The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-02-17

ance was about the same, but the damage
was greater, being in some cases as much as
half the crop. Without further detail if
may be said that in South Georgia the
damage was very slight, owing to the late
appearance of the caterpillar and the adj
Yanced condition of the cotton, and that
the central and northwestern portions of the
state suffered most.
was not aware of the appearance Of
caterpillars in the vicinity of Athens until
the latter part Of September. They ap-
peared then in great numbers, but in very
limited regions. The cotton was then very
fully matured, so that little if anv damage
was done. Indeed, the opinion of many
planters is that at this time they are rather
beneficial than otherwise. On the farm of
Col james NJ. Smith, in Oglethorpe county.
the caterpillars were abundant, and prom
lsed to be very injurious. He writes that
the worms began to show themselves in
various places in the cotton fields the last Of
July and the first of August, almost inva-
rlaoly where the cotton was largest and the
growth luxuriant. The worms spread from
the centers. The constant rains and warm
weather were very favorable to the propa-
CATION of the worms"
There are many birds and insects which
i've upon the cotton caterpillar. Into these
the limits of this article will not allow me
to enter, and pass at once to the question
OF artificial remedies. Many substances
have been and are still being used for pois-
onlng caterpillars. 1t is not my purpose to
mention any doubtful value, but only to
speak of those whose efficiency has been
proven by oft-repeated trials.
AT the head of the list stand Paris green
and London purple. The value of these is
no longer to be questioned, and it may be
| stated with certainty that failure is owing
to mistakes in the application. Both of
these substances owe their poisonous proper
ties to the presence of arsenic. and both NAV
be applied by the same methods-either as
the dry powder or suspended in water. In
regard to the relative merits Of the two, it
may be said that Paris green has been
longer used, and the testimony as to its
value is more unanimous On the other
hand, London purple is much cheaper, and
all the careful experiments that have been
made with cit indicate that its results are
equally as satisfactory.
In dry weather the wet application is TO
preferred. For this purpose it is necessary
to add one pound of Paris green to forty
gallons of water or one pound of London
purple to 100 gallons of water and apply
with force pump. About forty gallons Of
either should be used on an acre. 1t should
no IyaY,f " 80, -.
merely suspended apd not dissolved. The
value of these applications will of course
depend on the thoroughness of application.
The spray should be very fine and should
throw the poison on the under side of the
leaves. Sometimes the foliage of the plants
is injured. When this is the case, it is
owing to the fact that the poisons vary in
strength and sometimes contain a greater
proportion of arsenic than is usual. In
such cases the mixture should be at once di-
luted.
This method is especially adapted to dry
weather, because the poison remains on the
leaves better than when applied dry. It's
adhesiveness may be increased by adding to
the fluid little -four which converts it
into weak paste. Wet applications should
be made when the leaves are free from dew,
hence should never be made in the early
morning.
The dry application has probably given
more satisfactory results because it is
adapted to wet seasons when the worms are
most active. The poison must be mixed with
something that will dilute it, and for this
purpose -four and cotton seed meal are the
best adopted, because they are not readily
washed off by rain. Wood ashes may also
be added with advantage. The mixture
should be busted over the plants with great
care and from very fine sieve. The best
proportions for London purple are one
pound to thirty pounds of flour and fifteen
pounds of wood ashes. This mixture is said
to give very satisfactory results
Concerning Paris green, of which | can
better speak from personal observation, a
very cheap and efficient method for its dry
application is as follows: One pound of
Paris green is thoroughly mixed with
twenty pounds of flour and ten pounds of
cotton seed NEAL this mixture being ap-
piled to one acre. This may be simply done
by using piece burlap cloth large enough to
nOlu aDOuG ndlL peck Oh Ine mixture. Inc
edges are gathered together and held in the
hand. This is then shaken over the cotton
and very thorough distribution is secured.
This is the method used by Col. Smith, and
he writes me that it was uniformly success
full "In twelve hours che worms were all
dead. Nearly all the worms fell off the
leaves on the ground before dying. When
ever used this mixture the cotton was not
injured by the worms"
The season was an unfavorable one, being
warm and rainy. The number of worms
was very great and yet by using this
method, the loss was reduced to minimum.
We have. therefore, in our possession means
for destroying caterpillars. Any great in
jury to a cotton crop is due not to the lack
of remedies, but to Indifference or careless
ness in applying them.
A Market for Young Pines.
The people of the south should sell every