122 
The Bulletin 
bugs per acre made in widely varying localities and ranging from fields 
in a high state of cultivation through, innumerable graduations to fields 
that had just been cleared and never plowed, but in which the corn had 
been “stuck,” failed to show auv constant correlation between the state 
of cultivation and the number of bill bugs present per acre. During 
1915 the corn in the experimental plats on the Pender Test Farm was 
given very poor cultivation and was badly damaged by corn bill bugs, 
but tbe adjacent plats which were devoted-to other experiments were 
given very careful cultivation. Yet, so far as could be determined, both 
plats were about- equally injured. At least, the plats devoted to the 
other experiments had to be replanted, owing to the great amount of 
injury by corn bill bugs. 
However, the writer does not mean to imply by any of the above 
statements that corn could be grown as well without cultivation as with 
proper cultivation. Hothing could be farther from the truth. Yet it 
does seem worth while to correct a growing misconception to the effect 
that proper cultivation is an early effective method of control for 
the corn bill bug. 
DESTRUCTION OF NATIVE FOOD PLANTS 
Tbe corn bill bug is undoubtedly a native insect, and, like many other 
insect pests, fed formerly on various kinds of weeds. So far as has 
been determined, these weeds were mostly grass-like plants, especially 
the grasses which are closely related to nut grass and chufas. The corn 
bill bug still continues to feed and breed on these grasses throughout its 
range in this State. Therefore, corn grown in close proximity to such 
grasses or in fields where such grasses have been allowed to grow, is 
more apt to be injured by this insect than corn grown in fields that, are 
free from these grasses. 
Therefore, anything that can be done to keep down the native food 
plants of this insect will be important factors in its control. Many of 
these grasses are swamp-loving forms. Therefore, as the swampy areas 
on the farm are brought under better and better drainage these plants 
will be restricted in area and will therefore furnish less food for the 
corn bill bug. This will lessen the danger of the insect spreading from 
its native food plants to corn. In this connection, the farmers in the 
bill bug sections of the State should pay particular attention to drainage 
of swampy areas where the native food plants abound, and should also 
watch, closely, the edges of ditch banks and similar situations to see 
that such places do not grow up in these grasses which would furnish 
these pests with an abundance of food and would act as incubators for 
their increase. 
Also, it seems hardly necessary to say that if some other crop would 
be grown on swamp land for the first year or two after it is cleared, it 
would have a tendency to reduce the damage done by this insect. 
