: 
Webworms Injurious to Cereal and Forage Crops. 15 
half of the United States, but is seldom abundant at any one point. 
There are several generations each year, the exact number depending 
on the latitude. The moths seem rather hardy and usually are the 
Pi 
first of the webworm moths to be seen in the spring and the last in the 
fall. The larve feed on several kinds of grasses and very likely on 
other plants as well. It is only one of several species of webworms 
which may easily become pests if natural conditions favor their 
- multiplication. 
GENERAL CONTROL MEASURES. 
As there are two main types of injury inflicted by the sod web- 
- worms, there are also two main types of control. 
For the first type of injury, that to young corn, prevention is bet- 
ter than remedy. In fact, after the corn is once planted and the 
field is found to be infested there is no practicable method of get- 
_ ting rid of the worms and the only thing that can be done is to 
_ ie oe ee 
produce conditions that will permit the corn to grow in spite of 
them. = 
Land that has been in sod, either pasture or meadow, and land that 
has lain fallow and has grown up to weeds and grass, should be 
plowed the fall before it is intended to plant it to corn. The earlier 
it is plowed the better; it should be done in July or August if pos- 
sible. Plowing in late October and November seems to show very 
little more beneficial effect in reducing the worms than plowing 
early the following spring before the corn is planted. It seems prob- 
able that the worms are practically all in their winter webs by the 
middle of October, and even earlier than this farther north, and 
when they have once sealed themselves up for the winter they are 
so securely protected that plowing does not injure many of them. 
Thus it may be seen that fall plowing to be effective must be done 
early enough to disturb the worms before they have finished feeding 
and, by the destruction of their food, either starve them before winter 
or force them to go into winter so poorly protected that many of 
them die before spring. Such fall-plowed land should be disked or 
otherwise cultivated in the spring until time for corn planting so 
that grasses and weeds may be kept down and any worms that may 
have survived the winter may be starved out. 
If, after the corn is up, it becomes evident that it is going to be 
seriously injured, another course is necessary. If the season is still 
early and the corn small, delay a few days, if possible, until all the 
worms in the soil shall have found the corn and begun work upon it. 
Then without disturbing the corn already growing, replant the field 
so that the newly planted rows lie midway between the old infested 
rows. Allow both plantings to stand. The field can be harrowed 
