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

j
JOHN W. 4. POPE,
=. or st. Luke's.
Tho Cotton worn.
II must be confessed that on our coast at
least the present season has not been such,
ON che whole, as to have warranted, as in for.
mer times, the presence Of the cotton worms
to any visible extent. Yet they are upon us.
Their recurrence, however, is none the less
assignable to some producing cause or new
combination of circumstances, which it may be
of the highest importance to know.
The presence Of the worm to however great
an extent one year by no means involves the
necessity Of their coming The next. Nay, in
| old tunes Just the contrary was held. Thsy
swept everything bsfore them in 1904, 1895 and
1916; yet not one was to be seen or heard Of in
1905, 1876, or Ie47; nor after 1916 was any ap-
ureciable injury suffered from these insects,
save in one or two local instances. until after
1864 at least, and. / think, after 1852 space
| OF fifteen or sixteen years.
These broad facts must be fairly kept in
view.
connection with this subject, ss known TO me,
are as follows:
lst. Do these insects hibernate with usi
| 2d. Do they burros in the earth2
4 Sd. Has the destruction Of the birds any
thing to do with the unprecedented recurrence
OF worms?
lures been conducive to their coming?
5th.- Has careless cultivation or defective
drainage contributed to the same? y
9Th, Has the failure 10 uee our accustomed
manures like tendency to produce them? :
a7th. Has the continuous planting over OF
the cotton fields in cotton promoted or induced
the worm? -
propose TO answer these conciseIy:
They do hibernate with Us. A genuine moth
was taken last January by Mr. Ashe Seabrook,
an intelligent and obeervant young gentleman,
who. could not possibly be deceived by. the
geruineness OF the moth. The insect was bad
" injured by the eQid, and though carefully
provided for, died soup after being taken. MIR.
Seabrook reports having seen several after
wards. Mr.. Epbraim 6eabrook, Jr., reports
also having sean the genuine worm, with which
he was perfectly :conyersant. eating the young
cotton in the latter part Of April, 1853. 30,
too, were they seen early this spring on James
Island. as reported In TIE h1ws.
The cocoon Of this moth does undoubtedly
bnrrow in the earth. ] saw several ploughed
out Of the earth about the 1st April, 1858; took
them up and found them active, and prcnourc-
ed them unquestionably the cocoon OF the cot
ton caterpillar. so did my foreman, smart,
observapt and experienced man OF his color.
Planters around me reported the same thing.
This spring the cocoons were plonghed mp oy
thousands. This cocoon rs as we'll known and
as distinguishable by certain peculiarities both
of motion and otherwise as the worm or
moth, in which no experienced observer can
be mistaken. It is idle any longer to entertain
doubt on this subject.
As to the supposed destruction OF the birds
This is simply q question Of fact. There has
been no such destruction. The coaet swarms
with birds OF all kinds, hence this point is dis
missed as fatally defective as to tact. The
absence OF domestic animals / thought at
one. time had much to do with the subject.
| Upon reflection / think otherwise. First, for
| the reason that We have no pastures, but plant
| In Texas and Florida, where these animals
still abound, the WORLDS are as bad, II not
worse than anywhere else. 30 100 do they
| prevail in other sections without dminntion,
| where the ''stock" has been preserved. Still
| further, whom our pastures were filled with
s'etock' Of ell kinds this did not prevent the
coming Of the worms IN 1904, 1895, 1916. OF par
tally in intermediate years. 1n1s46 they came
early in July, and eat up everything on the
lace Of The earth by the 18th Of August.
| Ehe fscts are too strongly against this spec
ulation to leave any value IN it.
| The careless cultivation -and defective drain
| age theory, must show the same fate. Facts
I are too strongly agsinst 1t to render the con-
clusion in this connection OF oil admissible, 30
far as the presence OF the worm is concerned.
| Cotton, kickened with water or from any other
cause, 10 the last to be attacked by the worm.
| Again, the cultivation. which we admit to
| have been good in 'z6 and '25, did not prevent
their coming early and In countless hordes.
Nor do We find .siatte<F work in certain sec
tiops, or on certain plantations, conducive to
the presence Of the worm there. beyond other
places, far or near. Nay, those plantations
where they invariably made their appearance
| first, when they came at all, sometimes going
no where else, were notoriously. among the
best cultivated in this section, and among the
| best lauds,. In st. Helena Psrish. with which
| I had great familiarity; would cite the fol-
| the old Stapleton Seashore places, Mr.. John
Pope's Oaks, Mr.. JOS. D. EdinR's Neck place.
DR.. Richard Fuller's Cat Island, Mr. Joseph
| Hazels Distant Island, Mr.. Joseph j. Pope's
Little Boor and the Paris island plantation.
FOR o period. OF sixty years or more, when.
ever the worms came at al they Invariably
sometimes weeks in advance of all others,
sometimes going no where else. Phose fami-
liar WITH this section viii not hesitate to say
the places cited we're cultivated, drained and
cared for IN the most exemplary manner. be.
sides this, whatever may be the experience OF
others, facts OF the day, with me, are no less
| damaging to the presumption drawn from
careless cultivation and bad drainage.
+ IL ia notorious that cotton seriously neglect'
l. ed last year escaped the ravages OF the worm
rather than otherwise. On the Hunting Island
plantation, near Blufftou, whilst Mr. James
, bEeyward's cotton which was fairly worked and
! very promisipg was eaten to the rlnd. not q
worm made its appearance in The freedmen's
patches on the same land and in the same kind
/ OF soif-the only difference being that the
| freedmen's patches we're half smothered 10
grass. Fields on the adjoining plantation, in
| good order and growing 1uxuriantly, were also
eaten up. can but conclude therefore against
the potency Of the assigned cause in producing
the worm, however much high manuring and
ditching, &C.. may have to do with reaching
fair results, despite the worm, in fair seasons.
The omission Of our accustomed manuring
stands 10 the same category with the theory
! just dismissed. l cannot see how mapur.
ting can have ANYTHING to do with the pre-.
vention or producing Of the worm, though
| rudar favOY bIe Or Ordinerv Il