The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1897-04-28
FOES OF THE COTTON PLANT.
Efforts of the Department of Agri-
culture to Combat Them.

culture to Combat Them.
The Department OF Agriculture is CIV
ing especial study to the matter of insects
that affect the cotton plant. L. 0. How
ard. the entomologist of the department,
has spared no effort in disco vering suita-
BILE insecticides with which to combat the
foes of cotton. The cotton worm, or the
cotton caterpillar, has come in for
goodly share of his attention.
This is ali insect familiar TO all cotton
growers. 1t is a slender, blush green
caterpillar, with small, black spots, and
often with black stripes down its back,
which loops when it walks. 1t feeds vora
ciously on both upper and under surfaces
OF the cotton leaf, and is found III the
cotton fields in the Gulf States through
out the summer. 1t is generally not no.
Uiced in the early part OF the season.
Later the Raging of the leaves is noticed.
and if heroic me asures are not resor ted to,
the cotton plant will be defoliated Fur
Their North this caterpillar makes its APP
pearance later in the season, and there it
is the offspring OF mo tbs Of the first OF
second generation, which have developed
in the more Southern cotton fields and
have flown North with the prevailing
pillar is the offspring of the alternating
moth,
Late in the season moths of the fifth and
sixth generations find their way as far
north as Canada, W here they may often be
seen around the street lights at night. The
egg is blush green, ana about 5O0ofthese
are laid by each female. These eggs are
laid singly on hundreds OF leaves, ana are
laid nj niubt no IA IN
three to five days. This caterpillar spins
u light silken web, and forius an imperfect
cocoon, usually within a folded leaf The
perfect insect or image Of the cotton cat
erpillar is small moth OF an olive gray
color, ana sometimes with q purple hue.
This moth is night flyer, and hides dur
ing tie day, and flies with swift, uarting
motion when disturbed 1t begins it's
marauding expeditions at sunset Though
it prefers to despoil the nectar glands of
the cotton leaf, it will also attack ripe
fruit. The prohCscis of this moth VIII
pierce the skin of a hard, grcel pear.
EntomoloSist Howard states that the o ID
serVotions or Mr.. Schwarz iii south Texas
show that at least seven and probably even
more generations OF TINS insect are pro
uuced there. Just as many develop in
Florida. 1t was at one time believed in
the South that there were hut three gen
erdtions Of this pest. These moths hitler
nate "a the extreme southern portions of the
cotton celt, and begin to lay their eggs
during February
1t has been established that in the more
northerly section OF the cotton belt the
moth dies out every year, but that IN the
south tn'Y lie low So ne sheltered lace.
occasionally, too. there is an ingress Of
these al jsns from tn. West ladies and from
Mexico ana Central America. Il vas from
these sources that Une moth was in : 70 uced
into the United states. Had 1t not been
for the great number Of parasites and nat
ural enemies which this moth mas much
greater injury must have been Gone the
cotton of the United States.
The i Agricultural Depart .ne1t belle rs that
the cotton moth will not b. so destructive
in the future it has been in the past
This is because great cotton fields I the
South are breaking up and The sliversi-
ficatiun Of crops is steadily progressing.
Further, the DEVELOPMENT of the cotton
seed oil industry will be an important fac
tor. 1t used To be that long fiber cotton
with few seeds was grown. Now the cot
ton growers are raising short .iber with
more seeds. The fields are thus more open
and the first Raging OF the lea.cs may be
observed.
the distribution Of dry paris green from
two bags held at the ends of a pole over
the back of mule s the most approved
method for fighting the cotton moth. These
sacks are filled with the poison, and a
man rides through the field busting two
rows of cotton at a time as the fine
dry powder Sits through the coarse bag
ging.