The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1847-02-10
AGRICULTURAL.
! THE.C COTTON MOTH.

gested bythc very interesting article in
The November No. .of tho Agrcullurisl, on
thcvDcslruction Of the Cotton Crnp by In.
sccts. lnpw beg leave 10 offer them, hn-
ping that they may throw some light on
that part Of The history Of the insect Of
which The author professcs himself igno-
rant.
IS Oflhe peculiur species to which he al
lulcs, know little more than is 10 be gain
Ell from dried specimens IN my cabinet. but
on referring 10 my Journal, find from oh.
servations made .luringthc lust ten years,
that The development Of moths and butter
flies from The pupa always depends on a.
mosphrric influences; those. for instance,
preserved in the pupa state during The win
ter, will be developed earlier or later in
the spring, according I" the warmth or
culdness Of the situation in which they
may he placed; and those that become
pupr, during the early part Of The summer,
do not require more than five days 10 pass
through the change. ifthc weather be ho,
aud moist (lry heat is extremely un(uvnra-
bic 10 the expansion Of their limbs after
their espHre rum The cncnon), while Sc
cond kshod from eggs Of these flies will
rcwaS1 in the pnpa all winter should
tfry weather be cold. bu, if warm, some
,
Of course, do ~ ia Jury, Us there is ihem 40
vege,alion on which a. hepu.l .Ac:r cugs,
anu IA mnih se!;o:n lives v lac winged
state mo,e than from five To twelve days.
In warm climates where vrncIni,:: is re-
dun,ant aHd in 4 I!t stalclo feed The Young
worms, they may br toun.li: auc"v.si"n
all The year. Should the snn,mor be long.
there will be Two or three hruu,l, rf ,hu>r
hal, t.pI mn r,in .,,i mr. n
Q1ravcs fnr n.I"ng time. such as The willow
trees, while there will be hnl one Of those
that feed on shor,-!ivcd plaals, such as The
potato. sa.e
Ia June, 1910. fed some Of The urvn
nr .I,c hal,r.ny (Popilio u>trrius), whirh
i"nn,I on the wild cnrro,, changed To purr
on lhr i2;h uf July, and on lhe 10Th The
perfect flies were levclnprt: from these
another brood WAS raised. which. rc,nuincd
in The iupa state until The fnllnwing spring
In s+'i3 raised three bru"ds nf the bee
mol, (GGIleria ccrcand.) The larva nf the
first wrrc pr"rurch from II hive. placed
piece III HE comb on which they were
feeding un! hrIl.g lass, these soon be-
came Pup;c, and in rurteen days changed
to the moth; these in SHIRT time deposited
thcireggs nn the remaining wax, which III,
five or six days were hatchcd and attained
their full gruw,l, in three weeks; went
through their changes and deposited their
eggs ON the fragments nf wax that lay seat
tered around; The larvp frnm these fed Tor
shurt time, but prrished for want nffnnh ,
having hevouted pot only all The wax that
rcmnincd, but the bodirs Of the mother
molhs. A variety Of the hairy caterpillar
which lInrris calls the yellow bear (Arciia
pirginica), ptrlrcts tw" bruods in The Midi
die and Suulhcrn states, aud snmetimes at
icmpts third, but The summer being too
short, most Of them perish, though many
hibernate during The winter. | have found
tho ruIl-grown caierpiIlars alive and in
seurch Of food. during the mild weather nl
january, 1912, and February, '43, and yes
.erday Nov. i2th) gathered several
from the field, intending, If possible, Ia
keep them until spring, to ascertain their
future history. Judging, therefore. frnn,
annlnyy, aud the minute description given
by Mr.. Ailleck, the history of the cotton
moth (N0ciua ryiina) may be briefly This:
The moth appears in the spring, when
the cottun pInn. is in u fit state TO receive
tho eggs. She places these on the leaves
OF the plant To the number Of from Two Ia
six hun,lrcd; these hatch in from two to
five days, according to the weather. The
Young larvp are very minute, but grow
rapidly. attaining their full size Of one and
halfinches IN from fourteen to twenty
DAYS. during which time, like their congo.
ners. they nonlt every eight days. The
difference in the color Of the worms is ow,
ino To their mouliiDg, as q slight chang 4