

49 



busy season when such remedies must be applied. It is the opinion, 

 therefore, of your agent that no insectieidal measures, even though 

 efficient as such, are to be recommended, because from the nature of the 

 case they are burdensome and impracticable. The whole work must 

 be accomplished by preventive measures, such as are hereinafter dis- 

 cussed, and which have been suggested by the food-habits of tne species 

 in question, and which by experiment have been found adequate. In 

 this way it was determined that the Boll Worm has a choice food-plant 

 among the long list recorded, and, as will be seen, it has been the effort 

 of your agent to demonstrate the practicability of manipulating this 

 food-plant so as to concentrate the attack upon it, first trapping the 

 worms and then destroying them. 



PLOWING. 



Fall plowing, as a preventive measure against Boll Worm in slightly 

 infested regions, is not practical as a purely boll worm measure. In 

 badly infested regions it is to be done when possible. The great diffi- 

 culty with this measure is that the top crop of cotton is seldom all picked 

 timely enough to make fall plowing possible before the rainy, wintry 

 season begins. Due to this fact, it must be urged that plowing be done 

 in spring, as early as it is possible to plow and pulverize the soil. This 

 early plowing, with the cold, rainy weather and occasional frosts, which 

 occur as late as April 1, aviII insure the destruction of many of the 

 chrysalids. The after-preparation of the soil at planting time will 

 doubtless destroy a small percentage of the surviving pupae. 



Early plowing, in addition to being a boll worm preventive, has its 

 strong advocates among leading agricultural men, who insist that it 

 should be followed as an improved method or practice of farming, since 

 larger and better crops are produced when done. 



CORN. 



Corn is beyond doubt the choice food-plant of the Boll Worm. From 

 about the middle of April, when the corn becomes large enough for the 

 Boll Worm to work in it, this worm may be found, and continuously so 

 on through the season so long as green corn in suitable condition for 

 food is found. Until about the middle of May or first of June, Boll 

 Worms are rarely found on any other plants than young corn. This 

 being true it is surprising to find that the first brood is so small. From 

 numerous accurate accounts in May and early June, at Shreveport, La., 

 it was found that about 2 per cent of the young corn plants showed 

 signs of Boll Worm ravage, while (due to the change of plants by the 

 worms) less than 2 per cent actually contained worms. 



At this time there is presented the first and most important opportu- 

 nity for inaugurating preventive measures, namely : to cut out the in- 

 fested plants and burn them or simply crush the "bud" of the corn 

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