Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1912-06-07
Attest:
THE COTTON LEAF WORM
Farmers Should be Prepared-Direc-
tons for Fighting Pest.

- AA0aA ~ ASRhAS4
tons for Fighting Pest.
TO The Herald.
j want to call the attention of
tie farmers to the necessity of being
on the lookout for the cotton leaf
worm, since the rains. Showery wea-
Their is PARTICULARLY favorable for
their appearance and multiplication,
and since We had them last year,
they are likely to reappecr this i-ea-
son. 1t behooves us, therefore, to be
ready; because if the first infestation
is successfully controlled, the sub
sequent broods are lot likely to pe
so serious.
Farmers who had cotton damaged
Last year need scarcely be advised
as to the first evidence of the pest;
but for others | may say that the
adult Is an olive colored miller, and
that one female deposits about 500
eggs; but only 2 to ; eggs to each
on the under side. These eggs
hatch in 3 or 4 days, If the weather
is warm, into a SLENDER white worm
or caterpillar, not more than one
fourth of an inch long.
Watch the Under Side of the Leaf.
making your observations every 3
or 4 days. AS soon as worms appear
in any appreciable numbers, the cot
ton should be poisoned. The worm
feeds from the under side Of the leaf,
eating and growing very rapidly;
finally destroying all the leaves and
young tender extremeities of the
plant, if not checked by poison. In
2 or , weeks the worm will web
W" in I cotton leaf in a reddish
brown casing, where they remain
from 10 to "a days, depending upon
the weather, and emerging as a mil
Ter it will begin laying eggs in 3 or
4 days. F;
Keep Poison on Hand.
Poison is an absolute specific, If
applied at the right time ond in the
right A little delay after
the worms appear is dangerous.
Therefore, have at least some poi
son on hand. Paris green or arsenate
OF lead may be used; the former is
slightly cheaper per POUND and a
somewhat less quantity is required
per acre; the latter is less liable to
burn the cotton and sticks to the
leaf better; stays on the cotton long,
err. Paris green should always be
applied as a powder; a cheap grade
of -four Is the best thing to mix it;
2 to ) parts of -four to one of Par
is green, about | 1-2 pounds Of the
latter to the acre. Some use lime;
but il you do. it must be we'll slack
ed lime, not the so-called MIGRATED
lime commonly on the market: be-
cause it is caustic and sometimes
burns worse than the Paris green it
self. Any contrivance may be used
that will dust the powder on the cot
ton. Some rip up a frame back OF a
cultivator, from which two or more
small sacks are suspended in a way
to be shaken or agitated by a lever,
In order that the poison may be dis
tributed. A common way, and the
simplest. is TO suspend two sacks
from the ends If a pole s to 8 feet
n length. and q rider or horseback
takes this poe in front Of him, strik-
ing it against the pommel Of the
saddle, agitating and distributing the
POISON. In this way 4 rows at a time
may be treated. After applying the
robson the rider should take a bath,
and change clothing, and swab of
the horse. Cheese cloth. doubled.
makes a very good sack for the poi
son. Arsenate of lea1 may Re applied
either AS a spray or as a dry powder:
2 l-2 TO 5 pounds 10 the acre should
be used 1t will not ouTn the cotton
in greater quantity. Ii either poison
is applied as a dust, 1t is preferable
to rut it on while dew is on the cot
ton, and when there is not much
wind; but this is not absolutely ne
cessary; only more POISON must be
used in the absence OF dew and the
presence of wind.
The main purpose of this article is
to urge the importance of having
some POISON on hand. and If not SUP
piled, TO get il as early as possible.
You thus Drotect yourself in price
and transportation rates. as we'll as
being prepared TO protect your crop
in an emergency. Either poison does
not deteriorate when kept under shell