26 
egg; and since the first larvae which survive cannot be hatched be¬ 
fore the corn appears above ground,— i. e., about May 15 to June 
1,—it is probable that the eggs are not all hatched before the first 
of August. 
INJURIES TO CORN. 
wmmm 
Fig. 5. Corn root-worm, within the root. Enlarged. 
The root has been broken in two, showing the larvm 
still imbedded in it. 
The larvae, after hatching, attack first the fibrous roots of the corn, 
probably commencing usually near their tips, and working towards 
the stalk. They penetrate the surface of the root, running .irregu¬ 
larly beneath it, devouring the substance as they go, causing the 
death and decay of the root as fast as they proceed. 
There are often ns 
many as fifteen or twenty 
in a hill, and most of the 
roots of many stalks will be 
completely, destroyed, a 
condition of things evi¬ 
dent to the farmer as he 
plows a badly infested 
field, by the fact that no 
corn-roots are brought up 
on the plow. The diffi¬ 
culty is often apparent 
in patches here and there, but sometimes affects the entire field 
about equally. The growth of the corn is of course retarded, or 
even entirely arrested, and many stalks at the end of the season 
will be found from six inches to two feet in height. Others of the 
usual height will form no ear, and many will scarcely put forth a 
tassel. As the upper roots form, these are likewise invaded by the 
worms, and the hold of the corn upon the ground is so weakened 
that it is easily pulled up by hand or prostrated by an ordinary 
storm. Often this falling of the corn is the first evidence to the 
casual observer of any difficulty with the crop. If the mischief does 
not proceed as far as this, and the corn both tassels and silks, the 
ears often blight, either wholly or in part, and a field which may 
seem scarcely injured will yield an extraordinary percentage of small 
or worthless nubbins. This blight may be due, to some extent, to 
the fact that the beetle feeds upon the silk before the grains are 
fertilized by the pollen, but is probably chiefly to be attributed to 
the sapping of the vitality of the plant, owing to the destruction of 
its roots. 
As an additional example of the final effect of these worms, a field 
in Stark country, near Elmira, may be cited. Of this, Dr. Board- 
man writes, November 9: “I find that the corn on badly infested 
lands has nothing on the stalk. I examined one field, four miles 
from my place, where the owner was husking, and should say that 
one-fourth of the corn was rotting, or beginning to rot. I found on 
cutting an ear open, that I could slice the cob as easily as if it were 
a turnip. The infested corn is yielding from ten to fifteen bushels 
per acre.” 
