The patron of husbandry. (Columbus, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1879-05-31
THE CUT-WORMS.

lie IcdUCI IL lie lldU UnuCn 10 90
with a farm or garden, can form pretty
clear idea of what we mean when we
speak of cut-worms. They are insects of
wide range-a common pest in all parts
of the country. There may be more of
them in some sections than in others, but
we have never yet found the locality in
which there were not enough to make
themselves extremely troublesome to the
agriCulturist.
In the Gulf States there are at least
dozen different kinds of cut worms They
are caterpillars that have the habit of ly-
ing. concealed just beneath the surface of
the soil during the day time, coming forth
at night to feed upon your vegetation
Most of them cut off the young plants
standing nearest their place of conceal
ment, making the cut just above the
ground, and dragging the end of the stem
of the plant into the mouths of their holes.
This peculiarly enables us to find them in
their hiding places-we see the wilted
plant sticking in the ground and dig for
our enemy; a slight removal of the sur
face usually brings him to light and to an
untimely end; too late, of course, to save
the plant that he has been working upon,
bat in time to save the others that would
be apt to meet with a similar fate in the
course of the next night.
Most of these cut-worms are of dirty
brownish or greensh color, marked more
or less with darker stripes or dots. They
vary in length to from one to two inches
when fully grown, and size from that of
an ordinary lead pencil downward.
When first unearthed they usually coil
themselves up and lie quiet as if dead.
The largest cut-worm common in the
Gulf States is of leaden- brown color in
Ginning to black, and having a kind of
shiny or CLASSY appearance. 1t has stripes
of darker and lighter shades. Length
near two inches. It is the larva or young
of a moth or miller known to entomolo-
gsts as Aerotis telifeva. 1t is of brown
ish color, the upper wings being light
brown marked with darker shade, while
the under or hinder wings are still lighter,
being but shade removed from white.
With wings expanded it would about
reach across silver dollar. Flies only at
| night, or after sunset of an evening.
The next species, in point of size, and
probably, the most common species with
US, presents very much the general ap.
pearance of the species ust named. Its
ground color approaches a little more to
an ashen-gra A dark stripe runs along
the middle of its back, bordered by light
er ones; these, in turn, are contrasted by
darker stripes along its sides. Length
about an inch and half. Is the larva Of
a moth about one-third smaller than that
Of the other species just described
Ground color reddish buff or flesh color
marked with deep brown. Flies at night
Scientific name, Aeyosis su9eotAica.
Number three on our list measures, al
maturity, about an inch and aquarter in
length. 1t resembles the species last
named above quite closely in general APP
pearance, though it is rather a darker
worm, consequently its stripes do no
come out with so much sharpness. View
ed from short distance it seems to be o.
a solid blackish color. Is the larva of {
pretty little night moth whose expanded
wings would about reach across silve
. half dollar. Color light gray, marked
with darker gray and black, and also with
white Scientific name, AerOstfs jacnli
fera.
/ Number four on our list is kind o
"pepper- rand salt colored worm about tn.
same size as the species last named above
The ground color is fesh-gray with
tinge of iron rust The moth producing
it is of a dull flesh color marked with gray
ish brown and black. Expanded wing
would about reach across a silver half
4 dollar. Scientific name Hadene su6iuncta
i But we need not number and describe
further; the number of species of which WI
have make special mention are the mos
common and the worst kinds that cut OF
young plants at or near the ground. Their
are others of similar habits and simila
in general appearance, but we need no
name them separately now. There ar
persons engaged in agricultural pursuit
who do not seem to have a clear idea @
what cut-worms really are, and the fore
going will suffice to start them on the RICH
track.