441 V. 



8wENK (M. H.). The Western Wheat-head Army- worm.— /Sito?^ 



Entomologist Nebraska, Lincoln, Bull. no. 8, 12th October 1918, 

 3 pp., 1 fig. [Received 27tli August 1919.] 



Great damage was caused in 1918 in the United States to spring 

 wheat, Durum wheat and to a lesser extent to oats by the ravages of 

 Meliana (Neleucania) albilinea limitata (wheat-head army-worm). 

 The injury was first noticed at the beginning of September, but had 

 completely ceased by the end of the month, during which time the 

 damage caused varied from 50 to 70 per cent, in some fields, and in one 

 case 300 acres of spring-wheat were completely destroyed. The 

 caterpillars eat the kernels, commencing at the bottom of the head and 

 gradually working their way up, and not infrequently cut the head 

 completely off. As a rule only standing grain is attacked, but wheat in 

 stock is by no means immune, and in one case caterpillars were even 

 found eating the grain in the bins after it had been threshed. 



The moths are on the wing in May and lay their eggs in clusters of 

 25 to 150 on grasses and grains. The larvae hatch after 3 to 10 days, 

 and become fully grown in about one month. About June or early 

 July they enter the soil for pupation, which takes place in a loose 

 cocoon of earth spun together with silk. The second generation of 

 ^^oths generally appears after about a month, although some individuals 

 xAaj not emerge until the following spring. The moths on the wing 

 during August and early September oviposit between the sheath and 

 stalk of grasses or grain immediately below the upper blades. These 

 eggs give rise to the brood of caterpillars so injurious to cereals in 

 September. When fully grown they drop to the ground and enter the 

 soil as deep as six inches for pupation, in which state they hibernate 

 until the following May. The parasites of this pest include several 

 Tachinid flies and Hymenoptera. 



The remedial measures advocated are the use of poison-baits to be 

 spread across the line of march of the caterpillars, the following formula 

 being recommended : — 25 lb. of wheat-bran, 1 lb. of Paris green, 

 the juice, pulp, and peel of six lemons or oranges groimd finely and I 

 U.S. gal. of molasses or syrup mixed with sufiicient water to make a 

 stiff dough. This bait may also be used in fields already infested, in 

 which case it should be sown broadcast in the late afternoon or night. 

 Care must be taken to keep all stock away from the bait. As most of 

 the injury arises from caterpillars that have migrated from neigh- 

 bouring grasslands, infestation of fields may be prevented by the use 

 of furrows or ditches in which pits are dug at intervals. To prevent 

 reinfestation in the following year the pupae should be destroyed by 

 deep ploughing ; when standing small gram is attacked, it should be 

 cut as soon as possible and immediately threshed or stacked. 

 Infestation in granaries may be dealt with by fumigation with carbon 

 bisulphide. 



Amos (A.). The Difficulties of growing Red Clover — Clover Sickness 

 and other Causes of Failure. — Jl. R. Agric. Soc. England, Lotulon, 

 Ixxix, 1918, pp. 68-88, 5 figs. [Received 29th August 1919.] 



The disease caused by the eelworm, Tylenchus devastatrix, presents 

 one of the chief difficulties in red clover cultivation. The plants may 

 be attacked in any stage, but the pest is most fatal to seedlings. The 



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