Climbing Cutworms. 681 



this was the sudden appearance of a cutworm in excessive numbers 

 in the onion fields of Orange connty, N. Y., in 1S85. Usually, the 

 sod is plowed under only a short time before the garden is planted, 

 and the hungry worms eagerly await the appearance of the crops ; 

 if all stubble and rubbish could be burned off just before ploughing 

 it might destroy some of them, and possibly the eggs of some 

 species. If such lands were ploughed the preceding July or 

 August, and clean cultivation practiced, as described for climbing 

 cutworms, we believe the garden crops planted the next spring 

 would be much less liable to suffer from cutworms. 



Cabbages, tomatoes and similar plants that are set out in gardens, 

 and which are very liable to be cut off by cutworms, may often be 

 protected by simply wrapping a piece of smooth, stiff paper around 

 the stem when the, plant is set; we have seen the tinfoil from 

 tobacco pails or packages used for this purpose with much success. 

 Cylinders of tin (old tomato cans with the ends removed will often 

 answer) have been placed around such plants, and in many cases 

 they served as perfect protectoi-s. . 



Cutworms often appear first in destructive numbers in certain 

 portions of the garden. Their spread to other portions may often 

 be prevented by ploughing a deep furrow around the infested por- 

 tion, turning it toward this portion, and leaving as smooth and 

 perpendienlar a wall as possible on the side of the furrow bordering 

 the uninfested region ; the worms can not readily scale this smooth 

 wall. The furrow can be made much more effective by digging 

 deep post-holes in it a rod or two apart, into which the worms will 

 soon crawl in their wanderings; bushels of army worms have been 

 trapped in these holes. This method should be resorted to when- 

 ever the worms appear in excessive numbers and ordinary measures 

 prove fruitless. By thus confining them to a limited area, some of 

 the destructive measures advised can be used with more deadly 

 effect than if the worms are allowed to spread over a large area. 



It is doubtful if any bad-smelling substances placed on the soil 

 around the plants will keep away cutworms. They will, also, burrow 

 in dry salt, lime and ashes, as readily as in dirt. 



Destructive measures. — Usually none of the preventive measures 

 just discussed will afford complete protection from cutworms, and 

 destructive measures have to be resorted to. 



We do not believe that commercial fertilizers, gas-lime, lime, 

 salt, or any similar dressings applied at any time to the soil in 



