51 



experience when leaving the ear and traveling about seeking a suitable 

 place for pupation. The number of ears of corn having been reduced 

 to a nimiinum by trap planting, it is found that the cannibalism in- 

 duced among the worms reduces those reaching maturity to minimum 

 also. More than a minimum can not be accomplished, whatever be 

 the remedial or preventive measures. It becomes questionable, there- 

 fore, whether it is to be recommended that the trap-planted corn be 

 cut and burned so as to destroy the few worms attaining maturity in 

 it, because the value of the corn more than condensates for the small 

 percentage of worms thus maturing. 



Again, the numerous fresh corn silks so late in the season seem to be 

 specially attractive to many beneficial insects as suitable resorts, and 

 the egg parasite and many of the other smaller natural enemies of the 

 Boll Worm are found abundantly on these silks and in the ends of the 

 ears. Whether they are attracted by the corn silks being fresh or in 

 search of the objects of their prey, the fact remains that, being thus 

 conveniently quartered in the trap itself, these beneficial insects have 

 more frequent and better opportunities for successfully preying upon 

 the obnoxious insect. Their attack under such circumstances may be 

 said to be artificially concentrated more or less against a specified in- 

 jurious insect and hence makes them more efficient agents in reducing 

 and assisting in the control of the ravages of that species. A portion 

 of these beneficial insects would also be destroyed by any treatment of 

 the corn looking to the artificial destruction of the Boll Worm. In view 

 of these additional facts it seems best not to urge such a measure. 



As to the first preventive measure, some insist that cutting out 

 infested corn early in the season endangers a good stand. In reply it 

 can be said that, much of the corn being drilled in, some is chopped out 

 at the time of the first plowing. At the time of this first chopping a 

 greater proportion of the drilled corn can be left and at the time neces- 

 sary to most efficiently attack the Boll Worm the portion cut out will 

 be counterbalanced by the slight excess left from the first thinning. 

 But, as already stated, absolute chopping and burning need not be 

 resorted to if care is exercised so that the crushing process be thor- 

 oughly done. In that case the worm is destroyed and the plant, as 

 experiments have shown, is not materially injured and still makes a 

 good ear of corn. 



To the second, some object that by planting a trap crop in the man- 

 ner recommended you actually encourage the greatest possible devel- 

 opment in point of numbers, that succeeding broods will be proportion- 

 ately greater, and hence the measure will be worse than no remedy. 

 This has already been partially answered. The trap corn is reduced 

 to the minimum in quantity. This makes a maximum crowded condi- 

 tion which induces the maximum cannibalism in the species and, as 

 already explained, actually makes the Boll Worm its own destroyer. 

 On the other hand, if the trap corn were not planted the moths would 

 of necessity deposit on cotton. Here there is plenty of room and each 



