The corn ear worm, Heliothis obsoleta (F.), has been such a serious pest of sweet corn in southeastern Virginia that very few people attempt to grow this crop in this area. Carruth (1936), Pepper (1937), Ridgeway (1938) and Barber (1938) have reported varying degrees of success in controlling the corn ear worm on sweet corn by removing the silks at about 3-day intervals during the silking period. In the spring of 1938, it was decided to try this method of control on four varieties of sweet corn planted on three different dates at Norfolk, Va. The varieties used were Marcross C 3, an early developing sweet corn, Golden Cross Bantam, Money Maker and Stowell's Evergreen. Plantings were made on April 21, May 23, and during the first week in July.