The Lake Charles echo., 1879-08-02
The Dreaded Cotton Worm.
New Orleans Democrat.

Il New Orleans Democrat.
The appearance of the cotton worm L
different portions of the states OF Ala
bama, Mississippi and Texas has beel
recently reported from several countie
OF theee states. The reports at frs
were not believed, and rarely, II ever
have these terrible animals of the cotton
plant visited the field at so esrly dat'
as they have been seen this season
Their presence in many localities hss
however, lately been confirmed as q fact
A few years ago the TACT was emphatie
ally fixed upon the minds OF most OF thf
planters in the lower part OF the cotton
region that +" the early worm catches the
cotton"
The general appearance Of the army
worm during the month OF June was
then the cause for serious apprehension,
as all simple mechanical experiments to
exterminate them were utterly useless,
and Jailed to prevent the rapid multipli-
cation of the much dreaded ravagers.
The frat arrival of the moths, which are
progenitors of the species, are, and
always have been, rarely noticed. In
fact, it has been neld by many that the
eggs which first Matched in the warm
weather have lain dormant in the cotton
stalks during the winter, hence the
practice Of burning the stalks. This has
failed to prevent the representation of the
species.
The frst brood or matching of the
worm is followed in about three weeks
by webbing, the chrysalis stage and q
return to the moth, which lays it's eggs
and multipliss species more than hun
tredfold unless partially destroyed Or
exterminated. This transformation goes
on for three or more generations unless
checked by some means, until the third
generation comes out Is an army, which
strips of their leaves and completely
destroys the cotton plants over entire
fields and whole sectionsof the country,
in the more southern PORTIONS of the cot
ton belt particularly.
In years past, as we have said, the ap-
pearanee OF these pests in the early part
of june was the cause of dread to the
planters in the locality they visited, and
was considered as q certain indication OF
thepartialortotalde ldestructionoft thecrops
Oh later yean, however, science hasbeen
successfully applied to their eextermina-
tion during the existeneeof the FIRST gene
ration of the insects. Chemical poisons
havesncceeded destroying them where
mechanical appliances and efforts have
even failedttoe eHectany apparent decrease
in their numbers. We believe that Paris
green ihss been the most sefieetnal and
practical destructive agent that has yet
been discovered to prevent material
injury to the cottonf6eld from the army
worm or all other catefpillars which feed
upon the cotton plant. This is purchased
at @ small ccst, can Oe easily applied,
and, with are in handling, entails no
danger upon those who apply it.
Hundreds OF instances may be ,cited
where it has saved cotton crops where
surrounding fields upon which it WAS
not nsed were at the same time almost
completely destroyed. We hope that
the frat generation of the dreaded pests,
which have visited the fields at 20 early
q date this year that they threaten to
effect serious injury, will he destroyed
in time by the prompt application of
some chemical agent which has been
successfully nsed before and saved thou
sondscoi balestof cotton.