The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-12-01
THE COTTON WORM.
some Points or an Interesting Inyestjwa-
ton.
Savannah News, !

| Savannah News
| Prof A. II. Grote, agent Of the Department,
| Of Agriculture at Washington, and vice pres
dent of the American Association for tho Al,
vancement OF Science, Is engaged In the work
OF collecting data relative to the cotton worm
and the diseases of the cotton plant. ia
which he has long paid attention. According
| to Prof GrOte, the cotton worm faletia argiIlG.
| ced OF Hubner) is native Of Brazil the West
Indies and Central America, where the cotton
| plant is perennial. It's rayapes were very
| great in the French West Indies at the close
Of the last century, and induced the migra-
ton OF French families from Martinique to
Georgia In 1902 The cotton worm was intro
duced into the United States subsequent to
the cultivation Of the cotton plant. upon
which 1t feeds. The theory brought forward
by Prof. Grote Is that the insect comes In the
fly state yet from the West Indies with the
south winds every year. This v den mi It's ts
eggs and produces the first brood, which in
southwestern Georgia occurs sometimes as
early as the latter part Of June. but on the
coast later.
This year not until the first Of September
was the first worm seen on DIR. Lawton's
plantation near Savannah. The worms are
the product OF the eggs deposited on the I'M
der side OF the cotton leaf by the fly. In about
three weeks these worms web up and become
black chrysalis In O thin cocoon between a
fold In the leaf, and hatch out as fly again.
This new fly born In the South, moves north
ward as general direction, and In this way
the country is oyerrun by the several ensuing
broods. The fly has been found by Prof. Riley
to suck the honey from a little gland on the
mid rib OF the leaf below. There are two gen
eral aspects OF the cotton worm question ac-
cordng to Prof. Grote: First, for the indivi-
dual planter; the next for the consideration
OF the government. AS to the first. he can
only use poison when the worm appears, II it
comes early. Ii 1t comes late 1t will not do
enough harm to warrant much expense In
killing it,
Paris green, in liquid form,or carbolic acid
diluted and sprayed upward through the
plants will be found the most effective and
economic way to kill the worm. A sprinkljnp
machine run through the rows on wheels and
worked when the first brood Of worms ap-
pears will go far to protect the crop for, the
balance OF the year. Paris green put on dry
is too expensive and difficult to go to the leaf
beneath where the young worms and eggs are
to be found Care must be taken with the
handling OF Paris green, as 1t Is skin poison a
as well as fatal II taken internally. 1t has
been found the most effective for the worm.
and was recommended by Prof Riley. Kero-
sene, II 1T can only be well mechanically mixed
with water, Is also good if sprayed or sprlnkled
on the plants Where. water Is scarce, as on
some plantations which rely on wells, the
expense of wet poisoning will be Increased
Care should be taken to keep the posons from
the seed cotton, but these remedies should be
used only against the first crop of worms be-
fore the bols open. The government should
consider Prof Grote thinks, whether, in the
event that the immigration theory OF Prof.
Grote prove true, 1t would not be well to en-
pfoy extraordinary means to destroy the
worm in special localities when it appears
early and in numbers. In this way the north
ward progress OF the worm would be effect
ually checked by destroying the first brood. |
A system Of quarantine would be thus estab-
lished. IL the worm comes late these extra
ordinary efforts would not be needed The
insect is found In the fly state In the winter,
but thes& flies die before the young cotton Is
up in the spring. The young cotton never
shows the true cotton worm, consequently the
worm In the summer must be produced from
fresh flies coming from the southwark.