132 
WISCONSIN HORTICULTURE 
May, 1918 
CRANBERRY CULTURE 
Edited by Mrs. S. N. Whittlesey, Cranmoor, Secretary Wisconsin 
Cranberry Growers Association 
Water Treatment for Blackhead 
Fire Worm. 
Andrew Searls. 
As the Blackhead Fire Worm 
seems to be inclined to give the 
cranberry grower trouble this 
coming season, it might be well to 
sound a warning and give some 
pointers about how to manage 
this troublesome pest. 
The way I have doped this sub- 
ject out is, there is only one way 
for the Wisconsin cranberry 
grower to combat him success- 
fully, for if you attempt to get 
him with a poison or any other 
way by the use of a spray, you 
will fail to reach him in time to 
prevent him from getting in his 
work and doing your crop and 
vines a great deal of harm, beside 
the spray method being very much 
more expensive. 
I have had several years’ expe- 
rience in treating this pest and 
and have always been successful 
in combating him. 
I think it was twelve years ago 
this last fall I discovered quite a 
large patch of our vines had been 
severely injured by some pest. I 
had not noticed when the work 
was being done, but I could see 
if the whole bog was worked over 
as thoroughly as this particular 
patch (something like forty 
square rods) it wouldput us out 
of business for at least a couple of 
years. This looked serious. In 
walking among the vines on a fine 
sunny day, I noticed very many 
small brown flies or you might call 
them millers — they resembled mil- 
lers — would rise and fly away a 
few feet and again settle down 
among the vines. I concluded 
these were the fellows responsible 
for the work and from their im- 
mense numbers, they would be 
likely to spread over the whole 
bog, and be laying their eggs for 
the coming season. 
I had come in possession some 
time before of a bulletin on cran- 
berry culture and among the pa- 
pers sent, one on how to combat 
the Blackhead Fire Worm. The 
treatment advised, when the first 
crop of worms were hatched, 
which usually occurs in the last 
days of May, was to put the bog 
under water for a sufficient time 
to drown these young worms. It 
might take several floodings to 
get them, but this was the only 
sure method of protection. Con- 
sequently the next spring I was 
on the lookout for the appearance 
of the fellows. I think it was the 
25th of May I made the discovery 
that the worms were getting busy, 
their first work seeming to be on 
the young growing buds and 
vines. We at once put our en- 
tire fields under water, covering 
every vine as nearly as possible. 
They were held submerged for 
thirty-six hours, the water was 
then drawn off and the worms ex- 
amined and were found to be 
dead, all at least which we had 
been able to get under water. 
We make a practice of giving 
our marsh each season a warm 
flood for safety, believing it will 
do no harm, and if there are any 
stray worms hanging around we 
will put them out of business. 
Mr. A. E. Bennett also says the 
time to flood for fireworm is when 
he first appears in the spring — 
the trouble is, we do not see him — 
the worm generally comes out 
when buds begin to come out. Mr. 
Bennett covers entirely forty- 
eight hours and if water is cold 
can keep them under a week. Get 
him first time or no good. 
On Sunday, April 7, Mrs. B. P. 
Clinton passed into the Great Be- 
yond, leaving to mourn her loss a 
husband, three married daugh- 
ters, several grancl-children and a 
host of friends. Mrs. Clinton had 
been in frail health for some time 
and sought a more comfortable 
climate in the South — spending 
the winter with a daughter at 
Hydro, Oklahoma. 
Funeral services were held 
Wednesday, April 10, at the Con- 
gregational church of Grand Rap- 
ids followed by interment at For- 
est Hill Cemetery. Mrs. Clinton 
was a Christian lady of rare intel- 
ligence, refinement, and culture 
whose absence will be deepl} T felt. 
The Cranberry Lake Develop- 
ment Co., of Price county, have 
had a crew of men at work this 
winter re-sanding their bog. This 
company have a large acreage 
planted in the best up to date man- 
ner, just coming into bearing. 
President Searls — whose is the 
guiding hand — is at this writing on 
the way to inspect the work done, 
and lay out work for the coming 
season. 
