The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1880-01-02

The place chosen for the holding of
the next session Of the Louisiana Con-
ference Is Shreveport, La.
PROF. RILEY AND THE HECOTTON.WORN
New Orleans Democrat.l
Some disappointment will be felt at |
the absence In the national Agricul-
tural Report for 1873 of aspecific and
definite solution of the cotton-worm
problem. 1t has been known that
Prof. Riley, the head of the entomology
cal bureau, has been engaged In the
study of the habits of the cotton-worm,
and has been taking extensive obscrva-
tions, not only personally but through
correspondence, and many were the
hopes cherished pending the appearance
of his report. We have before US,
however, the latest report from the de- |
partment, containing the compilation
Of all the information thus far gathered
In the premises, and 1t is our regret to |
say that, although great deal of new |
and reliable light is thrown upon the |
subject, we are not yet In possession Of
the full and complete data which we
had hoped by this timo to have. Prof.
Riley states that the epidemic of 1873
aud the network of cortl0,ss sa,sitaises
with which the South was veined
during that season SO embarrassed his
operations as to render them almost
fruitlees. BY these causes he was pre-
vented from visiting the regions which
it was most important to visit In order
to properly prosecute his investiga.
tions, and thus a full year was lost. 1t
would, perhaps, be too much to say
that no advance has been made, for
Prof. Riley tells us of Mt least one sig
nificant discovery he has made and
which may yet turn out to be the clew
to the secret.
Let Us quote sentence or two from
the Professors report: cit had often
been a wonder to me that no true par
asite had ever been found infesttnE
this insect, since there scarcely exists
plant feeding species that Is not attack
cd by some parasite. No less than nine
distinct species of these parasites have
been discovered on the cotton-worm
this summer, and this fact has an Inn
portant bearing on several of the knotty
questions that present themselves In
our inquiry" Professor Riley does
| not elaborate this branch of the investi-
cation, it being his purpose, as he states
further on, to make O special report to
Congress during the winter, but pro-
ceeds to another interesting and Inn
portant detail: "Again, had wonder
ed what plants the moths naturally
fed from, since it was knownito be fond
of sweets and had, to my knowledge,
done considerable injury by boring
into various ripe fruits. The cotton
plant is peculiar for having q gland on
the under side of from one to three
ribs of the more mature leaves, and a
still larger gland at the outer base OF
the three lobes of the inVolucre. AS
soon as learned that these glands
secreted a swcetened liquid, inferred
that the plant would be found to furnish
nourishment to the moth as we'll as to
the larva, and drew attention to this
belief in the Atlanta Constitution of
September 8, 1873. It was with no
small degree of pleasure that at Ba-
conton, subsequently, in company with
Professors COmstock and Willett,
was able to prove my anticipation cor
rect, by studying the normal habits Of
the moth with darklantern at night.
The moth Is, therefore, attracted to the
plant by the sweets which this last
affords, and, as these sweets are first
produced when the plant begins to
flower and fruit, we have here possi-
BILE explanation of the well known fact
that the worm is seldom noticed on
Cn0 young pldII I'LL ADOuV viz CAAAAo "
fruitfng. 1t Is by taking ad-
vantage of this love for sweets which
the moth possesses that We shall pro-
bably arrive at one of the most efectual
ways of preventing the ravages of the
worm, for If we can allure the first
moths of the season to certain death,
we nip the evil In the bud"
These are unquestionably important
discoveries, and when we consider
them in addition to the prospect that,
during the winter, n determined and
systematic effort will be made to ascer-
tain the form and manner In which
the worm hibernRtes, there is much to
console US for the absence of conclusive
information In tho Professors report
now before us. We notice Furthermore
that the government scientists lay
great stress upon the point heretofore
made by tho Democrat, that much of
the solution of the problem depends
upon the accuracy and completeness
with which the Information can be
unveiled, and 1t is safe to anticipate
that In the forthcoming special report
there will be strong effort made to
| illuminate this branch of the inquiry.
Pending the appearance Of that report,
therefore, we can only await the result
OF Prof. Riley's Investigations, noting