Doubled Die Searching..........

I'm giving Tomato Growing a shot this year and on one of my best plants, I spotted one of those GIANT Horned Tomato Worms happily eating away at my efforts.

I pulled it off and dispatched it for the birds.

I shared the find with my wife and not 3 minutes later, found another one! It too got send off to the bird feeder.

For the past couple of days, I've been checking my plants very closely knowing that one of those [esky buggers could be right smack in front of my face (like the last two) yet be totally invisible until I actually saw it.

This reminded me of the times I've found doubled die varieties like my 1970-D DDO FS-101 coin. I was looking at it under my Stereo Coin Scope and at first, saw nothing. Then, as if a curtain had been lifted, the doubling simply stood out like a black eye!

I imagine that a lot of folks that "look" at coins experience the exact same thing. By that, I mean they look..........but they cannot see.

Hopefully, I';ve gotten all my Tomato Worms but likewise, I hope I haven't found my last doubled die!

 

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I have always wondered how they find tomato plants.
They just show up out of nowhere.

 

There is always one more "Doubled Die" to find. As a matter of fact, there are 78 more "Doubled Dies" I would like to find ......... But I know if I found them, some idiot would find and get listed a new one so I never would have it complete .......

 

I've found the easiest doubled die's to find for me are the 1964 Kennedy's. I've actually passed a couple up because the condition is just not what I want. My best find so far has been my 1919 Mercury Dime FS-101. I am officially hooked and will never stop looking for varieties.

 

I've found that the stereomicroscope can really play tricks on the eyes when viewing objects at higher magnifications. Have you ever noticed when looking at the word LIBERTY on the Morgan dollar that it's difficult to tell if it is raised or recessed?

Question: When you're outside in your garden, is there an electrical outlet for your stereomicroscope nearby or do you have to use a long extension cord?

Chris

 

I always check my change, amazing what you can find

 

I hate those horned worms.

 

mmmmmmm home grown tomatos! A little salt and you can eat'em like an apple. Nothing beats a home garden grown tomato. I won't barely eat a store bought tomato unless they are in season locally. I live right down the road from Red Gold. I see scads of semi loads of tomatos during the summer. At least twice a year you see an intersection where the semi took the turn a little too hard and dumped the top of the stack onto the road. You'd think with my love for home grown maters I'd give a try at growing them...but I don't...seems like I don't have the time. anyhoo...good luck!

 

Chances are pretty good that there are more horn worms. The adult is a moth and deposits numerous eggs underneath a leaf. Once hatched they grow rapidly. Look for their dark pellet-like poop. Dead giveaway.

 

Search the web. Moths lay eggs in the springtime which then slime their way out if the soil and start chewing away.

 

The table this one plant was on was littered with these pellet! Absolutely littered!

 

Gross!

 

The problem arises in trying to "identify" the individual doubled dies based upon textual descriptions. It would be nice, no, it would be heaven if CONECA (specifically James Wiles) opened up the photographic evidence files which would prevent countless "too minor to list" attributions.

Whereas, if you've seen one horned tomato worm, you've pretty much seen them all!

 

A stereoscope is not required for a tomato worm which usually takes too hands to get it off of the plant. They are as big as your "Rush Hour" finger and about 1 and a half times as long.


But...............they pop like water balloons when you dash them onto the concrete.



Scuse me, gotta go puke now.

 

Well, how can you read his lips because he knows what's in store for him.

Chris

 

Worms ate my radishes but I don't have the imagination to connect that to anything numismatic.

 

I've always wondered how the fat little devils can attack so fast. One day you have a healthy and robust plant and the next day it's practically defoliated. The bird feeder is a worthy sentence but a tad too humane........crush the critter......splat.

 

give those hornworms a little dip in cornstarch and then fry

 

I think those worms grow about an inch a day. Last year was the worst I have ever seen for tomato worm. I faught them all summer. When my first tomato was ripening I kept a close eye on it, salt shaker in hand, waiting for the perfect time to harvest it. I had made up my mind that the next evening it was mine. Before I got home from work that day, my wife sent me a picture of a squirrel sitting on top of a fence post eating my tomato.