VOL. XXX.
INDIANAPOLIS, IND., MAY 18, .895.
NO. 20.
Written for the Indiana Farmers   -
The Clay-Backed Out-worm (Affrdlis Ola-
diaria, Morrison).
BY JAMES TROOP, HORTICULTURIST.
This insect has appeared in great num-
bars this spring in many localities in
Southern Indiana and has done serious injury to the growing crops. Reports have
been received from Clark, Crawford,Floyd,
Lawrence and Orange counties, all of
which state that the damage done is very
great and that in some caBes farmers have
suspended farther planting on their account. The first reports describad this insect as the "army worm," and, indeed, the
descriptions given of its habits and methods of work corresponded very closely to
that of the army worm. Many of the first
specimens received were quite young,
others were dead before reaching me; and
8s the color of the larvra of this species is
quite variable, it was impossible to identify it until recently, when a box of full
grown larvto was received, together with
this information: "Same of the specimens
were taken from a potato patch and some
from a meadow. The meadow is timothy
with some clover. All the clover has been
cut dawn and the timothy not disturbed.
In the potato patch we found from six to
fifteen under a hill. They appear in such
great numbers that they are called army
worms; they do their work, however, at
night and go into the ground in the day
time." These are the habits of cutworms,
and enabled us to identify it as the species
given above. This Bpecies was desoribed
in 1875, but so far as known to me, did
comparatively little damage to crops until
1887, when it overran southern Illinoi.* in
the same manner as it is now doing in
southern Indiana.
The eggs are laid in autumn, some of
them quite early, so that a portion of the
Ian io are nearly full grown before going
into winter quarters. This was clearly
shown by the different sizes found this
spring. The larva) continue to work until
about June 1st, when they pupate, the
moths appearing again in August and September.
The characteristic oolors of the cutworms
are not so well marked in this species, the
general color being a dingy gray to brown
with lighter longitudinal lines along the
side of the body.
Remedies —The cutworm in general is a
more difficult insect to manage than is the
atiny worm, and when it appears in a
field of grain or vegetables in such num •
bers as in this instance, it is practically
useless to attempt to destroy it. Nature,
however, has provided a remedy in the
little parasite which deposits its eggs in
large numbers within the lar\o3, The
young parasite3 feed upon it and thus destroy it. In a small box of the larvto received from Clark county, I have bred
nearly 150 parasites, so that in all probability there will not be a recurrence of
these pests for a number of years.
Purdue University Agricultural Experiment Station. Newspaper Bulletin No. 9,
May 14, 1895.
sjTorbe's Fifth Report, Insects of Illinois.
» ♦ .	
A Farmer's Opinion of the Farmer.
Editobs Indiana Fabhkb:
My love of the profession of farming, is
no ideal sentiment, no passing fancy of a
hair brained enthusiast, but is the strongest conviction of a thirty years' practical
experience. The most ardent love that a
man oan conceive of a calling, has been
tho controlling spirit of my business. I
have always accepted the labor, difficulties and disappointments as a matter of
course, and the errors of judgment as a
part of the education of a farmer. I
wanted to succeed, I was determined to
succeed, if labor and study andolose attention to business counted for anything.
I kept an eye to the main line always, that
is general farming, leaving the side tracks
for others. No doubt some of my brother
farmers will object to my frequent use of
the pronoun I in this subject. I frequent
ly hear farmers say of these men that write
for agricultural papers, "They don't practice what they preach." No doubt they
are correct in some few cases; but as for
myself, everything I write is "raw mater
ial," without any "high protection" on it
whatever, and has been pioked up between
the plow handles, on the fields among the
crops, among the live stook, in the orchard and garden, by the way-side, at the
oounty and State fairs, and about your
farm*, the Institute meeting, the State experiment farm, from farm papers, from
books treating on agricultural subjects,
and on the street corners, where poor pes
simistic farmers love to congregate to
compare grievances, while the good wife
is at home, hoeing the potatoes. You
know I have an eye to the "main chance,"
an ear, that loves the music of business,
and hands that either "hold the plow, or
drive" business on the farm. My observation teaches me that to succeed in any
business, a man must watoh for any or all
the changes, whather good or bad, that
may come into his business, and study to
anticipate them in advance, if possible.
To do so, is to be in the front rank of improvement, and progression. My brother
farmers, suppose we call a halt before the
coming spring crop season [commences,
and see if we are in touch with the improvements of the age we are living in, or
keeping l's'.ep" with onr fellows in other
kinds of business. I am afraid we wou'd
find that very many of us are practicing
yet the expensive methods of 30 years ago.
History teaches us that all business methods are completely revolutionized about
every 30 years. Those of you who visited
the great fair in Chicago in 1893 will bear
me out in this assertion. I imagined before I visited that greatest exhibition of
industrial improvement the world ever
looked on, that I was pretty well posted on
all such matters, and to say that I was surprised at my own ignorance, when I stood
in the presence of that crowning glory of
inventive genius, does not express it;
words cannot do it j astice. I have been
trying ever Bince to digest it, and before I
can do so, no doubt even greater ohanges
will oome in to claim our attention, and
much of it will remain unsolved to the
end. But to myself that great fair will al
ways remain one bright spot to the end,
and will serve to counteract the dark and
gloomy years of the late civil war, in
which I took a part.
Much is being Bald and written about
the farmer. They are saying and writing
a great deal themselves, and much truth
is being brought out in tbe discussion,and
much that is untrue is coming to the light
too, and no doubt all classes will be benefited by the investigation. Farmers as
a class, think and act somewhat slower
than men of other professions, but they
get there, just the same.
The Indiana farmers may well congratulate themselves- on the progress they are
making in the science of good farming. They stand second to those of
no other State in the union. Their
per cent of mortgago Indebtedness
is smaller than of any other of the
States. This alone shows business ability
above the average. This is very remarkable, when we come to think of the many
natural obstacles they had to encounter
before they could make those now fine fertile farms they now own and till, and
those beautiful homes they live in- I say
stop this nonsense about the farmers supposed ignorance, snd let us reason together, and see if the farmer has not been
wrongfully treated. More of this later on.
James Haslet.
One of the Best.
Editors Indiana Farmeb:
I have taken your paper for the last four
years, and I think it is one of the best farm
papers I ever read, and while I live on the
farm you may expeot to send it to me.
Our institute in this, Hancock, oounty
was a success. Many good points were
brought out for the farmers, those on
clover inparticular. I. P. Cuhtis
Hints on Corn Culture.
Editobs Indiana Fabmeb:
To insure a good crop begin about the
first of September by going through the
field, selecting the ripest ears, .and the
grains of as near a uniform size as possible. This will save much necessary
thinning. Cure it by puttieg it over the
cook stove between the joists. It will not
get too hot and will sprout sooner and
grow stronger in cold wet weather than
corn taken from the crib. Plow the
ground and thoroughly pulverJz 9 before
planting. A thorough peed bed is of great
benefit in the tending Plant in hills three
feet eight inches apart, three grains to the
hill. Cultivate with a spring tooth riding
cultivator, beginning as Boon as corn can
be seen in row, going one way as long as
weeds can be kept down between the hills,
as this leaves room for Bide roots. If necessary to cross plow do not ohange any
more. C. B. Harvey
Henry Co.
Large Yields of Corn.
I will give a brief sketch of my experience in producing large yields of corn
First I manage to have olover sod, and in
the fall, after clover seed is harvested, I
haul all my stable manure and straw (rotted straw) on the clover sod and put it in
heaps. Then I go through my corn and
select seed for the ensuing corn planting.
Now when the earth is warm I commence
plowing and have the manure scattered as
evenly as possible on the plowed soil.
Break as deep as you can, from eight to 10
inches; the deeper the better for corn and
ground. After plowing is done, I put on
two A harrows; one going the way it was
plowed and the iother cross, so as to pulverize and mix the manure thoroughly
and level up dead furrows. I plant any
time after 5th of May, but want the soil
loose and warm. I prefer furrows deep
and three and a half feet apart. Drill the
oorn not closer than 18 inches, and if it
rains hard enough to form a orust before
corn is up, go over it with an A harrow.
Then go through it with single shovels
and split the middles, following with harrow. Second week I put in the Buckeye
Sunbeam cultivator, with 4 bull tongues
and plow as deep and close as I can. Third
week go through again but leave off the
outside bull-tongues and pat on the shovels and still plow deep After which I cultivate as soon after showers aa the ground
will permit. I will not cultivate through
mud, it does not pay. Fourth week, culti
vate Bhallow, so as not to break the roots.
They are in tho ground deep, and shallow
cultivation will create moisture, and
loosen the soil and let in the fertilizing
elements from the air
I give corn olose attention and cultivate
four or five times, and lay by with a small
harrow, so as to have the ground as level
as possible. Now it is in good shape for
whea*, and in the spring I sow it in red
clover, and by so doing the land is growing better all the time, and I am getting
good yields. C F. Parks,
Sullivan Co.
In the British army 97 p9r cent of  the
troops are both able to read and write.
Squirrels are reported abundant in the
Clinton county woods.
There is no truth in the rumor that Bismarck is seriously ill.
^tate IJjettiB.
A little black bug is doing much damage
to corn in the violnity of Rockville.
The four year-old daughter of Henry
Leather man of Gjshen was strangled in a
swing.
Frank Dill, a mute of Wailesboro, was
killed by a railroad train while walking
on the track.
Frederick Gercken, seventeen years old,
of Fort Wayne, undertood to wade across
the Maumee river and was drowned.
Ora, ten years old, son of Clarence Pickett, of Hamilton county, fell off a straw-
stack, receiving injuries of which he died.
Fire in Porter county destroyed fifteen
aores of fine timber owned by the Chicago-
Porter Home and Manufacturing Company.
A six foot, twelve inch face grindstono
in the Arcade file works at Anderson flew
to pieces, and a fragment struck Walter
Armstrong, c .using very serious concussion of the brain.
The farmers in Clinton county are very
much discouraged over the prospects of
their crops, owing to the continued
drouth. It Is claimed that there cannot be
a half crop of wheat, which is now three
inches high and has turned yellow. The
hay crop has also been damaged aud the
young clover is making a bad showing, as
is the oats crop. The fruit and corn is still
looking well,but are badly in need of rain.
During the burning of his residence at
Philomath, the owner of the property, M.
J Weber, persisted in pouring water in
one spot, notwithstanding the expostulations of those who were trying to assist
him in saving h^s property. After the
fire was over he raked away the ashes
from this particular spot, disclosing a
roughly-made box, from which he took
several old shot bags filled with gold.
This money was placed in bank at Con-
norsville. The estimated amount is f 30,-
000.
t&mzxxxl ^rtxos.
The gild reserve in the United States
Treasury is now ?9G,039,83S.
London manufactures ten million dollars' worth of umbrellas annually.
In western Kansas on May 9th a hot
wind blew and the temperature was 105 in
shade.
It is estimated that the forest fires in
Pennsylvania have already done damage
amounting to $l,OCO,000.
j |A Bhad overflow Is reported in the
Delaware river. Never before were tho
fish so large and fine or so numerous.
The Rumford Historical Society, of Wo-
burn, Mass , will erect a monument to the
Baldwin apple on the site of the parent
tree.
In the Pere Lachatse cemetery, at Paris,
one of the keepers was found recontly to
have been cultivating vegetables on the
graves.
Blindness is on tho increase in the
United States. Forty years ago but four
in 10,000 were blind, but now the ratio has
increased 100 per cent.
In the Spanish province cf Cadiz bands
of men unable to find employment have
been traversing the country districts and
robbing the inhabitants of cattle and food.
Andrew Coleman died in Athens, Ga.,
last week from the effects cf a wound in
his left eye, caused by being shot with a
pin by some mischievous boy a few weeks
ago.