19G MAINE STATE COLLEGE 



b. Late Fall plowing. This should be done after the worms 

 have become torpid and have gone into winter quarters, so as to 

 break the walls of the cells in which they hybernate, thus exposing 

 them more fully to the changes of temperature. 



c. Early Spring plowing and late seeding is supposed to cut off 

 their food supply and starve them. 



d. Late Spring plowing and seeding is supposed to give the 

 worms a chance to mature on weed food and transform before the 

 crop is planted. 



e. Frequent cidtivation of sod land is supposed to be beneficial. 

 The moths lay their eggs upon plants near the ground. They 

 deposit more eggs upon grass ground than elsewhere and the 

 worms would accumulate in meadows. Turning every two years 

 is advocated by some. Summer fallowing has been advocated in 

 extreme cases. 



/. Making dee}) holes about the hills with a dibble has been tried 

 with good effect. For this purpose a sharpened stick about two 

 inches in diameter is used. It can be thrust very rapidly deep in 

 the soil once or twice near each hill. This makes a smooth, 

 round hole into which the the worms fall and cannot get out, and 

 they perish or eat each other. To mxke their death certain go 

 over the field again the next day, thrusting the stick in the same 

 holes to crush them. 



g. Pouring solutions about the hills poisonous to the ivorms. 

 Saltpetre has been used for this purpose and is said to destroy the 

 worms and at the same time provide nitrogen food to the plants. 



h. Dipping plants to be set in Hellebore Solution has been suc- 

 cessfully used with tobacco plants. We have no record of its 

 being tried for cabbage plants. Oue pound of Hellebore to ten 

 gallons of water was used for tobacco plants. 



i. Digging out the worms when the plants are seen to be 

 affected by them. This is somewhat like locking the barn after 

 the horse is stolen, but you have the satisfaction of destroying the 

 perpetrator. Preventive remedies leave the worms to multiply 

 over two hundred fold. Such a remedy as the above strikes a 

 hard blow at the cause. This is a laborious method, but in con- 

 nection with thick planting so a good stand will be left, it is effect- 

 ual and largely practised. 



j. Spraying the foliage with London purple, Paris green or 

 Hellebore water will kill species that attack the foliage. 



