﻿THE SOUTHERN CORN ROOTWORM, OR BUDWORM. 5 



springs, like the one of that year. A similar complaint was received, 

 April 10 of the same year, from Mr. J. L. Hughes, of Chatawa, 

 Miss., who stated that he had replanted his corn three times and the 

 worms were still destroying- his crop, although the stalks of corn 

 were inches to a foot in height. Under elate of May 24, 1900, Mr. 

 Sidney Johnson, Boydton, Va., sent specimens of the larvae, with com- 

 plaints of serious ravages in his neighborhood. March 21, 1010, 

 Mr. Milton Mountjoy, Shacklett, Va., stated that frequently the corn 

 in his neighborhood was ruined over great areas by this pest. Under 

 date of July 30, 1010, Mr. C. L. Foster, of Dalton, Ga., complained 

 of great damage to the corn crop of his section by this pest, and for- 

 warded specimens. In some instances the corn had been replanted 

 three times and still was so badly injured that there was little pros- 

 pect of a crop. Mr. J. O. Taylor, writing nnder date of August 17, 

 1010, from Bastrop, La., stated that early planted corn during that 

 season had been seriously damaged and in many cases destroyed by 

 this rootworm or budworm, which he clearly describes, as well as 

 its method of attack. July 15, 1012, Mrs. A. E. Ballah, of Philippi, 

 W. Va., complained that her corn had been ruined that year by this 

 pest. Writing under date of February 1, 1012, from Brandon, Ky., 

 Mr. Robert B. Parker, statistical agent, stated that corn was dam- 

 aged 50 per cent in his part of the country by these worms. In 

 some fields they had destroyed as high as 75 per cent of the crop. 

 May 27, 1012, Mr. George G. Ainslie found a portion of a cornfield 

 near Hurricane, Tenn., that had been damaged fully 05 per cent by 

 these larvse. Under date of December 4, 1012, Mr. G. M. Goforth, 

 county demonstrator, writing from Lenoir, N. C., stated that this 

 worm caused a loss of thousands of dollars every year* in his 

 (Caldwell) county. 



HABITS OF THE LARYJE. 



The actions of the very young larva? are in a sense forecasted by 

 the observations made by Quaintance on the method of oviposition. 

 No one else appears to have observed the method of oviposition in 

 the open fields, but Quaintance has found that the stylus-like ovi- 

 positor of the female is pushed doAvn into the soil to a depth of from 

 one-eighth to one-fourth of an inch and held there until the egg is 

 forced down the extensible oviduct. This requires usually but a few 

 seconds, and after moving a short distance the beetle may deposit 

 another egg in the same manner. 1 Quaintance further states that 

 larvae, placed on the roots of corn at one end of a root cage, after 

 the destruction of this corn made their way through the soil to a 



1 Mr. R. A. Vickery, in North Carolina, found that eggs were deposited in the soil by 

 females in confinement without reference to the corn plants growing therein. 



