The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1922-04-27
CUT WORMS DAMAGING.
ORCHARDS
Pests Eat Heart Out of Bios
sOms-Campaign of Ex-
termination Started

Some wise guy not long ago made
the assertion that fruit growing is a
i gamble. He is right. But the stakes
are high and rich and worth the game
The latest menace to the orchards are
cut worms-the common old garden
{! variety that bores into the tender
shoots of all kinds Of garden stuff
just below the ground and sucks the
life out of the plant. These same
worms are now climbing fruit trees
principally peach and prune-and cat
ing the very hear out of fruit ouds.
Last year cut worms were destructive
to blossoms on the grape vines in the
I Obermeyer vinyards. on the South
Slope.
/ Fred Baisch, deputy fruit inspector,
/ has just completed thorough inves-
tigation of the ravages of this insect
and sounds note of warning to every
fruit grower to wage war against this
destructive pest. They do their work
at night, hiding in the rubbish at the
foot of trees during the day time.
| Spraying is of no avail. The only
remedy is to poison them in much the
same manner as grasshoppers are
poisoned. Mr.. Baisch says that the
orchard that is not affected is the ex-
ception. In an interview with an In
dex representative, Mr.. Baisch says:
"In looking over peach orchards on
the Slope the past few days, / have
found considerable damage being done
to the fruit buds by the climbing cut
worm; and l wish to call the atten-
ton of all peach and prune growers
to at once examine the peach or prune
orchards for evidence of the presence
of this pest. By examining the live
fruit binds closely it viii be found that
tiny holes have been eaten into the |
buds and the inside followed out; in |
some cases half of the buds are eaten
away. As these worms only feed at /
night they are not noticed until fre-
quently much damage is done to the
crop. They can be found by looking
carefully under the dead leaves and
accumulated rubbish which is general
ly found close to the base of the trees
where they hide during the day time /
The best known method of control is
given by our Field Entomologist,
Claude Wakeland, as follows:
Control of Cutworms
The most effective means of control
S by the use of poison bran niasn, q
handful or so OF which is scattered on
he ground near the base of each tree
lust before dusk. The cu.worms COM
ng out of their hiding places pre-
oaratory to ascending the trees, will
,e attracted to the mash and eat suf-
icient to kill them before makingl
heir way upward. C. R Crosby Of
CORNELL University states that 4 col
ar of cotton batting around the
runks of trees makes> almost 4 per-
ect and cheap barrier against the .
scent of cutworms. His directions
re to unron the batting into thin
heets and cut into srips or 5 inches ,
Vlde. Wrap . strip around each tree I
runk letting the ends overlap an inch
r so, then tie with twine at the bot !.
ON and carefully roll the top Of the
and down over the bottom edge, thus
orming an inverted cotton batting I
annel around the trunk. Using the I
otton batting barrier together with
olson mash should insure complete :.
rejection from climbing cutworms at I
nall cost
Preparation of Feta6A- Dxan Mash
oarse Bran --------------------------.---25 Is lbs.
1hite Arsenic (not leAd arsen-
ate) or Paris groen .---,--..---.1 lb.
heap molaaaes ---.-.--.----.--..--.---.-2 OTIS.
'ater- -Sufficienk 70 make moist, e
umbly mash. LII
Nix together theroughly the dry 5,
an and white arsenic Then make I,
solution ef the nnolAsses in about :,
gallons Of water and sprinkle over d
e dry mixture. Nix the entire mass et
oroughly, adding small amounts of C
ater until the mash il Just moist .;
Iough to form = loooe ball when =
'essed in the hand, hut the balls will q
adily break up into small particles n
hen they are thrown from the hand. b,
The mash win give best results M
hen scattered lightly near the base :.
trees. Avoid distributing it in u
unks as it is not then 80 effective hs
d there is danger Of livestock pick
3 up, the balls or chunks.
that poison bran mash
II kill chickens, cattle, horses or i IN
ne, stock that can obtain it in guam
les and keep all poison and mash O.
Dtected before it is distributed. If oa
operly scattered in the orchard, an
IRE is no danger to any form of bu
'ck other than poultry. in,
Born da
MIR. and Mrs. Wayne DeWalt are we