The Bulletin. 19 



hills, plowed one montli earlier (February 22d), lie found only two 

 plants destroyed. So far as this observation went, therefore, it shoAved 

 that land plowed in winter was much less infested than land which was 

 not plowed until spring. 



By delaying the planting until moderately late in the spring, those 

 Cut-worms which mature to moths in the spring will be nearly or entirely 

 grown, and will therefore not do serious injury, and the extra time can 

 be given to a more thorough preparation of the land. Frequent culti- 

 vation as soon as the corn is up will also disturb the Cut-worms in the 

 soil and deter them in some degree. 



But if we must put a piece of spring-plowed sod or weedy land into 

 corn, and wish to plant at the normal season, there is still a method (not 

 always easy or entirely satisfactory, perhaps) by which we may combat 

 the Cut-worms. When the land is plowed in the spring much of their 

 food is destroyed and they become hungry. It is then, after breaking 

 and harrowing the land and before the corn is planted, that it is possible 

 to poison them. Clover or other green and succulent vegetation may be 

 poisoned with Paris-green and distributed through the fields as a bait 

 to the worms. The clover may be sprayed as it stands and then cut ; or 

 perhaps the better and more thorough plan would be to cut it and dip 

 it into a barrel of the poisoned solution. The Paris-green for this pur- 

 pose should be thoroughly mixed with water at the rate of about one 

 pound to the barrel (40 to 50 gallons) of water. Arsenate of lead may 

 be used instead of Paris-green, at the rate of five or six pounds to the 

 barrel. Paris-green and wheat bran have been used in gardens, at the 

 rate of about one ounce of the poison to two or three pounds of the bran. 

 A mash made of bran, Paris-green and water, and sweetened with mo- 

 lasses, has also been used by gardeners. 



But in field operations with corn grown on a large scale, the main 

 practices to be relied upon are : 



(1) Avoidance of corn after sod or weeds; 



(2) Fall or winter plowing, or very early in spring, if sod lands are 

 to be put in corn ; 



(3) Moderately late planting. 



For further discussion of the methods mentioned, see Rotation (p. 6), 

 Fall Plowing (p. 7), Time of Planting (p. 7), Planting Increased 

 Quantity of Seed (p. 7), Cultivation (p. 8). 



THE CORN (AND COTTON) ROOT-LOUSE. {Ai)his Aladai-radicis, Forbes.) 



Order Hemiptera. Family ApMdidfe. 



(Also called "Blue-bug," "Blue-louse," "Blue Root-louse.") 



Description. — A small greenish or bluish plant-louse attacking the 

 roots of young corn, causing i\ to be of slow, belated grov/th or unhealthy 

 color. Their presence often indicated by ants entering and leaving the 

 ground at the hill. 



