The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1919-06-06
Cutworms Reported
Marching in County

farm bureau office at PlentyWood.
Sheridan county is fortunate in not
being infested to as great an extent
as counties to the west but enough
information has come in to indicate
that losses will be felt in some 10
calltles. 1t is not known whether
the trouble is altogether due to the
Army Cutworm or to the coming In
OF a new cutworm which is puzzling
our entomologists in counties in the
Havre section.
The Army Cutw0rm
The Army cutworm attacks,
grains, grasses and garden crops. 1t
is about two inches long resembling
the ordinary cutworm in appearance.
Two brownish stripes color his sides
and two chocolate colored stripes
are found on his back. The first
trace of cutworm injury are the ap-
pearance of more or less semicircu-
lar areas nibbled from the edges or
through the leaves. The cutworms
hatch out during September or Octo-
Der and after feeding during the
fall months, they lie dormant until
spring. They are then active until
June LIST in an average season but
are undoubtedly staying out later
this year. Then they go into the
pupa stage for six weeks, emerging
at the end of that time as moth
whose only damage is the reproduc-
ton Of more cutworms.
The New Cutworm
The new cutworm does it's dam
age underneath the surface of the
ground and chews off the tender CEN
trail stems down to the very base of
the stems. He differs in this respect
from the army cutworm and requires
a different method of control.
What to Do.
If you notice any damage from
worms in your fields, make a careful
study of the conditions in the late
afternoon Or evening when the
worms are most active. Notice
where the worms are thickest and
whether the areas in which they are
working are well defined or generally
distributed throughout the entire
field. Also determine whether the
army cutworm or the new cutworm
is doing the damage.
LIST. If the worms are working in
well defined areas and other parts
of the field are comparatively free
from them, the field can be saved and
the spread of the worms can be pre-
vented, by blowing around the in
Tested areas. Let the steep side of
the furrow lie away from the worms
and toward the uninfested parts of
the field. The worms find great
trouble in crawling over this steep
barrier. Bran mash scattered in the
furrow is effective.
End. Where the worms are scat
tered all over the field, the only
remedy is the spreading of poisoned
bran mash. For the army cutworm,
our main dependence lies in the
spreading of the following bran mas
at the rate of Is pounds to the acre.
DO NOT PUT ON TOO THICK.
Coarse bran or shorts--25 lbs.
Paris green -.-----------.-.------.--- 1 Id.
Salt -.--.-----....-....- --...---.--.--... Id.
MolaSses ----.-.-.-.--...-.-...--.... l Id.
Mix the molasses in a gallon of
water and add to the remainder OF
the mixture which has previously
been mixed thoroughly. After STIR
ring until evenly moist, add enough
additional water to make coarse
crumbly mash. Scatter late after
noon or evening. 1t is most effective
when moist.
For the new worm, who works I'M
derneath the surface, the mash must
be seeded down to the worms with a
disc drill. The mash tried in Hill
County was prepared as follows:
Bran or shorts pounds
Paris Green -.-.------..-2 pounds
Molasses -------------.-..-.,...-.-2 gallons
Water ------------,----------------1 gallon
Make it lie the other formula.
Spread out to dry and put it through
a coarse screen. Then seed through
a regular grain drill to a depth of an
inch and half, running the drill
across the grain rows. With Van
Brunt type Of drill the guages can
be run about one-half way open. The
cost will be about $3.50 per acre.
This method is not a complete sue
cess but is the best known method
for the new worm. In Hill county
about so per cent Of the worms were
found dead after the mash had been
in the ground two days.
Reseeding
Oats and flax are less injured than
other grains and can be reseeded on
destroyed areas with some safety.
Flax can be sown until the middle of
the month and one might take
chance on a little later than that,
if the soil moisture conditions are
right.
Report Infested Areas
Please report infested areas to
the farm bureau office. If the worms
seem to become real menace, ex-
pert assistance will be sent for, in
an effort to control the situation.
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