The Elbert County tribune., 1919-06-13
(ey W. II. Lauck.)


Seyernl communities have reported
damage done to the corn crop by cut
worms. The hest immediate methods
of control are cultivation and poison
| Ing. The latter Is rather expensive
and the former not so thoro meth
| cd as is needed. Like many other
pests. or even diseases. prevention Is
far better than cure.
| Cut worms. like the poor, are always
with us, and until we all recognize
| this, we Will have partial or total loss
| of crops. depending on the seasons.
This has been favorable spring for
| their work OF desfruction-cool, wet
weather.
Since we have them to contend with
more or less each year, why not start
this year to control them for next
year? Cutworms breed in the weedy
patches of our fields and In great
numbers in fields that have been ne
elected or uncultivated one or more
years and allowed to grow up to
weeds.
Life History of Cutworms.
The parents of cutworms are gray
ish or brownish moth or 'mlllers,"
which commonly occur Mt lights dur
ing summer evenings. Each moth may
lay from 200 to 800 eggs. either in
masses or singly, In fields covered
with dense vegetation, and hence are
to be found more often in cultivated
fields which have been in grass or
weeds the preceding fall. The eggs
hatch in the fall, n few weeks after
they are laid, usually during Septem-
ber, and the young cutworins, after
feeding on grass and other vegetation
until cold weather. pass the winter as
partly grown caterpillars. II such in
tested fields are left to grass, no
noticeable injury is likely to occur,
but when It Is broken up and planted
to corn or other wide-rowed crops, the
worms, being suddenly placed on
short rations." wreak havoc with the
newly planted crops, the nearly full
grown worms feeding and consuming
an enormous amount of feed. III
northern attitudes they attain full
growth and stop feeding in late June
or early July, and change TO the pupal
or resting stage. The injury often
ceases so suddenly that farmers are
at Il loss to account for the fact. This
is usually caused by hot weather.
Control
As soon as you discover the cut
worms working in your fields or gar
den. start cultivating, working as near
TO the crop as possible. This will turn
many of them out to the sun, causing
them to die. Do this cultivating MS
much as possible during the heat Of
the day.
In listed crops the worms hide most
y in the loose soil on the sides of the
ridges during the day, so If sled
disc cultivator is used, setting the
dsics to throw the soil away from the
plant the desired effect will be OBJ
taned.
In the fields examined Sunday the
worms We're worse In land thar was
foul with weeds last year. The most
noticeable field, from the standpoint
IF having only n few worms and very
little damage TO the crop. was listed
last fall. Here the hard-freezing
Weather of last winter was beneficial
N the destruction of the worms,
Then let us clean cultivate our lands
his year, fall list or plow, burn all
weeds along fence lines and urge 9th
ars to do so. For no matter how care
.ul we may be In carrying out this
program, If some one neglects to do
20 he can breed and grow enough cut
worms to infest an entire township.
Let's work together in this work of
control of two of our most common
pesfs-Weeds and cutworms.