CORN APHIS OR PLANT LOUSE. 45 



Prevention and Eemedies. — As the Aphides must exist somewhere 

 or other during the winter, either alive or in egg condition, and it is 

 presumable that a large proportion of the presence would be on or 

 about their food-plants, it could hardly fail to be beneficial to destroy 

 these lurking-places, as far as possible. Thus, clearing wild Grasses 

 round the borders of fields, and also gathering and burning lumps of 

 Corn stubble, might be expected to lessen recurrence of the infesta- 

 tion. 



It certainly does not seem reasonably possible to do anything by 

 way of remedy when the attack is established on the ears of Corn, 

 which is the first time when it is usually noticed. The only helpers 

 then are to be found in the truly insectivorous birds. The Swallows 

 and the Martins, floating to and fro, may be expected to do good 

 service in this way ; but where their nests have been harried in spring 

 by the Sparrows, and where these birds [Passer domesticus) are taking 

 their autumn trip into the Corn fields, and, so far as in them lies 

 driving away our feathered helpers, helping themselves as the Corn 

 suits them to it, but not to the Plant Lice, all is certainly not well. 



It is very unlikely, also, that with an infestation of this kind, which 

 only comes so rarely to a serious extent, that, as will be seen in the 

 above notes, it is in some places almost unknown, that anything will 

 be done in the way of prevention by date of sowing. There is, however, 

 a possibility that with the recent introduction of serviceable insecticide 

 washes and sprayers, something might be done in the earlier stages of 

 the attack by those who were on the alert. 



The Aphis is to be found early in the summer sucking the juices 

 away from the stems or leaves of the young plants. It may be, of 

 Wheat, or Oats, or Barley, or Rye, and it is large enough to be found 

 by moderately careful search. Later on it infests the ears. But 

 whilst the plant is still so low as to permit the passage of horse 

 sprayers over it, or the carriage of Knapsack sprayers through it, there 

 does not seem to be any reason why the application of soft-soap washes 

 should not be as useful for clearing Corn Aphis, as for Hop Aphis, or 

 Aphis on Cabbage and Turnip crops running up for seed. 



Observations on these applications and implements will be found 

 by reference to Index, and of course it is only where infestation 

 threatens to be serious that it is worth while to go to such an expense. 

 But still with an attack of this kind which cannot be remedied when it 

 is established in the ear, and which (as it so rarely occurs) it would be 

 unreasonable to make agricultural preparation for beforehand, there 

 seems absolutely no way of meeting the difficulty, except for those 

 personally interested in the success of the crop to keep watch on it at 

 the stage at which remedies can be serviceably applied, and then do as 

 circumstances require, 



