chief danger
% the couutry's corn crop lies lf
The possibility that plant materla
infested by the insects may o.,
rraneurr-rT fnrrrr-r,r-r