The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1920-07-15
THE SOUTHERN GRASS WORM
ON CORN.
Continued from LIST page.)


to the mixture has been found to
be advantageous. The bait is
usually scattered broadcast over
the infected fields.
1t has been used with success in
cases where the worms were OBJ
served to be present in fields
where the corn was planted but
not up yet.
Poisoning Corn Plants.-Pois-
oning is rather unsatisfactory for
these worms unless it is done
while they are very small. Corn,
especially, should be watched
carefully and if small white spots
are seen on the leaves, it is quite
likely that the little worms will
be found eating on one side of the
leaf. The small worms are white
and are only found by careful
searching. Where at all numer-
Gus it will pay to poison them at
once. They can be very readily
poisoned while young, but it
seems to take considerable poison
to kill them after they are nearly
grown. Poisoning is therefore of
somewhat doubtful value when
the worms have reached an inch
inch in length. Arsenate of lead
and Paris green are the poisons
that will give the moost satisfac-
tory results. If spray pumps are
available a liquid spray is best.
This can be made of one pound of
the paste arsenate of lead to Is
gallons of water, or l pound of
Paris green and 2 pounds of lime
to 100 gallons of water. Dissolv-
ing a pound of ordinary laundry
soap to each Is gallons will make
the poison stick to the leaves
much better. 1t is important that
the mixture be stirred we'll be-
fore each portion is taken out and
that only enough for one days
use be mixed at a time.
Dry Poisoning or Dusting-
busting has the advantage that
there is no extra weight of water
to be carried about the feds and
tht sacks or dust guns are usually
more easily secured than spray
pumps. Powdered arsenate Of
lead may be applied pure, if put ON
lightly enough, but to secure bet
ter and more even distribution a
mixture with three or four times
it's weight or air-slacked lime is
suggested. Paris green is much
more apt to burn the plants and
should be mixed with Is or even
20 times its weight of flour or air
Stacked lime so as to get it on the
plants more thinly. The powders
will stick better if applied in the
morning while the dew is on the
plnts. Applications must be re-
peated frequently during rainy
seasons.
The Next Generation
In many localities we are find
ing that the natural enemies of
the grass worm are rapidly reduc-
ing it to it's normal insignificant
numbers. Birds such as Rain
crows, Meadowlarks, Bluebirds
and Bobwhites are proving again,
for anyone to see, that they are
among the farmers best friends
and should be protected as such.
Even the Dove and the Blackbird,
upon which the farmer used to
look askance, are paying for their
depredations in the pea field and
grain land by the hearty way in
which they are feasting upon this
pest. Predaceous insects such as
wasps, robberflies, ground beetles
and searchers are beginning to
produce results, while the para
site forms like the red-tailed
tachina fly are multiplying rapid
ly during the present favorable
hot, dry weather.
The indications are that many
acres in which the worms have
been numerous will be practically
free of the next generation. Yet
this will not be the case every
where by any means and it be-
hooves every farmer to kill as
many as possible of the worms
now feeding, and after they enter
the ground and pupate to destroy
by cultivation, as many pupal
cells as possible, then to be on the
out look with poison on hand to
kill the young caterpillars of the
next generation as soon as they
appear, which will be in different
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