AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 123 



the weather, they are mature and make their way to the ground 

 choosing preferably a spot where the earth is compact, burrow 

 beneath the surface making a round hole which widens toward the 

 bottom and is slightly closed at the top. In this gallery they 

 change to the pupa state. Where there is only one brood they 

 hybernate in the pupa state and appear the following season and 

 the round of life is complete. 



Remedies. 



Natural. — Bacterial diseases of the worm, moth and eggs are 

 known, besides a half dozen or more insect parasites, Tachinas 

 Ichneumons, prey upon them in the larval state. Lady birds, 

 several species of hyemenopterous insects, tiger and ground beetles 

 prey upon them, and chalcid egg parasites on the eggs. Bats and 

 other insectiverous animals eat the moths. Insectiverous birds 

 and barnyard fowls are fond of them and destroy both worms and 

 moths. Ants and spiders destroy the eggs and young. It is also 

 well known that they will eat each other. 



Artificial. — In the extreme North where there is probably but 

 one brood this insect would be more easily checked than where 

 there are two or three broods in a season. Where there are 

 several broods a few survivors of the winter would in the last 

 brood become numerous. 



The single brood of Maine could be managed by deep fall 

 ploughing of corn lands to break up the burrows and expose the 

 chrysalides to the effects of fall rain and winter freezing. If a 

 field is found badly infested it would be better to feed the corn 

 green to stock than to allow the worms to mature and enter the 

 ground. Infested ears should never be left in the field so the 

 worns can leave them and crawl into the ground. When possible 

 crush the worms found with the hand. 



Any one wishing to look up this insect farther will find a con- 

 densed article in the Fourth Report of the United States Ento- 

 mological Commission, p. 355, which is finely illustrated with 

 colored drawings of the worms and moths. 



