i8 



PESTS OF CANE, MAIZE, AND SORGHUM. 



drive out the flies. In bad cases spraying is required, the ordinary 

 contact poisons being sufficient to check the pest on a valuable plot of 

 maize or sorghum. 



Minor Pests of Maize. 



Maize is the food-plant of a great number of insects which rarely do 

 it serious injury ; only where it is grown in small quantities and is not 

 the staple crop do these pests become so numerous on each plant as to do 

 much damage. Moth-borer is not uncommon in maize and may do much 

 harm. The Hairy Caterpillar of Gujarat (page 193) will eat maize if it has 

 no other food. Swarming Caterpillars destroy maize as they do other crops 

 but are not specially addicted to this crop (page 187). The Maize Leaf 

 Caterpillar 1 does an inappreciable amount of harm in ordinary seasons 

 by feeding on the leaves. Many other caterpillars attack maize, eating 

 the young plants, feeding on the tassel or destroying the cob. None are 

 specific pests ; one particular pest of small irrigation crops in April and 

 May 2 is fond of maize as also is the Gram Caterpillar (pages 144-45). 

 The White Weevil (page 202) eats maize leaves and the two smaller 

 Blister Beetles (page 205) have been reported as destroying the flowers 

 of this plant. 



Minor Pests of Sorghum. 



This crop has few pests; the two smaller Blister Beetles (page 205) 



are quite serious pests, destroying the 

 flowers and lessening the yield. The 

 Wheat Stem-borer (page 122) also attacks 

 it, and a leaf -eating caterpillar 3 is common 

 in the young shoots but destructive only 

 when in great numbers on a small area of 

 the crop. This caterpillar does occasionally 

 come in great numbers, feeding on the 

 plant by night, lying hidden in the soil by 

 day. When this is the case, ploughing 

 or cultivation is advisable if it be possible* 

 The caterpillars can be trapped under 

 heaps of fodder laid on the soil, as they 



The moth-borer 



FIG. 156. 

 Sorghum Leaf Caterpillar. 



will gather there by day and can be readily destroyed. 



is the serious pest of sorghum though only rarely becoming destructive. 



The bugs that suck the heads of this plant in South India are stated to 



1 210. Marasmia trapezalis. Guen. (Pyralidse.) 

 3 110. Caradrina exigua. Hubn. (Noctuidse.) 

 8 29. Cirphis unipuncta. Haw. (Noctnidse.) 



