Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-05-28
AGRICULTURAL.
MATTER PREPARED SPECIALLY FoR
THE RECORD UNION"
The Grape worm-A Rival Of the Cooling
Moth-Get the Machinery Ready
Wheat and Barley Hay.

The SplsinT satellite is the scientific name
of one of the most destructive insects to the
grape vines in this State. The larva Is whel
full grown. about two inches in length anu
full three-eighths of an inch thick, and Is a
very gross feeder A small number OF thein
will strip the leaves from grape vine IN
few days, and to show that, left to propagate
undisturbed, they become very numerous we
will state that Mr.. G. G. Briggs OIL Davis
vile estimated that last season they destroyed
at the rate of two and half tons OF larvae
dav in his vineyard, and the war was con-
tinued upon them for two or three weeks
during the months of July and August. NOT
u;tbstanding this vigorous mode of destruc-
tion the damage done to his grape crop was
measured by thousands of dollars. one
uould SUPPOSE that after SO many had been
DESTROYED last season there would be but few
fonnd in the same locality this season. But
. letter received this week by Mathew
Cooke. Chief Horticultural Officer, from
Mr. i. A. Gould, Mr.. Briggs man
arer. shows that there are great many
left. We are permitted to copy the letter,
and do so that our readers interested may get
a batter idea of their numbers and the means
nsed by Mr.. Briggs to destroy them. MIR.
Gould saws: "We are finding good many
of the moths in the vineyards, though but
few fully developed ones. Have been hatch
ing now for nearly month. The chrysallds
that have been turned up by cultivators, and
receiving the full force of the sun, we find on
examination are cooked dead. Others that
are imbeded in the hard ground, Enabled to
extricate themselves, come to life II they
have chance. We have an idea that most
of the moths after attaining perfection emil
CRATE to some other locality. We arrive at
this conclusion from the fact that seven
eighths of the moths we do find are young.
AS matter of course we destroy all we see,
though it is very unlikely we discover any
large proportion of them. Have discovered
no signs vet of any eggs being deposited on
the leaves" We will state that the above
letter was written in answer to one
from Mr.. Cooke to MIR. Briggs calling
his attention to the fact that
some pupa that he gathered IN
last fall, and that he had in a cage in his
Office, were Matching, and thatit was therefore
time TO be looking out for them. As we have
already remarked, there is no greater menace
to grape culture in California, excepting the
phylloxera. than these Larvae of the sphinG
satellita. and that vineyardists may be fully
Informed of its appearance, and enabled to
identify it, we give the following digest of an
article in the american ERtomeLogist " 1t
occurs in almost every State in the Union.
The Larvae has FIVE cream-colored spots on
each side, and in the month of September lin
this State in July and Aueust) is full-grown.
The eggs are glued firmly and singly to the
leaves Of the plant. When just Matched, and
for some time afterwards, the Larvae is green,
with a tinge of pink on the sides, and with an
uncommonly long pink horn at the tail. This
horn soon begins to shorten, and finally curls
round like dogs tail. AS the Larvae grows
older it changes to a reddish brown, and by
the third month it entirely loses the cauda
horn. When about to enter the chrysali;
state it enters short distance into the
ground, and soon works off the Larvae skin
becoming a pupa of dark brown color
The moth generally makes its appearance Ii
the month of June-in this State in April or
May-of the following year, though it ha;
been known to issue in the same year, and II
these instances it probably becomes barren,
as in the case of other insects under similar
circumstances. The color Of the perfect insect
is olive gray, variegsted with dark olive
green" We would here state that several
specimens of the above moth that are now to
be seen at the office of Mr.. Cooke on Front
street in this city, while they show the exact
of a darker color than the above indicated.
The dark marks are dark maroon intead Of
an Olive green. We will also state that we
think Mr.. Gould is mistaken in his sugges-
ton that the perfect insect migrates or
leaves the vineyard If he will look
under the leaves in the shade of
the vines he will find the missing
moths resting quietly to gaining the neces.
sary maturity to commence the work of re-
production, the laying of eggs. This moth
is not good flyer, and is of quiet DISPOSE,
ton. 1t is not of the hawkmoth or hum
miug-bird moth genus SO frequently seen
buzzing about our flower gardens in the
evening, and so frequently mistaken for
hummirg birds. This humming-bird moth
is from the large potato worm that we some
times see on the potato vines, and perhaps
more frequently in this State on the tomato
vines. Though not so active as the
latter, it is more dangerous to the inter
ests of agriculture in this State, as it breeds
more numerously and attacks one of our most
valued crops. The best time to destroy the
insect is while in the form of the pupe OF
moth, as one moth if allowed to lay its egg;
may produce hundreds and perhaps thou
sands of Larvae Then the moth is more
readily seen on the vines than the Larvae, and
comes at a season when the vine-growers are
not so busy.