Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-08-20

warm spring weather has started up vege-
! tation small buff and gray colored moth or
miller comes forth from that chlysalis
With fully expanded wings it would about
reach across silver dollar. There Is no
| common name for it that We know
of, but entomologists have affixed 10
II the scientific name of Heliothis
armieera. In due time it pro-
ceeds 10 deposit eggs upon about the first
green thing it comes across. 1t is not Al
all particular as to the plant chosen for lis
NEST Corn suits il 10 perfection. cotton
suits it very well; cookie bulrs. iiInpsou
weed, snap beans, tomatoes and even to-
oacco can either be made to answer its pur-
pose all right. Those eggs soon hatch ont
minute worms. varying somewhat in color
from light green to several darker shades
When the very young WORMS walk they
loop up their bodies a good deal on the
measuring worm" plan. So soon as out
of the eggs they fall 10 feeding upon the
feShy parts Of the plant where they first
appeared. They grow rapidly, and in few
days cease their feeding upon the surface
and proceed 10 bore into something. If we
find them bored into the bud of the young
corn we call them corn bud worms. il
into the soft ear we call them corn
worms, - if into the young cotton square
we call them flare worms - if into the cot
ton boil we call them boil worms. - If into
bean pods we call them bean worms" if
into tomatoes we call them tomato
worms, and SO on. But il is al the same
worm at last-corn worm. boil worm and
tomato worm-the larva of Helio'hS armi-
gera.
There is no regular color for the mature
boil worm. The prevailing color may be
saithto be greenish. particularly early in the
season, but the green IS more o. less marked
by spots and stripes in various shades,
which give ii quite L variety of appear
ances As it grows up to larger size it
ceases to loop lis body in moving. but glid1S
evenly .alOng. II remains As worm from
eighteen to twenty-four days. depending
upon the character Of the weather. when,
being fully grown, il comes down from the
plant and burrows in the ground. where il
transforms into the chrysalis state. as al
ready described. In from ten 10 fifteen
days spent as a chrysais it comes ont as
new moth and proceeds to start new brood
of boil WORMS
There are from four TO SIX annual broodS
of the insect in Texas. each brood being
more numerous than the brood preceding
il, of course. The last brood Of the season
coming on too late for full run through
the transformations, such worms is are
fortunate enough to get into the chrysaIis
state 50 remain through the winter to start
the boil worm business anew next spring
This is all there is of it.
As 10 remedies for the post. Professor
Comstock thinks the arsenical poisons, us
applied for the cotton worm. would destroy
the young boil worms while they We're still
feeding upon the surface Of the plants, but
after they had bored into the bollS it would
not be possible 10 reach them with poisOns
placed upon the surface. The mature
moths feed upon nectar eVuding from Ger
tain parts of the plant, hence the usual
poisoning as resorted to for the cotton
worm would be apt TO destroy a goodly
number of the moths. As i consequence it
is but reasonable to suppose that the
planter poisoning for cotton worms Will at
the same time be doing good deal towards
cutting down the work of boil worms.
Lights in the field for the moth to fly into
at night were highly recommended at one
time, but we think people have about
dropped that plan. under the impression
that it was not sufficiently effective to pay
for the trouble. The fact is, economic en-
tomology knows, as Vet. of no entirely eff
fectual remedy for the boil worm.