326 



color, striped at both ends, with a reddish head." It bored into the 

 stalk, injuring' the fields " in some degree."* 



The Boll Worm, Heliothis arniigera, seems to have stolen in upon us at 

 an early day, in an obscure manner also. In 1820 a correspondent of 

 the American Farmer, writing under date of September 20, stated that 

 about two weeks previous the pods of his cotton had been attacked by 

 a large green worm, from 1 to IJ inches long, which ate its way into 

 the pod, and did not leave it until it had comjjleted the destruction. 

 Some of the worms were smaller, and some were brown, and some 

 brown and red. The injury seemed to be severe, with a prospect of 

 one-fourth of the crop being destroyed.t In 1842 "J, A. P.," Brinkville, 

 111., wrote the Cultivator, asking for information in regard to what 

 was there known as " the corn worm." About the time the corn began 

 to form on' the cob a dark, slate-colored worm, from one-fourth to seven- 

 eighths of an inch in length, appeared on the ear, under the husk, 

 " having ground a hole in them to pass through," and continued to eat 

 until frost killed them. Sometimes six or eight worms were found in a 

 single ear, late planted corn being most injured. The editors replied 

 that they had received similar complaints the previous year from the 

 South and West, but could give no further information.! 



While the agriculturists of the early part of the present century were 

 of necessity, much hampered by a lack of knowledge in regard to these 

 pests, and must have been often seriously disappointed in casting about 

 for information, yet they do not appear to have ceased to contrive ways 

 for destroying them. The trapping and killing of cutworms by \)om- 

 oned clover or other fresh herbage is now coming quite rai)idly into 

 use, but, except in the use of poison, does not difter from the method 

 advocated in 1838 by "a subscriber" in the Cultivator, who saved his 

 corn by "placing compact handfuls of elder sprouts, milk- weed, clover, 

 mullein, and almost any green vegetable that happened to be at hand, in 

 every fifth row and sixth hill, pressiug the mass down with the foot." 

 These traps were placed in the field just before the corn came up, and 

 examined for the worms which were beneath them, and these were killed 

 with a sharp instrument, as many as 200 having been thus destroyed 

 under a single handful of herbage, one man being able to collect the 

 material and apply it to 5 acres in a day.§ I find this communication 

 marked, presumably by Dr. Fitch, as I have his copy of the volume, 

 but do not know that he ever further noticed the matter in print. 



* Farmers' Cabinet, Vol. v, p. 68, 1840. 

 t American Farmer, Vol. ii, p. 236, 1820. 

 I The Cultivator, Vol. ix, p. 86, 1842. 

 ^ The Cultivator, Vol. vi, p 63, 1838. 



