Gardening 



V. S. D. A. 



FIG. 176. Life history of the varie- 

 gated cutworm : a, adult moth ; b, 

 larva in the injurious stage, feeding ; 



c, larva coiled up, a characteristic po- 

 sition when resting in the ground ; 



d, top view of larva, showing the six 

 little white dots on the back ; e, egg 

 mass on a twig ; /, side view of an 

 individual egg, much enlarged. 



garden during darkness and 

 feed by chewing through the 

 stems of young plants. Af- 

 ter feeding, they burrow into 

 the soil, where they curl up 

 and remain quiet during the 

 day. There are several ways 

 of overcoming cutworms. 



(i) Protection from attack. 

 A stiff paper cylinder or 

 collar 3 inches in height, set 

 into the ground about a 

 plant, will afford protection, 

 for the worms rarely climb 

 over it. This method is feasible for protecting trans- 

 planted plants of cabbage and tomato, but not for crops 

 grown from seed planted in the garden. 



(2) Killing the caterpillars. By carefully scraping 

 away the dirt from around the bases of plants that have 

 been cut off during the night, one can often find the 

 caterpillars and destroy them (see Figure 10). A search 

 for cutworms should be made early in the morning. 



(3) Use of poisoned bait. This method is sometimes 

 used in commercial gardening, but its use is seldom neces- 

 sary in the small home garden if the methods noted above 

 are vigorously employed. To make poison bran mash, 

 mix 3 teaspoonfuls of Paris green with i pound of dry 

 wheat bran. Dissolve 2 teaspoonfuls of salt and 5 of 

 sirup in a teacupful of water. Mix all together and add 

 enough water to make the mash crumbly. This poisoned 

 bait is scattered over the ground every evening during 



