Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1846-10-14
From the Soulkern Cuitirator.

ON-CATERPILL LAR.
Mr.. Camak AS am one Of your sub.
scrbers, feel in duty bound to Contribute
all the information that am in possession
of, that would enhance our Cotton crops,
by destroying the worms which have been,
and are now. making such havoc on some
farms that the crops will be an entire fail.
IRE. l, for one. believe thar al! diseases
and disasters have their cffectual remedies,
which if rightly applied, aud at the right
season, will prove successful. | know
there are many farmers who dlsdain to
believe any thing like experiments to be
profitable. They are all anti prosperous
kind Of beings (not Farmers.) who are
content 10 sit on the stool of do nothing
aud murnur at Providence, aud will not
even listen u anv new idea. take hold Of
10 new inventions, but hold on to the old
rules. Father larnt them well father cut
they TO it too; and father lost about one
pig in ten or fifteen, and they do loo
Well, Anfi, just ask your neighbor who.
has hogs with long tails ifhe everslooses
any by castration, and my word for il he
will tell you no, scarcely ever ;.and on the
other hand ask your neis shbors who has
short tail hogs if he ever looses anyby the
operation. Hc will say. oh yes; some
how or OTHER never ca,.set, good hand
to- attend the operation, as | know al.
ways sattend&I6 these lilinSs wheus the.
siisn-is inI,Icf anusny
;sfr, r,::lay down your prejudice, and never,
cut Oft a pigs Tail aud they will not bleed
to death. Try it; aud as shall tell you
how 10 keep, the worm out Of your Cot
ton, Try i, alsn; and il either fails, jusl pub
lish your name in the Cnliivator, and /
will pay The subscription for one year Of
all w hu will try it fairly and fail.
Abou, the first of July discovered the
worms ha made their appearance in my
Cotton. AboaI,hat lime we had IA few
very warm days which made them diSap
rear; and saw no sign of them ill about
the 18th August and then on close exam
inaion, found nearly every stalk had
more or less worms and eggs; in the bud
of the stalk, | counied.,as many as II eggs,
aud saw some al he slage when the worm
was coming out of the egg. The eggs are
very small, about The size OF mustard
seed, aud Of pale dove color. The worm,
when il first haches, commences eating
the bud where tue eggs are deposited.-
The warm, when first hached, is about
the size of a small ants body; aud in a
few days they will she'd and commence
searching for the squares. On the 18Th |
caught numbers Of flies which lay the
eggs, about sun SCI, and found their bodies
full of eggs. made ii a business every
evening to go into the field to caIch the
! hy and examine them and found every
evening they had less eggs in them; aud
on the Goth day caught numbers of the
flies, aud in pulling them in two found
they had laid out their eggs, or at least
could 6ud none u them. | had not top.
ped my Couoa till found al what time
tho flies had slopl laying. As wished TO
make an experiment, started my hands
to topping and gave them Instructions To
top as low down as they discovered any
squares had opened, and also to top all the
suckers; aud will assure you it looked
like ruinous business, as snme times il
would take one third of the stalk. made
the hands rub what was pulled off, so as tr
destroy what eggs and worms they gath
cred. Al that time offered to take II
bags Of e ol,on for my crop, which was II
acres but since the topping would no
take 80. II is true il was considerable
task, as my hands would not top more
than Ii acres per hand day.
feel richly rewarded for my trouble'
and experiment, and know of truth tha
others may be benofiued, if we eve
should be troubled by the worms again.
] would have wrote sooner, but wishing
TO he satisfied with the experiment, make
it too late to be of any advantage to lh'
farmers this season, as The worm has 60
down into the large bolls.
But l fear say some inti will say, Fa
{ ther topped bis Cotton, aud he had worm
T init 100, aud don't believe the expert
men, will DO. But agaiu, let Father keeI
} his eve on the fiddler, and watch The fly
!. the egg and the worm, and Top with judS
menl, as / have given directions, and b
{ willsay. away with prejudice. Give m
q e1.ins,ruction aud let me know the signs Q
tbelimes, which will be by taking The Cul
tiyator. sd
e WATTS.
Q September, 1876. :.
IfT i. ..,-xx ~, t--P4 -.