14 CIRCULAR 639, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
satisfactory control. In periods of excessively wet weather the mix- 
ture should be applied very sparingly to the buds, as heavy deposits 
of the material under these conditions will cause injury to the tender 
leaf tissues. The mixture should not be applied to the buds when 
they are wet from recent rains. In the case of shade-grown tobacco 
at least two applications a week are necessary to protect the buds 
during normal growing weather. When growth is much retarded 
by drought and the poison mixture is not removed by rain, one 
application per week may be sufficient. Care should be taken to pre- 
vent any excessive accumulation of the poisoned meal on the ground 
around the base of the stalk, as this sometimes favors a fungus growth 
harmful to the plant. This may be avoided by using the proper 
amount of bait. The poisoned corn meal should not be spilled on the 
maturing leaves, as this may cause burning, especially during periods 
of wet weather. 
In the case of sun-grown tobacco the number and frequency of 
poison applications necessary to protect the crop will varv from one 
season to another. Filler tobacco will ordinarily be protected suf- 
ficiently by one application each week, while crops raised for cigar 
binder require about two applications of the poison mixture each week. 
CONTROL AFTER TOBACCO IS TOPPED 
After the plants are topped the poisoned bait can no longer be 
used. Control during the remainder of the season is a more difficult 
matter, and especially so on shade-grown tobacco. Fortunately the 
insect usually confines itself to the suckers and to the less valuable 
upper leaves of the plants during this period. Budworms attacking 
the upper portions of maturing tobacco are locally called “seed- 
worms,” as they feed on the seed pods as well as on the foliage. 
Infestations may be reduced to a considerable degree by applying 
the poisoned bait to the buds just prior to topping the plants. 
Light dust applications of paris green are frequently used to control 
the budworm and the hornworm on cigar tobacco during the latter 
part of the growing season. Unfortunately these applications exert 
only a partial control, since the budworms are resistant to arsenicals 
after they have become about half grown. As the use of paris green 
entails considerable hazard to shade-grown tobacco, its application to 
this crop is usually advisable only after the more valuable middle 
leaves have been harvested. 
Warning: Paris green is very poisonous and should be handled 
with extreme care. The hands should be washed carefully after the 
poison has been mixed and applied. Operators applying paris green 
with hand dusters should wear aprons to protect the body from the 
poisonous dust. Aprons made of oilcloth have been found excellent 
for this purpose. 
The poisons and the mixed bait should be stored in tightly closed con- 
tainers and not spilled upon the ground where they will be accessible to 
livestock. All areas on which paris green may be deposited as the result 
of dusting oprations should be well fenced so that stray animals will not 
have opportunity to feed upon poisoned grass or weeds. 
The poisoned budworm bait consisting of lead arsenate and corn meal is 
very attractive and poisonous to livestock, and it and paris green should 
not be accessible to them at any time. 
