INSECTS INJURIOUS TO CORN. 289 



of the adult beetles in the early summer while the corn is young, is to 

 take advantage of the life history of this insect, as above given, which 

 shows that the insects do not breed at all in the corn field. No larvae 

 have ever been found infesting corn, so far as I am aware, the larvae 

 breeding only in the grass, sedges, etc. The adults, so far as known, will 

 not lay their eggs in the corn field, but will, when disturbed in their 

 natural localities, as will be the case if the field be plowed before the 

 •eggs are deposited, seek other fields. Therefore, by plowing the in- 

 tended field early in the fall, before the beetles have gone into hibernating 

 ■quarters, one will thus turn under the grass, sedges, etc., and in the 

 spring of the year, when the beetles 

 come out to deposit their eggs, there 

 being no suitable natural food plants 

 in this field, they will fly to other 

 ■fields, and the corn that is put in this 

 plowed field will escape the attack of 

 these beetles. The great bulk of these 

 beetles will leave the plowed field and 

 seek the unplowed ones in order to 

 hibernate, and what few may remain Fig. 47.— The Com Biu-Bug, sphen- 



ophorus ochreus. Larva ; greatly en- 



in the plowed field will, in the spring larged. 



of the year, fly to unplowed fields in order to deposit their eggs. The 

 mistake which is usually made is to plow the field in the spring of the 

 year. Such fields are sure to be attacked by these beetles. The early 

 fall plowing is the only successful method of preventing their attack. 

 It is not necessary to plant other crops than corn in a badly infested 

 swamp field, since by the method of procedure above described the in- 

 sects can be kept out, and crops such as hemp, etc., need not follow the 

 newly turned under grass in swamp lands. 



THE STALK-BORER. 

 Papaipema (Hydroecia) nitela, Guen. 



This stalk-borer frequently does damage to corn in various places 

 in this State, especially along the edges of the corn field bordering grass. 

 It is a very rare thing indeed that this insect spreads out over the entire 

 field, so that the damage they do is not as serious as that of the other in- 

 sects we have described. Like many of our other corn insects, these 

 also are normally grass-feeding insects and get into corn when ad- 

 jacent to their normal food plant. Very frequently one finds the grass, 

 especially timothy, with certain stems and heads dying and turning 



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