June, ’24] jones and bradley: grasses and sugar cane borer 
393 
1894. Comstock, J. H. 
1904. Howard, L. O. 
1914. Somes, M. P. 
1916. - 
1923. Readio, P. A. 
References 
Manual for the Study of Insects, 143. 
The Insect Book, 272, 309. 
Mo. State Fruit Sta. Bui. 24; 5, 16. 
Jr. Ec. Ent. 9, 39. 
Can. Ent. 55, 230-236. 
CERTAIN WILD GRASSES IN RELATION TO INJURY TO 
CORN BY THE “BORER” (DIATRAEA SACCHARALIS 
FAB.) IN LOUISIANA 
By Thos. H. Jones and W. G. Bradley, Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Stations 
Abstract 
Corn grown in Louisiana is often severely injured by the “sugar-cane moth- 
borer,” Diatraea saccharalis Fab. Ten stalks in a very heavily infested field gave an 
average of 46.2 larvae, pupae, and pupal cases to the stalk. Larvae have been found, 
especially during the fall and winter, in several wild grasses. Some of these grasses 
grow abundantly in areas where the borer causes so much damage to corn. It seems 
certain that severe injury to the corn is due to moths that fly to it upon issuing from 
these grasses in the spring. 
During recent years there has been much complaint of injury to 
com in Louisiana by the “sugar-cane moth-borer” (.Diatraea saccharalis 
Fab.). Not having available any definite records concerning the amount 
of damage caused by the pest during the past it is not possible to say 
whether it is becoming more abundant, but in certain sections it would 
appear that injury to corn has been more noticeable of late. Judging by 
inquiries received at the Louisiana Experiment Stations this appears 
true, for instance, in the Parishes of East and West Feliciana and 
East Baton Rouge. The degree of damage to corn by the borer varies 
greatly. In some instances it is so serious that no crop of ear corn is 
made, but this is not usual. Commonly, however, many injured stalks 
break over; being so weakened that they are unable to stand even light 
winds. Injury to the shank, the cob, the kernels, and the shuck is also 
important, particularly since it often results in subsequent decay and 
offers opportunity for secondary injury by certain other insects. 
As to how abundant the borer may become in corn the following 
figures are of interest’. On September 5, 1923, ten stalks were cut at 
random from a small planting of late corn at Baton Rouge in which the 
silk on the majority of ears had turned brown. It was apparent, from a 
superficial examination, that the corn in this field was very heavily in¬ 
fested and later observation showed that, because of borer injury, no 
ears matured. Counts were made of the larvae, pupae, and pupal cases 
