The sun., 1898-10-09
RAYAGES OFCABBAGEW0RMS
What They Are and How They
Manage to do Inestim-
able Damage.
MIGRATION OF THE LOOPER

Insect Enemies Which Do I'm.
mense Harm Every Sea.
son -. Application
of Mixtures.
The farmers through this state have
lost hundreds OF heads of cabbagcs this
season through the ravages OF the cab
bage worm. In some sections during
recent years the growing of cabbages has
been abandoned altogether, owing to the
labor of combating the enemies of the
plants.
The caulihower and all other plants of
the cabbage family are also attacked
The green cabbage worm is the larva OF
the well.known white butterfly ("Pierle
rapae") imported from Europe, the in
sects passing the winter as chrysalids or
pupae (the dormant stage) attached to
the under sides of rails, sticks, weeds or
any place where they are protected from
moisture.
Professor +. II. Hall, of the New York
Agricultural Experiment Station, who
has given the matter of cabbage pests his
careful attention, states that the butter
flies emerge from the chrysalid shells
early in Nav, and sometimes in April if
the weather is warm. The eggs, about
100 in number, are deposited singly upon
the under sides and edges of leaves of old
cabbage stumps, early cabbage, kale,
wild radish or other related plants.
The egglaying lasts about three weeks,
by which time the worms from those
first laid have hatched and are ready to
pupate. Before the old butterflies die
new troods are ready, and this overlap
ping OF breeds renders the work OF ex-
termination very difficult as the butter
flies are constantly restocking the plants
with eggs, five or more generations being
thus prolonged during the season.
Another destructive enemy, whose
ravages are frequently attributed to the
cabbage worm, is the cabbage looper.
Heretofore its work has been mostly in
the South, but for four years it has put
in an appearance as far north as Long
Island. 1t is worse enemy than the
welLknown cabbage worm.
The moths are less conspicuous and
fly mostly on cloudy days and late in
the afternoons. The worms are very
voracious, eating not only plants of the
cabbage family, but also lettuce, celery,
spinach, tomatoes, carnations, smilax,
chrysanthemums and many forcing
plants.
The worms, when partially grown, are
marked by distinct white lines along the
sides, and, unlike the ordinary cabbage
worms, they have legs only at the ends
of their bodies, go that they travel by
'looplng'' and not by crawling. They
also appear earlier and continue longer,
with the same overlapping of broods.
They feed upon large variety of plants,
and largely upon the under sides of the
leaves, which makes their destruction
very difficult.
Plants of the cabbage family are
specially difficult to treat with insecti-
cides because of the crowding together of
their leaves and the smoothness of the
surfaces, the insecticides not always ad-
herring, hence all applications must be so
thorough that every spot of surface will
be protected and the treatment repeated
in order to insure destruction OF the new
ly-hatched worms.
The use of Paris green is considered
the best and cheapest remedy, but it is
applied with "poison CARRIER or mix
ture designed to cause the poison to ad-
here to the leaves.
This mixture is composed of five
r pound pulverized resir, one pound con-
centrated I've, one pint fish oil (or any
cheap animal oil except tall)w) and five
gallons water. Place the oil, resin and
one gallon OF water in an iron kettle and
. heat until the resin is softened, and then
, add the lye solution prepared as for
; hard soap; add the remainder of the
water and boil about two hours until the
mixture will unite with cold water, pro-
ducing clear, amber-colored mixture.
If it boils away too much add enough
water to make five gallons OF the mix
ture. This will be the ''stock" solution,
one gallon OF which may be diluted with
, l6 gallons of water, to which must be
added three gallons OF milk of lime
(whitewash). 1t is really a liquid soap,
the lime being suspended in the water in
: minute particles. Now add one-fourth
. of q pound OF Paris green, stirring we'll.
The soap solution will be found very ad.
> hesive and must be applied with a
8 sprayer, care being taken that it reaches
2 all portions of the plants, and especially
e the under sides OF the leaves. This rem.
edy has been found the most perfect Of
all preventatives used and is perfectly
1 safe, except that it must not be applied
: on cauliflowcrs after the "fowers' are
exposed, as there may be danger oi
T poisoning the human consumer. There ii
but little danger of poisoning the cabbage
with the mixture, as only the outel
leaves are touched by the spray and these
are thrown away in preparation for the
= table, Apply when the plants are one
third grown and again just before the
. heads are formed. The cost is estimated