INSECT ENEMIES AND PLANT DISEASES 137 



A method which we have found very effective in exter- 

 minating cutworms on our own fields is to work the ground 

 at such frequent intervals in the spring that every particle 

 of vegetation is destroyed. If no "plant growth is allowed 

 to start during April the greater portion of the cutworms 

 will be killed by starvation. This insect cannot withstand 

 hot weather with no green vegetation to feed upon. 



Fortunately these worms have many natural enemies; 

 among them are the quail, robin, thrush and other birds, 

 which together keep their numbers down to a considerable 

 extent. These birds are among the best friends the farmer 

 has and should be protected in every way possible. There 

 are many other insects which attack the stalk and ear but 

 the limitations of this book will not permit of their 

 description. 



PLANT DISEASES 



Ear Rot: This is a mold and belongs to the great group 

 of plants called fungi. The ear rot is whitish or pinkish in 

 appearance and in many cases the husks and silks are 

 cemented to the ear. The affected parts have lost their sub- 

 stance and are light in weight and brittle in appearance. 



It is not definitely known how ear rot is caused, but it is 

 generally conceded that moisture and temperature have con- 

 siderable to do with it. "We are of the opinion that dry 

 weather in the fall followed by several weeks of warm wet 

 weather are ideal conditions for the spreading of this dis- 

 ease. "We had such a season as this in the fall of 1911, 

 which was the year when dry rot wrought its greatest damage 

 in central Illinois. "When the weather conditions are not so 

 favorable the disease seems to be confined to the very tip 

 of the ear, in which case the damage is very slight. 



It is estimated that the loss to the corn crop in the United 



