No. 123.] PLANT PEST CONTROL. 75 



European Corn Borer. 



Th*^ European corn borer work in Massachusetts has been 

 curtailed because of the hick of Federal funds. This Depart- 

 ment realizes the seriousness of this problem, but we feel that 

 the State of INIassachusetts cannot afford to handle it alone; 

 neither do we believe that it is entirely a State problem. It 

 is the consensus of opinion of those concerned with this insect, 

 that it is largely a Federal problem and should be handled by 

 the Federal government. When the insect was first discovered 

 in Massachusetts, the State Legislature immediately made 

 available $100,000. Following that the Federal government 

 appropriated additional funds, and considerable clean-up work 

 was done in the badly infested area. However, in the past 

 two years this clean-up work has been abolished and the small 

 appropriation at our disposal has been used for quarantine 

 and scouting work. Partially because the clean-up work has 

 been neglected, we find the situation that confronts us to-day 

 much more serious than at any time. The conditions in Arling- 

 ton, Medford, and some of the other points where the infesta- 

 tion has been present for several years is at this time very 

 serious. Fields of corn, spinach, beets, celery and several other 

 vegetables were in some instances so badly infested that the 

 crop was not marketable. The weed areas throughout some 

 of these towns are in no small measure responsible for the above 

 conditions, and we hope that sufficient funds may be made 

 available whereby they may be remedied. 



In view of the seriousness of the present situation we have 

 submitted to the Legislature two bills, one recommending the 

 policy by which this work could be carried on most efficiently, 

 the other applying to field methods which might assist in 

 greatly reducing the infestation. This latter w^ould make it 

 compulsory that all corn stubble be plowed under by Decem- 

 ber 1. 



The Federal government is well aware of the damages of 

 which this pest is capable, it being much more serious because 

 of the fact that it is two-brooded here. While the European 

 corn borer has been found in New York, Ohio, Michigan and 

 Canada, it is in these localities single-brooded, and it is our 

 belief that if the two-brooded corn borer is allowed to enter 

 the corn belt unchecked, it will cause incalculable loss. It is 



