INSECT PESTS 247 



it is usually not necessary to identify the exact species that 

 causes the damage. It is sufficient to know how they injure 

 the crops and to be able to adopt the methods that will most 

 readily exterminate them. 



Cutworms. Cutworms are dull, earth-colored, or striped 

 worms that seek refuge in the soil during the day, coming out 

 at night to feed. They cause" immense losses to many culti- 

 vated crops, cutting off the young seedlings just as they appear 

 aboveground and often following along a row until all the 

 plants are taken. Some climbing species creep up the stems 

 of plants and cut off their tops or even ascend trees to feed on 

 the buds. In some grounds they occur in great numbers. Two 

 hundred or more have been taken out of a single row sixty 

 feet long. They are very hard to exterminate, owing to their 

 nocturnal habits and manner of hiding, but they may some- 

 tunes be killed by putting poisoned food about their haunts. 

 Clover, pigweed, or other tender vegetation sprayed with 

 poison makes attractive bait. Cabbage, tomato, and other plants 

 grown singly may be protected by a collar of stiff paper about 

 the stems at the surface of the ground. When evidences of 

 the work of cutworms is seen, the worms should be dug out 

 and killed. This is easy, since they do not go very far to hide 

 during the day. One method of keeping them in check is to 

 pick them by hand at night by the light of a lantern. The half- 

 grown cutworms spend the winter in the earth, and cultivating 

 the soil up to the time of frost tends to reduce their num- 

 bers. The mature insect is a dull-colored moth of nocturnal 

 habits and is seldom recognized. 



Cabbage worm. The cabbage worm is a light green, smooth 

 worm that infests cabbage, cauliflower, turnip, and other plants 

 of the cress family. It feeds on the leaves, and when resting 

 extends along the veins, which it so closely resembles as to 

 be frequently overlooked. The worms may be easily poisoned. 

 This does not injure the cabbage for food, since the leaves are 



