314 



THE AQRICULTURAIi NEVfS. 



October 4. 1915. 



INSECT NOTES. 



PROTECTION AGAINST WEEVIL IN CORN. 



In a recent article in the Agriculfurcil News reference 

 was made to the habit of the pea weevils of infesting the 

 growing grain in the field, and continuing their depredations 

 in storage after the crop is harvested. In the case of Indian 

 corn a similar thing happens, and, the means to be used for 

 protection against this sort of attack are discussed in Farmers' 

 BulleUn No. gi^, of the United States Department of 

 Agriculture, entitled 'How to Eeduce Weevil Waste in South- 

 ern Corn'. There baa been some extension of corn growing in 

 the West Indies as a war measure, and in connexion with tlie 

 efforts to increase the supplies of locally grown food. In 

 Antigua and St. Vincent there are government corn factories 

 where corn may be dried and disinfected by the application 

 of heat, and stored in insect proof bins. This provides 

 a veiy satisfactory mrans of protecting maize from 

 deterioration as a result of the attacks of insects, and the 

 development of moulds and mildews. The principal 

 method recommended for adoption by the southern farmers 

 in the bulletin referred to is the development of a protective 

 shuck by breeding and seed selection. 



In the Southern States where the production of corn 

 has recently been considerably increased, it is the custom to 

 sto e tlie crop in its shucks because it is more or less vaguely 

 known tliat some of the ears are protected by their shucks. 

 It is nlso well known that many of the ears with a poor 

 shuck become infested and are badly damaged both in the 

 ear, and in storage. The practice of storing these infested 

 ears along with those possessing good protictive shucks 

 often results in the latter becoming infested. It is recom- 

 mended that the sound ears should be stored when harvested. 

 Those which show signs of being infested, and all that liave a 

 pror shuck covering, or one which has been damaged so that 

 weevils may have had an oiipoitunily to enter should be fed 

 as soon as possible. 



For weevil protection it is suggested that an a.lequate 

 shuck covering for the corn ear should be developed by seed 

 selection. For this purpise the shuck should be abundant 

 and tight and should extend beyond the tip of the ear for 

 sevfral inches. Corn developed in such shucks is protected 

 from weevil attack in the field and in storage 



The corn ear worm 1 egins its attack on an ear of corn by 

 eating the silks at the tip and traviOling along the silk channel 

 until it comes to the developing jirain. It has been nnticed 

 that in the cafe of well developed, light shucks the ear worms 

 often cut their way out before reaching the grain. 



The value of shuck protection is recognized in the West 

 Indies where it is a common praC ice to store seed corn in 

 the shuck. The development by felection of an additional 

 protection in the form of an extra long shuck is worthy of 

 consideration in these islands, where the problem of grain 

 storage is » serious one. 



'Ihe following is quoted from the Bulletin : ' In 

 weevil-infested regions ears with poor shuck coverings are 

 damaged before the corn cm be stored. To store corn with 

 short, lose shucks results in (jroatly increased loss. Shucks 



that extend beyond the tips of the ears and close tightly 

 about the silks are weevil proof both in the field and in 

 storage. 



'Feed or sell the unprotected ears as rapidly as possible, 

 'Store the weevil-proof ears in their shucks. 

 'Select the best ears, in the field if possible, for next 

 year's seed. Be sure that these ears have long, tight shucks, 

 so that your next crop will have better shuck protection. 



'A slatted crib lined with galvanized wire netting 

 having \ inch meshes is ideal for the storage of the bags of 

 grain, because it gives good ventilation and excludes rats and 

 lilies. 



H.A.B. 



CONTROL OP THE ONION THRIPS. 



Onion growers in the West Indies may be interested in 

 the information contained in Farmers' BuUetin No. loo'^ of 

 the United States Department of Agriculture, which wais 

 recently issued under the tide which appears above. 



The work of the onion tlirips is familiar to all who 

 have tried to grow onions in the West Indies. The peculiar 

 whitish or silvery appearance of the leaves, and the 

 excessive number of undeveloped and unmarketable bulbs 

 which result from severe attacks of this microscopic in.sect 

 are characteristic, and few, if any, planters, who have tried 

 onion growing on anything like a large scale have been 

 fortunate enough to avoid experiencing the effects of thrips 

 attacks. 



The following quotations from the bulletin men- 

 tioned above indicate the lines along which work should be 

 done to reduce the attacks of this insrc': — 



'The onion thrips, a minute, prolific iusect, almost 

 invisible to the unaided eye, is the most serious menace to 

 the onion-growing industry throughout the whole United 

 Slates. The damage to the onion crop alone is estimated to 

 be at least $2,250,000 annually, and, including the injuries 

 to other crops, the loss will apprcximate $.'!, 000,000 or 

 more. 



'The thrips preys upon cabbage, cauliflower, and similar 

 plants, cucumber, melons, and other vine crops, and most 

 other garden and truck crops, though it is more injurious to 

 some than to others. I' is injurious to roses and some 

 other 01 namentals and to greenhouse pla^its. It also breeds 

 upon a large variety of weeds. 



'Clean farming and proper crop rotation help to control 

 the pest. Spraying with nicotine sulphate solutions Las 

 proved the most effective treatment. This bulletin gives 

 directions for this work, with illustrations showing the 

 outfits most effective under differing conditions, 



HINTS TO THE o.NION ORoWEll. 



(1) 'Begin spraying onions as soon as the adult thrips 

 can be seen in any numbers or the characteristic whitening 

 of the leaves is in evidence. Do not wait until there are 

 hundreds of young thrips and tlie crop is injured. 



(2) 'Spray thoroughly wiih nozzles which | roduce a fine 

 spray and hold them as near the plants as possible and at 

 the same time cover infested i)')rtionH 



(:i) 'Flmploy sprayei'S that will stand at leiat 100 fc. 

 pressure. If the .system of planting will not permit the use 

 of power sprayers, use good hind sprayers and keep them 

 constantly pumped up, since thrips are not killed unless the 

 solution strikes thcin with some force. 



(4) 'Do not plant early cabbage or cauliflower next to 

 onion fields if it can possibly be avoided, since it may coat 

 you dearly with your onion crop. 



