The European Corn Borer. 35 
WASTE PRODUCTS. 
REFUSE FROM BROOM FACTORIES. 
Broom corn when received at broom factories, in the raw state, 
usually consists of from 18 to 36 inches of the upper part of the 
broom-corn plant, including the “hurls” or that portion used’ in 
brooms, and the upper part of the stalk or “ butt.” 
The European corn borer has been found commonly in that portion 
of the plant comprising the “ butt” in broom corn grown in Massa- 
chusetts and also in the “ butts” of imported broom-corn material 
received from Italy. During the process of manufacturing brooms, 
sections several inches long are usually removed from the base of 
these “butts” and discarded as refuse. This refuse may become a 
source of danger, especially when dumped along the banks of water 
courses. The original infestation along the Mohawk River in east- 
ern New York is supposed to be directly traceable to infested refuse 
from a broom factory at Amsterdam. 
REFUSE FROM CANNING FACTORIES. 
The refuse from canning factories using sweet corn from infested 
areas commonly contains large numbers of living borers. This re- 
fuse usually consists of the cobs, husks, silk, “shanks,” and ears on 
which the kernels are not properly developed or are affected by in- 
sects or plant diseases. Most of this. infested materia] is hauled 
away by farmers, often to points outside the infested area, and fed to 
live stock or used as fertilizer. Under these conditions some of the 
borers may escape en route and others may escape after reaching 
the farm, thus starting new infestations. 
CONTROL OF EUROPEAN CORN BORER. 
INEFFECTIVE MEASURES. 
Arsenical poisons not effictent—The application of arsenical 
poisons has not been found to protect growing corn plants from in- 
jury by the European corn borer, although numbers of the borers may 
be poisoned in this manner during their early stages. During that 
period they feed to a slight extent upon the surface of the plants, 
especially on the leaf blades, but the eggs are deposited over a long 
period of time, during the growing season, and the borers are hatch- 
ing almost daily, so that very frequent treatments are necessary in 
order to keep rapidly growing corn plants covered with the arsenical. 
Even where as many as 12 arsenical applications were made carefully 
and at the most advantageous periods, it was found that the plants 
were severely injured by the borers which escaped the treatments. 
The substances used in this work were lead arsenate, calcium arsenate, 
magnesium arsenate, and sodium arsenite in the liquid form at vari- 
ous strengths, and also in combination with nicotine sulphate. Some 
of these substances were also apphed in the powdered form and in 
combination with hydrated lime. 
The cost of applying several treatments of these poisons js pro- 
hibitive under field conditions, and they are not recommended to 
prevent injury by the European corn borer. 
