Mississippi Democrat. (Carrollton, Miss.) 1844-18??, 1846-09-16
FROM THE GAINESVILLE (AbA. PTLoT.
The cotton Worm.

INV WYNN huilhf
These destructive little vermin are maxi
ing sad havoc throughout the length and
breadth and depth of all the cotton fields
in this section of the country. They
come in myriads, as though by magic, so
sudden and universal is their simultaneous
appearance. A cloudy, damp state Of the
atmosphere, accompanied by rapid and
sappy growth of the cotton plant. seems
10 favor the procreation of the all mouthed
little gluttons. They are deposited by a
butterfly, in the twilight Of evening, on the
tender bud at the end of the cotton plant
By morning the egg is Matched, and imme-
diately the work OF destruction common
ces, They are then not larger than a
common sewing needle. They start down
the branch of the plant, pertorate the first
square or form, which in a few hours
spreads wide open. Their growth is We
ny rapid, and according to their age and
size SO they attack the hollis of different
ages and sizes. One worm will destroy
about twenty squares and bolls if they are
convenient to the worms access. If The
weather turns off very hot and dry, they
leave the cotton and go into the ground,
like colewort worms, and come oul and eat
in the night and return again when the sun
shines holly. They cannot survive hot
and dry weather. In the space of two
weeks they can destroy third OF more
OF the most promising crops Of cotton. -
And the richer the land and the more lux
uriant the crop, the more complete is the
destruction they produce.
And have never heard Of any remedy
for the prevention Of this Egyptian plague.
The destruction Of the yermin, after they
are engendered, seems to be the only fea-
sible mode of getting rid of it. To do this, |
have given to each of my feld-hands bot
tie, which they suspend around the neck
with string. The bottle is filled one.
third full of water. Each hand then takes
his row, as at other work, and examines
each staIk-6nds the worm at his destruc-
tive meal--gathers it and drops il in the
bottle, and the worm soon browns. For
the first few hours, il seems to be slow
business, but they soon become as expert
as turkeys, and will gather from five 10 fl.
teen hundred worms in day. At night
each one brings up his botle--we strike
a ring, the worms are counted out, so that
the days work Of each one may be judged
of. To-day, with 25 hands, we have caught,
counted, killed and offered up, on the
shrine oil wondering poultry, over twelve
tbnuoanH nd fn. x.,f4
expect to double this amount. We can
catch at least 10000 worms in day.
Each worm, in the course of his life, will
destroy 20 squares and bols, This, then,
is a nett saving of 100000 bolls Of cotton
per day; and field hands have but little
work now to do, as cotton is not opened
sufficiently to commence picking,
A great many people, in the pleniiude OF
southern dignity and chimney corner wis
dom, affect to laugh al this simple and
primeval method Of routing these ruinous
vermin; because they say it looks so ridI-
culous, to see grown up man picking up
worms like turkey cock! But il must
look equally ridiculous to sec men, women
and children "worming tobacco" And il
looks more ridiculous 10 the proprietor and
the overseer loo, 10 see a large field Of
cotton stalks big enough to make bale Of
cotton TO the acre, and that garnished with
about 800 lbs. Of blue, hali-opene9, worm.
eaten cotton.
Try it, and you don't like the mOdus
operdadi,' you can quit it in ahalf minute.
Il is now too late 10 theorize or book farm
the worms out OF your cotton fields.
GEO. AMASON.
Sumter Co., Ala, Aug, 10, 1916.