HOW TO DETECT OUTBREAKS OF INSECTS AND SAVE GRAIN. 23 



Land already in corn which is badly infested should be cultivated 

 deeply, even at the risk of slightly root pruning the corn. This 

 should be continued as long as the corn can be cultivated, and as soon 

 as the crop is removed the' field should be tilled thoroughly before it 

 is sown to wheat. 



In regions where wheat is seeded down for hay, any treatment of 

 infested fields is precluded. Where the wheat is not followed by 

 seeding to other crops, the fields should be plowed as soon as the 

 wheat is harvested. This kills the worms by destroying their food 

 supply and preventing them from preparing suitable sleeping quar- 

 ters for the winter. 



A thorough preparation of corn land and a liberal use of barn- 

 yard manure or other fertilizer is recommended, and a vigorous, stand 

 may be produced sometimes in spite of the wireworms by such treat- 

 ment. Wherever practicable the interposing of crops not severely at- 

 tacked by wireworms. such as field peas or buckwheat, between sod 

 and corn tends materially to reduce the number of wireworms in the 

 soil. 



Some kinds of wireworms live only in badly drained land, and for 

 this reason thorough tile draining of such fields is often very bene- 

 ficial, especially where the general condition of the fields is improved 

 by proper applications of lime and thorough cultivation. 



In the Northwest and northern Middle West the dry-land wire- 

 worm (fig. 14) sometimes is very injurious. The f ollowing'methods have 

 been found to be valuable in the elimination of this pest: (1) Disk 

 or drag harrow the summer fallow as early as possible in the spring 

 in order to produce a dust mulch and thereby conserve the accumu- 

 lated winter moisture; (2) continue the disking as often as is neces- 

 sary in order to maintain the mulch and keep down the weeds; (3) 

 plow the summer fallow in July or early in August and immediately 

 drag; (4) plow the stubble as soon as the crop is removed. 1 



Do not plant grain, and especially corn, on freshly broken sod 

 land if this can be avoided. To do so exposes it to almost certain 

 injury by wireworms, cutworms, and white grubs. Plant such land 

 first to soy beans, cowpeas, clover, alfalfa, or buckwheat, afterwards 

 rotating to grain. The growing of any one kind of grain on the 

 same land continuously is sure to result in damage from insect pests, 

 and is bad agricultural practice. Adopt a good system of crop rota- 

 tion suitable to your particular region. If you do not know the most 

 approved system of rotation for your locality, ask your county agri- 

 cultural agent or State experiment station for advice. 



1 Farmers' Bulletin 725 contains additional information on wireworms and will be 

 mailed free of charge on application to the Secretary of Agriculture, Washington, D. C. 



