CHAPTER XII 



INSECTS INJURIOUS TO SWEET CORN 



A GREATER number of species of insects have been recognized 

 as attacking Indian corn than any other plant grown as a 

 vegetable. Although, properly speaking, corn is a field crop, it 

 is also grown for the sake of the unripe ears which are classi- 

 fied as vegetables. What insects will attack field corn will 

 also attack the garden variety, but for present purposes it will 

 not be necessary to treat of any except tlie more important 

 habitually garden-inhabiting species, and only a few of these 

 need be considered at all in detail. Many of them are general 

 feeders and have been considered in preceding paragraphs. 



The corn-feeding species of insects recognized in 1896 were 

 214 in number, and of these 18 attacked the seed, 27 the root 

 and lower portions of the stalk. 76 the stalk above ground, 118 

 the leaf, 19 the tassel and silk, and 42 the ear. The remainder 

 attacked the stored product. It is safe to say that at the present 

 writing (1907) at least 350 species are on record as concerned 

 in attack on corn. 



The Corn Root-aphis {Aphis maidiradicis Forbes). — Con- 

 cerning this species. Dr. S. A. Forbes wrote in 1S96: "No in- 

 sect affecting corn is more deserving of the attention of farmers 

 and entomologists at the present time than the corn root-aphis. 

 It ranks as a corn pest with the chinch bug and the army worm, 

 less injurious at any one time than these are locally and occa- 

 sionally. 1)ut overtaking them, on the other hand, by its general 

 distribution and the constancy of its attack." This root-aphis 

 does its principal injury while corn is small. The dwarfing of a 

 plant in patches with a yellowing or reddening of the leaves, and 



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