The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-09-09

The worms came earlier IN 1916, Wnen tne
manuring system WAS fully praotlced, and ate
that system was not generally introduced.
| Nor in former times could any peculiar sn-
perietity be assigned to well msnured crops
over those which we're otherwise The worm
always appears first On the best grown or
''rankest" cotton. They always appear first
on Edlsto and adjoining islands, then St:
Helena Parish, thenSt. Luke's. It was we'll
known that the EdiBtonians were the best man
| urers in the State.
Nor yet should We conclude from this that
the worm was produced by the manurlng.
Facts Of to-day contravene this idea. The
| truth is, wherever the growth was hne, Whetn-
or from strong land or high fertilization, the
| which attracted the insect, just as good pas
| lures do the grazing herds.
I shalfn now consider the planting over OF our
cotton fields in cotton continuously.
Here, perhaps, is the gravamen OF the difA-
Guilty, combined possibly with other circuno-
stances peculiar to the present times. 30 far
| as our coast is concerned. there s this strik-
continuous planting over. grown cotton fields
| for the first timepracticed, comes, for the first
| time, in the culture OF the plant with Us, the
annual recurrence Of the worm.
This Is broad fact to be dealt with. Now,
ii is true that "beiore The war" there were por-
tions Of fields planted oter sometimes; but
these we're small and exceptional instances,
and not enough to weigh against any conclu-
sion to be derived in this connection
| This planting over may be Sdst such depar-
ture. although not enough in itself 10 cause
the recurrence. yet sufficient, with new con-
comitants, to effect the same. Winters mild
er, on the whole, than formerly. the singular
exemption for the last seven years from fall
euuinoctial gales, the cold and unpropitious
springs, the late preparation Of the lands
these, among others, may be, and tnlnk
are. the combining circumstances to which we
owe the annual coming OF The worm.
But the main cause 1 6rd, think, IN con.
tinuous planting over OF the same feds in cot
ton. Let US see. st. Helena Parish and Hill
ton Head, involving something like thirty
thousand acres or less Of open land. and plant
ed over during the war without iutermission,
and the worm, save perhaps the year 1869,
came regularly as the year rolled round with
out fail. The result is, these islands became
caterpillar nests from which they we're dis
tributed upon us as soon as we returned after
the war to the cultivation OF the plant on con-
tiguous shores. How is this sustained2 In
1866, the frs. year we began in st. Luke's, and
generally the starting of sea islands, after the
war; whilst st. Luke's, next to Hilton Head
and st. Helena Parish, was eaten out and much
injured by the worm, the plantations OF Christ
Church, James Island, and all around Charles
ION, were SO, tOO, Who HIOfiuS. oOoh
OF these sections made fine crops. Florida
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
ten, escaping altogether. Just so, too, with
Edlsto and all north OF US. while the wor m ln-
yariably appeared before they did In St. Luke's.
This was the case for more than half Gen.
tury. ~. ;1 -
In 1866 tho worm swarmed the fields Of st.
Helena Parish and Hilton Head long before
they appeared in our RECONSTRUCTED" helds.
The conclusion seems irresistible that the
moths few from the former fields on ours and
deposited their eggs by instinct. where the
worm, when Matched, would get food, or the
moths sought the fresh blooms in our nelds,
those Of the former having been DESTROYED.
Be this as it may, thus began the difficulty
which We. % we'll as the negro and YApkee is-
landers, ha7s contributed to f0Bter By planting
over and over the same fields, more or less, in
cotton.
Now, with this mild fringe Of seacoast plnnt.
ed over from year to year we have established,
Department, y Eru.. KaIa1n nIr propagstinE
the cotton worm, which, having been dstribn-
ted by careful means along the cosst nom
year to year, 10 ready 70 supply the interior,
from "Sleepy Hollow" to SPartauburg. They
begin with rs, and go up on the wing as tner
winds admit.
Now. it may be said that the same preva-
lence Of the worm exlsts in other sections as
we'll as ours-the Gulf States and others, for
instance, where the same method OF planting
is practlced as formerly.
Whilst we admit the force OF the suggestio',
we reply, the worm always formerly prevailed
more with them than with us. 1t may be that
our old system OF alternate fields and pastures,
coupled with our going into the fields earlier
in the season than we do row, may have given
US that very comparative exemption then en-
joyed, and now lost.
Again, il the Gulf sections ana other upland
regions peculiarly subject to worms have mkde
any alteration 10 the time Of breaking up, their
lands, or in the thoroughness thereof this
may be the fatal variation With them, IN com-
bination with other things.
Let me be understood. Suppose the cocoon
to be present in the soil, as conclusively shown
above When we go into the fields late in the
season these chrysaloids or cocoons are turned
have been 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 is hatched earlier than any one has been
accustomed to think. The fatal inception takes
place to be more or less developed to more
"
vailing season and consequent maturity OF
plants, in. which the months OF May. June, July
and August are important, but chiefly June.
(. I now moro than suspect that the uplan
fields share the common fate, and are noN not
turned under, (as whole) ct an early period,
but are postponed to the very last moment,
inst lad OF being handled early in the winter, as
formerly. Now, by turning up these lands
early in winter. many OF the chrysalolds
would come to grlef from the frost and snow
like grubs and other insects, besides being e1-
posed to the winter birds. 30, too, when the
land was deeply and thoroughly turned, many
of these insects, like the grass seed. would
be buried beyond their natural level, and hope
lessly entombed; 30 that with the few escaping
all these contingencies, unless the seasons were
extraordinarily propitious to the insect, la
condition OF things happening in periods, and
not annually ne volld hear or see nothing
OF these ''scare-crows" yearly.
The upland system OF deep and dearly plough
ing, as have indicated, may have bad corres-
ponding efficiency with our fallow system in
giving them exemption, save in extraordinary
instances cited.
How was 1t with US? We vary not only in
the time OF preparation, and the manner OF
doing it, but also, as indicated above, in dih-
carding our old fallow system. The lateness
OF preparation Afforded our crops now in oom-
parlson with the past isplain. We get hands
late, 60 into the field late, With half orgaD-
ICED new force. and scuf1e in tho crop as best
We may. "Run" three burrows or five as we
can, and leave the balk to be dealt with after
planting: