The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1891-06-04

same fate. Ii the nuX vomica fails to
do its work you may be sure it has
last its strength. Insist on getting
the pure article.
l once asked physician why it was
poisonous to the hawk and harmless
to the chicken. He said that in all
carniverous birds the food is conveyed
directly to the stomach and comes in
contact with the gastric juice, is alb
sorbed and reaches the heart and vital
organs in a short time. This is why
the action Of the poison is 80 swift and
certain. The food OF the chicken
passes into the crop and is there partly
assimilated. before getting into the
stomach proper. Nux vomica is the
best weapon. 1t also has charming
effect on rats, cats and mink. Bear in
mind that chickens fed ON it are not
fit for human use until the poison has
passed entirely from the system, which
will take several week..
COTTON BOIL WORMS.
The department of agriculture has
lust issued bulletin No. "A dealing
with the bolEagorm OF cotton. The in
vestigation was pursued by Mr.. F. w.
Mally who has been in the field since
last July. He claims that the damage
done by boil worms has been greatly
exaggerated. In Mississippi from 20
to so per cent of the bolls are damaged
in one average season, only about one
third of the mischief being done by
the boil worms.
The cotton boil worm (Heliothis
| Armigera) is the same worm that de-
| YOURS young corn and 1t has been
proved that the present moth will not
trouble cotton so long as green corn Is
available, and it is suggested that cot
ton fields should have rows OF corn
planted from time to time as traps.
The old method OF attracting the mo ID
by light and poisoned sweets does not
meet with approval. The use OF in
sect poison (pyFethrum) was
was not productive of good results.
Experiments have been made with
view to discovering some contagious
disease thai will fatally affect the boil
worm and says the report, "a large
number of cultures of several diseases
of the imported cabbage worm, the
bronze cutworm and OF two other
noctuids have been secured and car
ried through the winter. What may
prove to be specific disease OF the
boil worm has also been discovered
and cultures have been obtained. 1t
results from the few experiments made
that the boil worm is probably sus-
ceptible to the cabbage worm disease,
but positive statements cannot be
, made until these experiments are con-
firIned by those of another season.
The Bulletin gives q minute descri''e z,
ton of the worm in all its stages. dsp
leaving the egg the first food al the
worm is the shell from which. IA has
, just emerged. AS soon as g leaves the
shell 1t crawls away on. ID or twice its
length, takes survey OF its surround
ings and proceeds co satisfy it's appe--
/ tite by devourmg its old home.
, Its next business is to crawl around in
search OF suitable vege a..ole
diet. Its infantile taste is delightful
, with the young forms and squares of
, cotton. AS the leaves increase in age
and size 1t is not SO par ocular and
: goes forth on its mission of destruc-
ton, attacking forms, squares, bios
SONS and bolls. The young worms
feed chiefly on the reproductive
organs OF the plant. while the mature
worm feeds principally on large boljs.
, though they do not despise the tender
} form or opening bloom. Sometimes
for change full grown worm will
eat through the green stem of newly
: formed branch. The worms method
OF boring into the boil varies; some-
times he bores from the base of the
boil and comes out at the apex, at
other times he enters midway in the
Doll and passes straight in. Although
only one section of the boil may De
bored the remaining e1ies becomes
worthless from the decay VIII. Oh
spreads from the injured part. The
common belief that the worm enters
at one side of the boil and comes ont
another is the exception and NOT
the rule. 1t has been proved that the
worm introduces its auger and bores
into the boil some distance. 1t then re-
treats and seeks another boil or perhap
re-enters the same boil at another
point.
The worms feed mainly in the cool
OF the day, though when the whius
seizes them they take their meals dur
ing midday when the temperature is
quite hot.
The boil worm is somethingof can
nlbal, and when green food is scarce
the stronger will kill out the weaker
ones, not 30 much for a change OF diet,
3 to secure larger proportion OF the
AVAILABLE vegetable matter.
Y careful examination of the eoos
deposited by the moth showed that the
average is about 553 eggs per female
The deposition of eggs is mostly done
between and p. M, as the moth
flies from plant to plant. Four or five
eggs are deposited in succession on a
plant when the moth fits off to an
other, and after an interval of FIVE to
fifteen minutes repeats the perform
ance. 1t has been Appropriated that 3
one female will deposit from thirty to-
sixty eggs in one night. The bulletin
is most instructive one for ell en-
gagged in cotton culture.