Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-06-25
QUEER TOBACCO MOTHS
They Feed on Flowers Like Hnmming
Birds-Damaye That They Do.
esOH, PAPA, SEE THE PRETTY HUM
" ming hirdr'

They Feed Flowers Like Hnmming
Birds-Damage That They DO.
eeOH, PAPA, SEE THE PRETTY HUM
" ming birdr'
The object at which the child pointed was
poised above a big white flower on rapidly
agtated wings, robbing the blossom of nectar
with its long beak.
''That is not humming bird, pet" said the
gentleman who sat on the porch in the gather
ing dusk of evening" at is a hornblower
moth. Once upon a time it was big green
caterpillar"
"a caterpillar, papa?"
'Yes, dearie. That insect which looks so
Lille humming bird, as you say. is an enemy
of my own. because it destroys tobacco. Per-
haps would not have had to pay SO much for
this cigar l am smoking if there were no such
moths in existence"
"But the moth does not eat tobacco papa"
''No, my dear. but it lays eggs that hatch out
into caterpilars, and the caterpiilars feed on
the tobacco leaves. There are plenty of them
over in Maryland and Virginia and the planters
have to fight them constantly. The motif de-
posts its eggs on the leaves and the newborn
worms eat holes through them, which render
them useless for making cigars. When they are
full grown they are about three inches long.
They are bright green with small red heads and
What becomes Of them after they get big?"
''Oh, they keep on eating as long as they are
growing, gobbling up whole leaves and GIANTS,
and after shedding their skins few times they
burrow into the ground and stay there quite
torpid for q while. Then thew come out OF the
earth in the shape of great moths, such as the
one You saw moment ago. After that they do
not care to feed upon tobacco leaves any more,
but they live on the juices of howers. par.icu-
lariy on those of The honeysuckle and plant
called the Jamestown weed They extract the
honey from the blossoms by means of flexible
tongue i've or six inches in length. When they
IRE not feeding the tongue is cooled up like a
watch spring under the head. Pretty soon they
lay their eggs on the tobacco leaves Hndthen
de-"
but what do they do TO kiln tn ,m?"
"A favorite way the planters over in Nary
land il to plant the jamestown weeds in the to-
bacco fields and put in each flower little black
arsenic or other poison. Then the moths come
along, feed on the poisoned honey Of the bios
SONS and die. Mem 60 through the fields also
heads. II such measures were not taken the
insects would destroy the tobacco crops.
Fortunately nature has provided certain enc
mics that destroy the tobacco worms. There IL
kind of fly, very small which punches holes in
the bodies Of tho caterpillars and lays its eggs
in them. Little worms are Matched from these
eggs and feed upon the caterP''lars, finally
spinning minute cocoons. Sometimes - many
as hundred Of these cocoons are found at
tached to singie caterpillar. Planters who know
what they are about never kill the caterpillnrS
which they find infested with, these parasites,
but leave them to spread the trouble among
their kind. II Il curious fact that the hy
parasites have other parasites that feed upon
| themselves, laying THAR eggs in the cocoons.
Floeks OF young turkeys are often let loose in
the tobacco fieid in ordsr that they may ct he
eate5ptllars. and the planters pay children 20
much for every moth fhey I'M BY striking thsm
With pieces Of ihingie e they are towering over
flowers IN the twilight, vhi6h b their tsns fbr
| going ahroaA Hornsts and Wasps aho saf The