The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1874-04-03


cd Of Destroying Them-Ten Years OF
Investigation and Experiment-Letter
From a kentucky Grower.
From the Clarksville Tobacco Leaf
Much has been said and written du-
ring the past few years relative to the
history of the tobacco-fy; yet the sub
ject remains an obscure one, owing to
the indefinite and contradictory views
advocated. To better elucidate the sub
ject, propose to lay before the readers
of the Leaf the result of my researches
within the past ten years. Since the
year 1863 have closely investigated
the natural history of the tobacco-fy,
and have experimental largely in the
various methods of its destruction by
poisonous agents, and I hope ] shall
not be charged with an undue share of
egotism when I say that much that has
been published in newspapers upon this
subject Is entirely erroneous. Tobacco
worms, as other caterpillars, have
three states of existence, viz: worm,
chrysalis, and butterfly. The latter we
term tobacco-fy. The worm is Matched
from the egg of the fly in two or three
days from the time of its deposit on
the leaf. When eight or ten days old
it assumes a passive, or drowsy state
for three or four days, and then throws
off it's old skin, which has become dry
and loose. BY this change its dental
arrangement is become much improved,
its powers of destroying greatly aug
mented, and it becomes full grown at
the age of about twenty-eight days, in
the meantime having well earned the
reputation of the planters most bitter
enemy. The last few days of the
worms stay are passed in trips back
and forth from plant to the ground,
seeming 10th to try the uncertain reali-
ties of such habitation. Having finally
entered the ground, its last time, it
descends to the depth of eight to twelve
inches and usually rests with its head
down. Thus is begun it's first state of
existence, which period continues ten
months, when it has undergone great
change, now being encased in a hard
shell with articulate rings in the center
by which motion is secured. We now
observe to what use the horn of the
worm has been turned it is no longer
a seeming useless appendage but has be-
come hard and is shaped like the bit of
an auger, by which the chrysalis is ena-
bled to bore its way to the top of the
ground, where its shell is thrown off,
and thence begins the third, last, and
we may well say the most enviable state
of its life.
TobaccO-fies are divided into males
and females, and present considerable
variety in their size and color, the fe-
males having shorter and thicker bodies,
and their color not so sandy as the
males; they suck the flowers of various
plants, but manifest a Partially for
those which have a strong OdOr, such as
the gourd and jamestown weed, as it is
commonly called, but more properly
datura stromonium. At the age of sew
en- to fourteen days the female is ready
! to lay eggs, which are deposited on the
plant of which we have traced the his
tory. When tobacco is scarce or is
wanting, the flies put their eggs upon
some other plant, viz: the potato
1rish), tomato, hosre-nettle, and black
night-shade, all of which belong to the
natural order SOLanlnl. About two or
three weeks are spent in depositing the
eggs, when the life of the fly terminates.
1t is thus seen that the life of the fly is
| about twenty-eigEt days or one month,
the same as that of the worm adj
ding these to the period as chrysalis,
we have one year as the whole of its
III
asserted, for worms to change into flies
and deposit eggs the same season. Ac-
| tual experiment. has proven the contrary,
and nature is uniform in her laws. We
now come to the most important part of
our monograph, the different methods
Of preventing the multiplication or in
! crease of tobacco worms.
A large percentage of the worms that
| ma tD1a nd int
after the tobacco crop has been cut and
| housed, and thus we readily see the adj
vantage to be derived from digging up
or turning under with the pillow the
stubble of the plant after the crop is
cut for this stubble puts forth sprouts
or suckers, upon which immense num-
| bers of worms feed and mature. Some
years we have an early frost which kills
! the suckers and obviates the necessity
| of destroying them as recommended.
| The next method of preventing an In
! crease of worms which suggests itself
is, the blowing of the land cultivated
in tobacco the previous year, in the
months of January or February, so as
| to turn up and expose the chrysalis to
| cold, freezing weather. Flowing the
| land immediately after the crop is cut
would not prevent the worm returning
to a new position in the ground where
as, when the blowing is as late as be-
| fore stated, the chrysalis is torpid, in
semi-changed condition, and cannot re-
turn to an abode underground. 1t is
| obvious that spring blowing would not
answer our purpose, unless the blowing
werc succeeded by freeze. Poisoning
| the fly seems to be the most popular
way in vogue within the past few years
for preventing the ravages of tobacco
worms. Cobalt, arseniac acid and cor
rosive sublimate are the poisons recon-
Hrended. Strychnine would not be
suitable, as the tobacco-fy has no spinal
cord, only a nervous gangliOn. The
| cobalt is most conveniently used by the
melting at once in pint of water and
adding a pint of liquid honey. The
| bottle containing this should be kept
| ont of the reach of the children, as a
number of cases of poisoning have Oc-
Cured owing to negligence III this par
ticular. An ounce phial, with a cork
| stopper, into which is inserted a small
| quill, is suitable for putting the poison
Gus solution in the stramonium flowers.
| The best time for doing this is every
evening about sunset. Two or three
| drops are sufficient for one blossom.
| OtIdLlOulUlu HAS d GEbu4dL blOSoOlL
which opens about an hour before sun
set and remains open until after sun
rise next dav, when it closes, withers
and dies. Every evening there is an
entirely new blossom. It is mistaken
notion that the cobalt kills the blossom.
| The fly sucks the poison by mems of
its long bill, which is nothing more
| than hollow tongue, and is killed by
excessive purgation. The time required
to produce death depends upon the
amount taken. 1 have often seen them
killed by the poison in fifteen minutes.
| One or two dozen stramonium plants
| should be set in a rich moist spot in the
tobacco ground early in the season, say
May or June. All others on the farm
| should be cut down, for the flies prefer
| to feed from the unmedicated blossoms
In order to work the destruction of the
flies effectually, the planters through
out every neighborhood should use the
cobalt as directed. Planters must not
rely too exclusively upon this prevent
ing them finding worms on their tobac-
CO If they do they will not get enough
| IaoFh hn Gr.oA