INSECTS. 129 



spring hatch out minute, active grubs, which 

 begin to feed at once on the corn roots, if a new 

 crop has been planted on old ground. The 

 worms follow these small roots to larger ones, 

 into which they burrow, often to the base of 

 the plant. When full grown the worms "are 

 nearly white, a trifle less than half an inch 

 long and about the size of ordinary wheat 

 straw just below the head. When they reach 

 full growth the worms leave the root, crawl to 

 one side in the soil, make a cell there, and 

 transform into white pupa (grub stage), which 

 soon changes into the beetle form. 



This insect has done great damage in our 

 corn fields, especially in the Central West. In 

 1885 Prof. Webster noted damage to the corn 

 crop of Moses Fowler of Lafayette, Ind., 

 amounting to 15 per cent of the entire crop on 

 10,000 acres— a total loss of about $16,000." 



A rotation of crops is a satisfactory method 

 for preventing damage from this insect, as has 

 been demonstrated on a large scale. Wheat or 

 oats may be substituted for the corn crop, as 

 this insect cannot secure food from their roots, 

 they being too woody and tough. The first 

 crop of corn on grass or clover sod is not usu- 

 ally injured by this pest, although numerous 

 cases have occurred where the corn was injured 

 on clover sod. 



*Report Indiana Board of Agriculture for 1885, p. 188. 

 9 



