The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1880-09-08
SEPTEMBER.
CABBAGE INSECTS.

IA O ~ "
Though the rape or European
cabbage butterfly first appeared
here three years ago, last year it
was so abundanteal over the State
that there were more Of them to be
seen than of ali other kinds Of but
ter-fies, and even by eternal vlgl-
lance" it was wel-nigh impossible
to raise cabbages without the heads
being eaten by the caterpilars 80 as
to be unit for use. As these IN
creased the native Southern cab
bage butterfy-Pieris Protodice-
decreasd, till-last yearit was a rare
thing to see one of the latter. Be-
sides these two cabbage insects
there appeared last fail another
caterpillar, a little smaller than the
rape worm, the larva Of q moth
Pionea Rimcsalis-that We may call
the pionea worm. These are from
one-half, to three. quarters OF an inch
long, gray along the sides, with
a yellowish stripe along the
sigmata or breathing pores. The
back of the worm is blackish-gray,
crossed by transverse white lines OF
which there are five to each joint.
These worms, when they reach their
growth, enter the ground to pupate,
where they weave for themselves
a tough cocoon of silk covered with
dirt on the outside. Inside OF this
the worm undergoes its changes,
all but the fall brood coming out as
moths in two weeks. Last year
the rape worms were the most de-
structi7e till late in the season,
but this year the pionea worms
have been more destructive than
the others. In fact, the rape but
terhies are not so numerous as they
were last year, while the protodice
are increasing so that one sees more
of them just now in the fields than
of the rape. This shows that the
parasites of the rape are increas'
ing, and these are not wholly con-
fined to insects, for in some places
the worms are attacked by fungus
disease, I am told, that is killing a
great many. In habits OF eating
this pionea cabbage worm some
what resembles the rape in that it
not only eats the outward leaves,
but those forming the head as we'll,
and is fully as bad as, if not worse
than, our European importation.
There must be three broods of the
pionea worms and possibly four OF
five, for the following reasons: On
June 10 we had full grown worms
which produced moths by June 25.
The eggs from these produced the
worms that have just disappeared
from the cabbages, full grown, to
pupate. Last year we had worms
late till the cabbsges froze-and,
by the way, I do not know of a
cabbage worm that will stand more
freezing than this The chrysalids
I wintered over produced moths
from April % to May s. Moths
Matching at that time would prob
ably produce worms that would ma
ture by the time I took them full
grown from the cabbages, June 10.
This will give ample time for four
broods of the worms from the 1st Of
May to the time that the cabbages
freeze in October, and I am inclined
to think there are that number. The
protodice worm does but little in
jury here to cabbages, it feeding
more on other plants Of the cru
cifera family. I have not seen q
cabbage plusia worm on the cab
bage in three years. No remedy
short OF Paris green seems to be
Of any account and that, of course,
IS out of the question, for the cab
bages on which it might be en-
ployed would be unfit for use. Salt,
pepper, SCOT and everything else
thst in one or two instances have
seemed to warrantrecommendatlon
have, in nine cases out of ten, fail.
ed. I know of a few persons who
are raising small patches OF cab
bages, keeping them from the
worms by picking the latter of.
and that seems about the only way
to get rid of the pest. |
G. II. French in the Rural.
n