The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-09-09
way OF being utterly destroyed, and thus So
cure remunerative results even with the pres


The yorns came earlier in 1848. when the
manuring system was fully prsotlced. and ate
more voraciously than they did To- 1895 when
that system Was not generally introduced. sI7
periority be- assigned to well manured crops
over those which wero otherwise. Tho worm
always appears frst on the best grown or
''Tapkesp cotton. They always appear FIRST
Helena Parish, then Bt. Luke's. It was we'll
known that the Edistonians were the best man
urers in the State. -
Nor yet should we conclude from this that
the worm Was produced by the manuring.
Facts Of to-day contrayene this idea. Tho
truth te, wherever the growth was fine, wheth-
er from strong land or high fertilization, the
same thing occurred. 1t was the inviting food
which attracted the insect, Just as good pas
lures do the grs king herds.
shall now consider the planting over Of our
cotton fields in cotton continuously.
Here, perhaps, Is the Rtavamen OF the difH-
stances peculiar to the present times. 80 Far
as our coast is concerned. there is this strik-
ing condolences: That with tho general and
continuous planting over. grown cotton fields
TOR che first time prscticed, comes, for the first
time, in tho culture OF the plant with Us, the
annual recurrence OF the worm.
I This is 9 broad faot 90 be dealt with. Now,
it is true that "before The war" there were por-
these we're small and exceptional Instances,
| and not enough to weigh against any couclu-
sion to be derived in this connection.
This planting over may be just such depar-
the recurrence. yet sufficient, with new con-
.comitants, to effect the same. Winters mild
or, on the whole, than formerly, tho singular
exemption lor the last seven years from fall
springss The late preparation Of the lands
these. among others, may be, and i think
are, the combining circumstances to which We
owe the annual coming OF The worm.
Ia ma Efotr In,
tinuous planting over ot-the same feds in cot
ton. Let US soc. 81. Helena Parish and Hill
ton Head, involving something like thirty
thousatid Acres or less OF open land. and plant
cd over during the war without intermission,
and tho worm, save perhaps the year 1852.
came regularly as tho year rolled round with
out fail. The result is theeo islands became
caterpillar nests from which they we're dis
tr1buted upon US as soon aB wo returned after
tho war to the cultivation OF the plant on con-
tiguous shores. How ia this sustained? In
1855, the FIRST year we began in St. Luke's, and
generally the starting of soa islands. after the
war; whilst St. Lukes, next to Hilton Head
and st. Helena Parish, was eaten out aud much
injured by the worm, the plantations OF Christ
Church, James Island, sndall around Charles
ton, were unhurt. 30, too, was Florids. Both
one Of the best ever made in the State.
How do We account for this Formerly the
worm Appeared IN Florida weeks and weeks be-,
fore they did with us; we sometimes, il not Of
Edisto aud all north. OF us, while the Wor m in in
yariably appeared Before they did in st. Liike's.
This was tho case for more'than O hall con-
tury. s.roIsy
ul,a In 1853 the worm syarmsa the fields Of js..
they appeared In, our tIeoopstructed" fields.
The conclusion seems Irresistible that the
moths few from the former fields on ours and
deposited I'll their, ,sggs:aby :instin9t; where the
moths sought the flesh blooms in our fislds,
those or the former having been destroyed. 90
a Be this as it NAV thus began the difficulty
landers, have contributed 70 foster by; planting
cotto1. ''. - : - e '-,''-' 20 = 'i;-"--3
Now with this mild fringe OF seacoast plant.
without the assistance of. tho Patent Oface, or
Department great garden for propagaiing
the cotton worm, which, having been dlstribu.
tod by careful means along 1.-The ooest from
hom "5leepy, Hollow, to spartauburg. They
begin with rs, and go up on the wing as their
necessities may require aud the prevailing
winds admit. h, r}
'ience OF the worm exists In other sections as
we'll as ours-the Gull States aud others, for
instance, where the same method OF planting
fs practiced as formerly.
Whilst we admit the force OF The suggestio' |,
we reply.;t the worm always formerly prevailed
more with them than with us. It may be that
our old system OF alternate fields aud pastures,
coupled with our going into the fields earlier
us that very comparative exemption then en-.
joyed, and now lost.
Again, II the Gulf sections ana other upland
regioas peculiarly subject to worms have mkde
lands, or in the thoroughness thereof, this
may be the fatal variation With them, in com-
bination with other things.
Let me bn understood: Z! suppose The cocoon
TO be preseut in the soil, as eonclusiyely shown
season these chrysaloids or cocoops are turned
out, or set free from the beds in which thev
have becn packed, before they otherwise would
have escaped but for this artificial mechanical
assistance. and thus being better able to
weather it out than through mid winter, and
feeling the genial days of coming spring. the
moth 10 hatched earlier than any ono has been
accustomed to think. The tataI inception takes
place to be moro or less developed to iTri6re
or less injurious extent, according TO .he. pre-
vaiIing season and consequent maturity OF
plants. In which the months of May. June, July
and August are imp0rtants but chiefly June.
fields sh.ns bs eaa nSss sas 1n
burned undsrf (aB A lwhoH) ss an early period,
inst aad Of being Handled early 10 the winter. as
S1%sr ssry 4 SDsr sP ss sads
Fould come to grlef from the, frost aud SNOW
like grubs and other insects, besides being 'exI
posed 20 th6 winter btfd6li 10, TOOL Hti6n the
land was deeply and thoroughly turned, mahy
OF these insects, like the grass eeed, would
be buried beyond thelp natural level, and hope,
lessly eutombsd; 30 that with The. few escaping
slI these Contingencies, unless the seasons were
extraordinarily propitious to the insect s 10
condition; Of things happening In periods, and
not annually We uodid. hear or sec nothing
OF these .sc8se-crows" yearly. l.,4.alg s.sse.
Tho upland system Of deep and early plough
ing. as have Indicated, may have had oorrSs-
ponding efficiency with dur failoW system In
givipg-tbem exemptlonj save In extraordinary,
tnstsnoes cited. an = grn..YW 5:.;.la 4 o:ss y,
How Vas, It With us2 We, y ary,pok, only In
the time Of preparation, aud the manner OF
doing It, but also, as Indicated above, Ia dIs-
,dhrding our old fallow system Tho fateness
or preparation afforded our crops noH.ir cou-
parlson with the past is plain. We get hands
IAte. go into the field late. with half organ
lied new force. and scuf1e in tho crop as besl
va may. "Runr three fufroYS or five as We
can, and leave the balk to- BIZ destt With aftcr
II 10 this Balk anddn the hastily Joined fur.
rrpys the ehrysaleids sbSpad, these sareaall 60,
nee late, when the weather has become COM
peratiyely mild, and the best period d '.sst:
ting them free" is at hand. .isl.F -: ''--h'T
And thus It 10 that between tlfSemahGfpf.
ton. caterpillar, and tho ntreedhnou and: cad.
lees lees sys We are deeply e1osed frSa ,'dawn to
|t ,ak a.--...- a,