ENEMIES AND DISEASES OF CORN 



269 



these furrows, a practice that makes them still more effect- 

 ive. The bugs crawl into the furrows and then along the 

 bottom, finally falling into the holes from which they can- 

 not escape. Putting a strip of tar around the field serves 

 the same purpose. When furrows are 

 used the soil in the furrow should be 

 kept well pulverized. A heavy rain 

 may destroy the effectiveness of the 

 barrier, necessitating immediate re- 

 plowing or dragging a log in the 

 furrow. 



All grass and rubbish adjacent to 

 corn fields should be burned during 

 the winter as it is here that the bugs 

 seem to hibernate. 



326. Grain moths and weevils. 

 Several species of small moths and 

 weevils injure stored, corn. Some of 

 these do damage even before the grain 

 is harvested while others may affect 

 certain corn products such as meal and 

 bran. Of the grain moths the Indian 

 meal snout moth (Plodia interpunctella) 

 andtheAngumois grain-moth (Sitotroga 

 cerealettd) are the most important. By 

 far the most destructive of the grain 

 weevils is the rice-weevil (Calandra 

 oryza) commonly known as the " black 

 weevil." These insects lay their eggs either on or in the 

 grain or husks and the larvae eat into the kernels (Fig. 44). 

 There is no absolute means of preventing or remedying the 

 attacks of weevils on corn in the field. The injury can be 

 somewhat decreased by planting late varieties and par- 



FIG. 44. Ear of corn 

 showing character- 

 istic injury by the 

 corn-weevil. 



