14 FARMERS’ BULLETIN 152. 
there. Paris green is sometimes used in place of arsenate of lead, 
but it should never be sprayed on corn unless lime has been added 
to it as follows: Paris green, 10 ounces; freshly slaked lime, 2 pounds; 
water, 50 gallons. If the poison is applied without the lime it will 
ruin the corn by burning. 
White arsenic should never be applied to growing crops in any 
form, as it is strongly caustic and will burn them. Arsenite of zine 
may be safely used as a spray in the proportion of 1 pound to 50 
gallons of water if 1 pound of freshly slaked lime is added to the 
mixture. It may be applied in the same manner as the arsenate of 
lead spray. 
THE POISONED-BRAN BAIT. 
Under some conditions the poisoned-bran bait is of the greatest 
value in controlling the fall army worm. It is composed as follows: 
Wheat bran, 50 pounds; Paris green or white arsenic, 1 pound, or 
powdered arsenate of lead, 2 pounds) ; low-grade molasses, or “ black- 
strap,” 2 gallons. The bran and insecticide are first mixed together 
dry, the molasses is then added, and the whole mass is thoroughly 
combined. In locations where the mixture dries out quickly, salt at 
the rate of 5 pounds to 50 pounds of bran tends to keep the bait in a 
moist condition and renders it more effective. In some cases the 
addition of six finely chopped lemons or oranges to the mixture has 
been found to be advantageous. The bait is usually scattered broad- 
cast over the infested fields and seems to be especially effective when 
the caterpillars are “ marching,” or in fields where their preferred 
foods, such as the wild grasses, are not present or have been partly 
consumed. 
MECHANICAL MEANS OF CONTROL. 
When the fall army worm has exhausted its food in a restricted 
locality and the worms have massed together and “marched” away 
seeking a fresh supply of provender, a narrow ditch with steeply 
sloping sides should be dug or plowed out directly across the path of 
the marching worms. In attempting to cross this ditch the worms 
will gather in great quantities therein and may be destroyed easily 
by crushing them with a log dragged back and forth through the 
ditch. (Fig. 13.) Shallow postholes dug at frequent intervals in the 
bottom of the furrow will trap many worms, which then may be 
destroyed by crushing or otherwise. Where the subsoil is but 
slightly permeable, the holes may be partially filled with water and 
2 layer of coal oil, or petroleum, mamtained upon its surface. The 
coal oil will soon kill the worms that fall into the fluid. 
