Show CONTROL OF WEEVIL WEE IL IN ALFALFA FIELDS the cheapest and most effective method to fco control the alfalfa weevil is to cut the first crop of alfalfa when it to Is in one tenth bloom and cut the second crop 36 35 to 40 days after the first cutting this controls the weevil tor for tile the following year this practice reduces to a minimum the number of adult that live over to the following year it la is those these over wintering weevils that lay lie ite eggs which hatch into the hungry greep green worms that do the damage the early hatched worms all tall fall victims to the tha we weevil dl parasite billich lays its eggs in the worms later in the season the parasite misses a few worms and unless something goni ething else happens to destroy them they go through the cocoon stage and emerge as beetles which live until the next year cutting and harvesting the hay buy checks the growth of the weevil in the worm stage so BO that but very few of them spin cocoons those worms that started in the cocoon stage singe just before the hay bay was cut are killed killa by the heat beat of the sun when their shade la is taken away it tile the hay is out cut early all except two or three per cent oi of the worms that have started spinning co coons will die because they contain parasite eggs tho the small percentage escaping the parasite will have only sorted their cocoon cocoons jj the lost week before the hay bay la in cut and the atin aim will kill the worms now consider what happens when cutting of the first crop is delayed one or two weeks the tha parasite Is less lesa effective eight or ton tell per cent of the worms corma esabe it and these are given enough tuna time to develop into beetles and crawl away so the heat of the sun I 1 has haa w 10 effect on thorn them whon ivhon the I 1 hay la is cut As aa a P re result ault a heavy crop ot at weevil is ig assured the following year the same principles apply tp the second crop although there Is no damage in tact fact corma are hardly to be found this crop cri op must bo be cut early or enough wee was vila will mature to overbalance over i balance alance the good effects ot of cutting the aba first crop early tho the of weevil control places no restriction upon the handling of the third crop another advantage of sarly early cutting la Is improved Imp royed quality of hay it may mean dinean less pounds ot of bay per aero acre train from the first two crops but in fesing value it means more pounds ot of erHt nl beet beef or oi lamb pey liar acre I 1 this emily eaily c bitting must be alced evera yb whether the hay shows wain 11 or not it takes only ti two 0 o female per square foot to isa la eggs to produce enough worms to riddle that square toot foot ot at hay bay there are usually enouf enough I 1 wee vila in fields to prorogate a damaging number tor for tho the following year it if they are given a chance nell ipson who recently underwent nn an operation tor for appendicitis Is atle to lie be out and around once more |