OCR Text |
Show EXPERTS OUTLINE ALFALFA WEVIL CONTROL PLANS, Damage to alfalfa fields by weevil in the coming crop season was partially determined last fall, according to a report made recently re-cently before the U. S. A. C. extension ex-tension service staff by George I. Reeves and Dr. J. . C. Hamlin of the United States department of agriculture. Between September 1 and the time the snow fell last fall, members mem-bers of the bureau of entomology made soil samples of many fields. If 'they found, on an average, one to one-half weevil per square foot of ground the experts predict pre-dict that no damage is likely to occur next spring. - If from one and one-half to two and one-half weevil were found per square foot the field was marked as pivotal and may be damaged or not, depending de-pending on weather conditions. If more than two and one-half weevil wee-vil were found per square foot, damage is most likely to occur next season, they said. If weath- ; I er conditions are not favorable in I the spring for the laying and hatching' of eggs or are adverse j to the development of the larvae, then no damage is likely. "I believe the coming way to control alfalfa weevil will be by regulating the time of cutting the alfalfa field for hay," said Mr. Reeves. "Iln most instances alfalfa al-falfa Is allowed to stand too long before it is cut. Alfalfa should not be allowed to stand until weevil wee-vil damage is noticed. At this time most of the larvae have gone Into pupation and are not destroyed." destroy-ed." Mr. Reeves said the best time to cut the alfalfa, even though it showed no weevil, is at the earliest earli-est possible maturity or about the time the first larvae pupate. This Is probably at the late bud stage or as the first flowers appear, i |