170 EXPERIMENTAL FARMS 



5-6 EDVMRD VII., A. 1905 



io the crops by cutworms. One farmer, Alex. Birrs, of Dauphin, had had about ten 

 acres of his oat field entirely cleaned out by this pest.' — Geo. Batho. 



' June 20, Dauphin, Man. — I have sent by this mail a pill-box containing about 

 ten cutworms gathered from my barley field, together with a few of the stems cut off 

 by them, including a sunflower stem, which was not cut through entirely, but so 

 nearly so that the plant had fallen to the ground. When I last wrote, the cutworms 

 were working in my neighbour's wheat; but on Friday last they appeared in my barley, 

 although half a mile intervenes, which is sown to wheat. These pests are very pre- 

 valent in the Dauphin district. I had an idea that their spreading arose from allow- 

 ing fallows to grow up in weeds. Their appearance in my barley confirms this idea, 

 as my barley field was not ploughed until spring. A part which was fall-ploughed is 

 free of cutworms. I will be glad of your opinion of this matter.' — Thomas C. Robson. 



' November 21, Winnipeg, Man. — Cutworms have been noticeable in some dis- 

 tricts during the past, season. Eeports in a few cases indicated that crops of oats and 

 wheat had to be ploughed up; but the extent of the damage from this pest could not 

 be considered in general to be alarming. It is sufficient, however, to show that in 

 future this insect will have to be considered by the agriculturists of Manitoba, and 

 perhaps, in some districts, a system of cultivation, adopted that will tend to retard 

 its reproduction.' — W. J. Black. 



The poisoned bran remedy for cutworms is so remarkably effective that I cannot 

 understand how it is farmers who suffer year after year from these enemies, do not 

 remember about it and save their crops. On the whole, I know of no remedy for any 

 injurious insect which has given better results. I can only suppose that the reason 

 why it is not more used, is that, owing to the large size of grain fields, added to the fact 

 that the cutworms do their injury at night, farmers do not at first notice them and 

 then give up in despair, thinking that nothing can be done. A noticeable feature in 

 nearly all the letters received was that these outbreaks occurred on land where vegeta- 

 tion had been left standing the autumn before, either in stubble fields or upon so-caUed 

 summer-fallows which had been allowed to grow up to weeds late in autumn, because 

 it was thought that, as the weeds could not ripen seeds after the last harrowing, they 

 could do no harm. The presence of vegetation on land in autumn, however, attracts the 

 female moths which lay the eggs from which cutworms are produced. Therefore, all 

 summer-fallows should be kept thoroughly clean right up to cold weather in autumn. 

 Another noticeable fact with regard to the habits of the E.ed-backed Cutworm is its 

 tendency, when occurring in large numbers, to take the habit of the true Army Worm 

 and march from field to field in search of food. This enables farmers who are alert to 

 head off their advance by placing poisoned bait in their way, which they will eat as soon 

 as they reach it and will be killed in large numbers. If bran cannot be conveniently 

 obtained, any kind of coarse vegetation may be used, — lamb's-quarters, grass, or -weeds 

 tied in loose bundles — taking as much as can be grasped in the hand at one time for 

 each bundle, and then dipping these into water containing about an ounce of Paris 

 green to 5 gallons of water. These bundles should be placed about six or eight feet 

 apart, in advance of the army of caterpillars. If bran can be obtained, the mixture 

 should be made dry enough to be broadcasted lightly through the grain or in such places 

 where the cutworms are most abundant. The food habits of the Red-backed Cutworm 

 are remarkable and differ in this respect from almost any other insect known to me. 

 Sometimes a horde of those caterpillars will attack by preference some particular kind 

 of plant and leave other things untouched. They have been found to occur in weedy 

 wheat fields and confine their attention entirely to the lamb's-quarters and other weeds. 

 In other places they will attack oats and leave everything else untouched, and, even 

 when an oat field joins a wheat field, they will stop when they reach the wheat and 

 wander on long distances in search of other food. At other places it will be the wheat 

 that is destroyed and oats will escape. From the above, it is plain that some little obser- 

 vation and thought will be of advantage when an attack is noticed, and it may even 



