CORN INSECTS 105 



more than two years in succession. Such sod is not so 

 likely to be infested with cutworms as sod of longer standing. 

 Poison is sometimes used, though it is much more effective 

 and practical in the garden than in the field. A mixture of 1 

 pound of Paris green and 30 pounds of bran, scattered in 

 little piles near the hills of corn, will destroy many of the 

 worms. A little syrup or sugar added to the above mixture 

 increases its palatability and makes it more effective. 



127. White Grubs. The white grub, very commonly 

 seen when plowing land, especially in the spring, is like- 

 wise a serious pest to the corn plant. These grubs, like wire- 

 worms, live in the worm stage for two years, and conse- 

 quently trouble from them may appear in two succeeding 

 crops on the same field. They attack the roots of the corn 

 and very seriously check its growth. The same treatment 

 as for wireworms is effective. 



128. The Corn Billbug. The corn billbug is a small 

 black bug with a long snout or bill. This bug works on the 

 leaves of corn, attacking the small leaves before they have 

 unfolded. The long bill enables the bug to pierce through 

 the rolled leaf, and when the leaf spreads out the injury 

 appears as a series of holes side by side across it. 



Treatment. There is no treatment effective after the 

 bugs have attacked the corn, but their attack may be checked 

 by fall plowing and by deferring the planting of corn two or 

 three weeks, or until the bugs are past the stage at which 

 they injure the plants. 



129. Corn Root Louse. The corn root louse or corn 

 aphis often seriously injures the corn crop. These are very 

 tiny bluish-green bugs. They are sometimes called ants' 

 cows, and the ants perform many services for them, helping 

 them to find plants on which to live. The ants are not 

 entirely unselfish in this matter, for they get from these lice 



