42 FARMERS BULLETIN 856. 



in meadows. Rotate with cotton, buckwheat, and the smaller 

 grains, and with any vegetables other than beans, peanuts, and cu- 

 curbits. 



CORN EARWOKM. 



The corn earworm is the same species as the bollworm of cotton 

 and the fruitworm of tomato (see figs. 79 and 80, p. 68). Ears of 

 corn and pods of beans, cow peas, and related plants are often found 

 bored with holes, and the seed devoured within. This insect is also 

 called the tobacco budworm, and it attacks pumpkins, squashes, 

 melons, peppers, okra, and various other vegetables. Attack begins 

 on corn in the silk, and even if only one ear is attacked this fre- 

 quently leads to the entrance of other injurious insects; rain is apt to 

 enter, and decomposition sets in. The moth which produces this 

 caterpillar is ocher yellow in color, more or less variegated with 

 darker markings, and measures about 1^ inches across its spread 

 forewings. The corn earworm itself is extremely variable in color, 

 different shades of purple, pink, and green prevailing; it is more or 

 .less strongly striped longitudinally with black and bears prominent 

 tubercles or warts. 



Control. — Lead arsenate applied to the silk early in the season 

 and the application repeated when found necessary will reduce the 

 injury to some extent. Here the pow^ler form dusted on the silk is 

 of greatest value, but even when applied by experts not more than 

 50 per cent of the ears have been saved. 



Crop rotation is of little value, as the insect feeds on all forms of 

 plants, including grasses and clover, and on these plants it is seldom 

 noticed. No variety of corn is known which is absolutely free from 

 attack, but late sweet corn, such as Blue Flint, Stowell's Evergreen, 

 and Country Gentleman, are less liable to injury than others. 



CUTWORMS. 



Cutworms and other caterpillars are often found on corn, and may 

 be hand picked or poisoned in a Acgetable garden. 



FLEA-BEETLES. 



Two forms of flea-beetles are commonly found on sweet corn, and 

 they may be destroyed by lead arsenate combined with Bordeaux 

 mixture, or Bordeaux mixture alone will repel them. 



WHITE GRUBS AND WIREWORMS. 



Corn is susceptible to attack by wireworms and white grubs. 

 (See pp. 16 and 17.) 



SEED-CORX MAGGOT. 



See "Bean fly, or seed-corn maggot" (p. 28). 



I 



