1851. 



GENESEE 



Inqitiric0 axib ^nsiucre. 



THE WIRE-WORM. 



Messrs. Editors: — I saw in your paper a request 

 to know of some plan for destroying or obstructing 

 the wire-worm, and I, too, would be glad to know 

 how to destroy them ; for they have done me, and 

 others in this vicinity, a deal of damage. I have 

 been watching them, and have been trying some ex- 

 periments which may perhaps be of some little value. 



A few years ago I was preparing two fields for 

 wheat, and when I began to cross-plow, I found my 

 fallow full of wire-worms. I cast myself about to 

 see what I had better do, for I thought that if I put 

 in seed they would destroy it. Some of my neigh- 

 bors said if I would let it lay as long as I could before 

 sowing, the worms would disappear in a measure. I 

 did so, and found they had diminished by the time I 

 finished my plowing. My other fallow, which I sup- 

 posed to be full, I was at a loss what to do with. I 

 got a gang plow, and put it in without crossing, 

 thinking that by leaving the sod under for the worms, 

 they would leave the grain ; but they nearly spoiled 

 both fields. 



I had a piece of oats on new ground, which I pur- 

 posed to put to wheat after the oats ; but the worms 

 had injured the oats very much, and I told my folks 

 that I should have to give up that piece anyway, but 

 that I would put the plow in and see how it looked. 

 This was in the fore part of August. Soon after, I 

 began to look for worms, and I found them pretty 

 thick, mostly at the bottom of the sod that had been 

 turned under ; and there were not only worms, but 

 skins of worms, which excited my curiosity. On 

 inspecting closely, 1 found the skin slipping off of 

 some ; and when the skin was off, they contracted 

 in length, and there were legs and wings, and in a 

 short time time they were perfect bugs of a dark 

 bronzed color, which grew darker and at length be- 

 came black. " Well," said I, " there are eternal lots 

 of these fellows." These little black bugs, of about 

 half an inch in length, are very common, but I did 

 not know before that they were produced by or from 

 the worms ; but so it is. 



The next year I was going to put in a piece to 

 wheat, which I knew was infested with them, and 

 when dragging the ground, I would stop and sit 

 down on the drag to rest and look for bugs, which 

 were to be seen quite plenty, looking for a hiding 

 place after being disturbed by harrowing. I had 

 noticed through the summer, while paying close at- 

 tention to them, anxious to find some way to destroy 

 them, that they congregated together, and would get 

 under whatever they could, like sods, flat stones, 

 stocks of hay, barley, \Vheat, Sic. A thought struck 

 me — I would try to burn them by driving them under 

 bunches of straw and setting fire to it. So, after 

 dragging my fallow, I took a chain and drew across 

 the field, making lines seven paces apart, and set the 

 boys drawing straw and pitching a fork full every 

 few feet on those lines. I then took two stone- 

 boats lashed together, put a boy on them, and drew 

 them along on the mellow ground, between the rows 

 of straw, for the purpose of disturbing the bugs and 

 smoothing the ground so that there would be but 

 little chance for them to hide. I could watch behind 

 the team, and see them, all dirt and dust, running to 

 and fro, until finding the straw, they would remain 

 there. After about a week it looked likely to rain, 



so we set fire to the straw. After burning, t looked 

 in the ashes, and found in a spot not larger than my 

 hand, some forty or fifty, making quite a handful. I 

 then went to the next pile, about three paces off, and 

 there were as many more of the dead rascals. — 

 " Good," said I, " we have used up a good lot of 

 them ; but probably there are too many left yet." 

 And so we found it ; for they ate considerable of the 

 wheat ; but still, not enough to injure it so much but 

 I got a first rate crop on the same piece where they 

 completely destroyed the two last crops. 



This fall we have turned in a very heavy crop of 

 rowen clover, and sowed the same piece, and they 

 have not injured it ; but I think it is on account of 

 the clover, which furnishes them with food in part. 

 I have another field adjoining, which has lain to 

 pasture three years, which we plowed five times on 

 account of the thistles • and some "^ay that will de- 

 stroy the worms ; Dui tney nave ea.en that piece 

 badly. I would like to plant this piece ,o corn for 

 the next crop ; and how am I to prevent the worms 

 from destroying the corn ? I will tell you how I 

 think of doing : it is, to stock to clover, and to plas- 

 ter the clover the spring before planting, and get as 

 much on the ground as possible, and not plant till 

 rather late. Perhaps the worms will feed on the 

 clover, and leave the corn. 



Some have had good luck in turning in green 

 sward for corn ; but the next crop catches it. If I 

 summer-fallow after the corn, I will try the straw 

 again. But if I put in barley after corn, then what ? 

 If straw should be put on and burned early in the 

 spriner, before putting in the barley, it might have a 

 good effect, for the bugs are early at work in spring, 

 and appear to live on vegetation on the ground, while 

 their larvae feed upon the roots. 



One of my neighbors has suffered very much by 

 them, and wonders why he can not find them when 

 he is plowing, and will take a spade and dig to see 

 where they are, but they are gone. In a few weeks, 

 or after the barley is nicely up and growing, the 

 worms commence devouring it root and branch. 

 Then you may dig lots of them with your fingers, 

 and many of them not larger than a cotton thread. 

 As near as I can ascertain, by pulling the bugs in 

 pieces, they lay their nits fall and spring. I have 

 seen several articles on the subject of wire-worms 

 but none that satisfies me. S. R. — Mendon, JV - 



PIGEON WEED. 



Messrs. Editors : — In answer to the inquiry of R. 

 W. B., on Pigeon grass, I would give my experience. 

 Some years since, I had a field of four acres, which 

 had become so well seeded with pigeon grass that I 

 got only about half a crop of oats. The next year I 

 plowed it soon after planting my corn ; in about two 

 weeks I harvested it ; plowed again about the first 

 of July, and harrowed as before.' The laat week in 

 August I plowed again, and soon after sowed it to 

 wheat, one bushel to the acre, I had one hundred 

 and twenty-six bushels of good wheat. I have not 

 been troubled with pigeon grass on that field since. 

 I had another small field in like circumstances, which 

 I sowed to oats and seeded it, and mowed it four 

 years, and then plowed it, and the pigeon grass was 

 as thick as before, which led me to believe that it is 

 one of those kinds of seeds that will not grow unless 

 near the surface, and exposed to heat and light. 

 E, F.— fVayne Co., J\\ Y., Dec., 1850. 



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