The Evening Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1917-1920, 1920-05-27
'BOONE COUNTY SAVED
sNFROM ARMY WORM
DR.. Haseman Says the Heavy
Rains and Vigorous Vege-
tation Will Stop Scourge.
ARE MANY WORMS
Dry Spring Forces Pest to Go
From Field to Field, De-
strOying All Plants.

The heavy rainfall and vigorous
vegetation and crops of Boone County
will probably save it from q scourge
of army worms like that which is raw
aging Stoddard County and other To-
calities in Southeast Missouri, in the
opinion of DIR. Leonard Haseman, state
entomologist.
The army worm only becomes mi
gratory when it becomes necessary to
move in order to get food. If there is
plenty of vegetation in the fields orig
inally infested, the army worm will
stay there. If there is not, the mi
grafton to other fields will begin.
This is the condition found in Stod-
dard County now. The number of
worms is enormous and a dry spring
has forced them to move from field to
field. destroying every bit of plant
life in their path
Each year a different locality suf-
fers heavily from them. In 1914,
there was an outbreak in which Mis-
souri, and several adjacent states were
infested throughout. Boone County had
its share of the plague in those years.
The pastures of the animal husbandry
department of the University, to the
southeast of Columbia, looked as if
they had been burned over.
Since that time, this section has had
no migrations. The worms are present
each year, but there is enough food to
keep them in the fields originally in
tested. If the next two or three
months are excessively dry, there is
a small possibility of Boone County
having migration this year.
Doctor Haseman advises that farm
ers who find the army worm in their
fields take measures to exterminate
them. Had StOddard County started to
work before the worm became a
scOurge, great deal Of the damage
could have been prevented. The worms
when fully grown are about one and
one-half inches long, They are dark
in color, smooth and have almost in
visible longitudinal stripes. They
closely resemble the cutworm, but are
more active. They eat almost any kind
Of vegetation, especially wheat, corn,
and other cereals, alfalfa, legumes and |
garden stuff.
The best way to exterminate them is
by poison bait made as follows: so |
pounds of bran and pounds of white |
arsenic or Paris green mixed dry. Put
about or 4 quarts Of cheap molasses
in from to gallons of water Stir |
until the molasses is dissolved. Then |
add the Juice and chopped up peel of |
from to 6 oranges or lemons to the |
water and molasses. Pour this over |
the dry mixture of bran and arsenic
Work into stiff mash, using more |
water il necessary. Care should be
taken not to make it sloppy or soggy.
1t should be of such consistency that,
when sown broadcast over the fields, |
the fakes OF bran will not stick to-
gether, but will fall separately. If 1t
is lumpy and sticks together, there is
danger Of cattle and poultry getting |
enough of the arsenic to kill them. II
properly mixed, there is no danger to
stock in having them in poisoned pas
lures. This was determined by expert
ments here several years ago.
The bran mash should be sown in
the same way as oats. The best time
is in the late afternoon, as the worms
do most of their feeding then.
II the worms have already started
to migrate to other fields, the poisoned
mash should be sown in strips in their
path.