Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1872-09-26
agricultural department.
THE COTTON CATERPILLAR.

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THE COTTON CATERPILLAR.
;. There are many caterpillars and many ar
my worms, according to the way we usually
speak of them, but the insect upon which we
now propose to treat is that which devours
the foliage of the cotton plant, and is known
to naturalists as Anomis gylina, In some To-
calities we call it the cotton army worm, and
in others the cotton caterpillar-the latter
seems to be coming into the most universal
use. 1t was first scientifically described by
the great American entomologist, Thomas
Say, in 1927. It has been known to US since
the days when we first formed the acquaint-
ance of the cotton plant, and it seems to be
an insect peculiar to America. According to
DR.. D. L. Phares, of Woodville, Miss, it de-
stroyed over two hundred tons Of cotton in
the Bahamas as long ago as 1888; while in
Georgia it completely ruined the crop of 1898.
After that date it made sad havoc in 1900,
1904, 1926, and 1926. Since then it has put
in regular annual appearance in greater or
lesser force, in some parts of the cotton States.
It always seems to be worse after a severe
winter, which is explained as follows: "The
moth producing the caterpillar lives through
the winter, in the perfect state 1fthe winter
is severe it lies torpid and requires no food,
but if open it remains active, and as there is
no supply of its natural food at hand, it
starves to death.
The moth or parent of the cotton caterpil-
lar flies only at night. When it rests it sits
head downward on some vertical surface, with
the inner edge of its wings laid closely against
the sides of its body, throwing it into kind
of triangular shape, or rather into the shape
of a smoothing iron, the head representing the
sharp or front end. While in this condition it
measures about three-fourths of an inch in
length from head to the rear of wings. The
general color of its upper surface is golden
yellow inclining to buff, with a faint olive
tint exposed near the outer or posterior mar
gin of the wings when expanded. The fore
wings are marked with two prominent spots
on each; the spots nearest the tips being of a
dark slate color and about the size of small
mustard seed, while those nearest the head
are clear white and smaller than the first
named. There are also to be seen, on close
looking, dim, lilac.colored lines crossing here
and there over the fore or front wings.
! As already stated, this moth lives through
the winter-early in summer it deposits its
eggs on the underside of the cotton leaf in
little round patches not unlike green rasp-
berry in size, color and appearance. In few
days the worms hatch out-and fall at once
to feeding on the plant. They are of a green
color, but as they progress in size they be,
| hat &c fhax, &olya
selves pale stripes running longitudinally,
and not unfrequently dotted with black. The
back is hue darker than the general shade
of the worm but really there is no standard
by which to describe the color of the insect
other than to call it greenish, owing to the
fact that it varies so much in its coloring.
We have often found them covered with a
purplish tinge
When fully grown the cotton caterpillar
measures about one inch in length, and is
rather slender in shape. There are several
other caterpillars that resemble it very closely,
as the grass worm, the boil worm or corn
worm, as it is sometimes called-that which
you find cutting the corn while in roasting
ear-but it has two peculiarities which enable
US to distinguish it from them very readily.
One Of these consists in a pair Of defective
feet near the middle of the insect, which force
it to bend up its body in the act Of moving
about on the plan of the span or measuring
worm, while the other worms resembling it
glide smoothly along by the action of their
feet. The other popularity is in spiteful
leap or spring to some distance when disturb
ed. Most of the caterpillars coil up and re-
main motionless when you disturb them; but
none leap off like the cotton worm.
1t takes about fifteen or eighteen days after
Matching to mature the cotton caterpillar.
The insect then ceases to eat folds leaf to-
gether, webs itself up inside the fold, and
changes into the chrysalis state, from which,
in due time-depending upon the character
of the weather-it comes forth perfect moth,
as already described, and soon lays the foun-
dation for new generation of caterpillars.
How many generations there are in the course
of season is not clearly known, some ento-
mologists, claim two and others three. It is
our opinion that this also depends upon the
season-that there are just as many genera
tions as the course of nature and the length of
the season will permit.
Of course we need not 60 to the trouble of
explaining what is meant by the term moth.
A moth is simply night butterfly, generally
speaking, for most of them fly in the night.
We sometimes call them millers, and when
they come into our houses and pitch at our
lamps we call them "candle-fies." So the
moth of the cotton caterpillar is yellowish
miller or yellowish "candle-fy," just as we
please to style it. Some of our exchanges
have good deal to say about the "hy of the
cotton caterpillar" which sounds little awk-
ward, for in science fly is creature with
only two wings, as house fly, or horse fly,
whereas the cotton moth has four wings, and
is, therefore, no fly.
We have but little to offer in the way Of
remedies with which to combat this pest Of
the planter. and-picking the plants is sure
but hardly practical in all cases. Fires built
about the field at night would be likely to do
some good in the way of destroying the moth,
as it has natural disposition to fly into them.
We know of several persons who are now ex-
perimenting with dry Paris green sprinkled
upon the plants, after having been mixed with
fifteen or twenty parts of dry ashes or Stacked
lime, and we hope to hear good report from
them.-Dlobih Register.
FARM GATEs-Gate posts should not be
over four and half feet high above the
ground, in my opinion, and at the same time
should be plain, unless the place is decorated
to quite an extent. By having the gate posts
of the height above mentioned, they will be
found more convenient to drive through with