The Bollworm or Corn Earworm. I5 



at two-week intervals, thus brinjrinf^ a succession of plants into silk- 

 ing during the fruiting period of the tomato. If a large acreage is 

 in tomatoes, it is advisable to plant a few strips of corn through the 

 field in addition to those on the margins. As the ears become suffi- 

 ciently mature for roasting they should be gathered to prevent the 

 escape of the worms. If these worms are allowed to leave the ears 

 in the fields, they will produce moths which in turn may cause an 

 infestation of the tomatoes. I'^ither field corn or sweet corn may be 

 used as a trap crop under these conditions. 



CAEE OF INFESTED FRUIT. 



The poison treatment should be supplemented by picking and de- 

 stroying all wormy tomatoes. These should not be left in the field, 

 as the worms will emerge from them and return to the plants or 

 produce moths which will multiply greatly the number of the worms 

 later in the season. 



CONTROL ON TOBACCO. 



A number of authorities state that where the false budworm^ is 

 injurious to tobacco, notably in Georgia and Florida, damage can be 

 prevented largely, though at a considerable expense, by sifting by 

 hand into the bud a mixture of powdered arsenate of lead and corn 

 meal. One pound of the poison is used to 75 pounds of corn meal - 

 and applications to shade tobacco are made twice a week. No doubt 

 corn can be utilized as a trap crop to some extent as recommended 

 for the protection of tomatoes. 



INEFFECTIVE METHODS OF CONTROL. 



The burning of lights for the attraction of moths in fields is not 

 uncommon in certain sections and the idea of trapping the moths 

 by various devices is advocated often. Both of these methods have 

 been tested thoroughly and found of little or no value. In the first 

 place most of the moths caught are males, or females which have de- 

 posited their full quota of eggs, and in the second place a great many 

 beneficial insects which prey upon the bollworm in different stages 

 are destroyed. The placing of poisoned sweets in pans in the cotton 

 field also has been found to be a useless practice. 



• A local name for the bollworm, Chloridea ohsoleta Fab. 



2 Extensive experiments liave been made with many carriers, but none of thom have 

 given satisfactory results except the corn meal. 



