The sun., 1912-07-07

he moth and its spread into new regions.
II the conditions are favorable there will
undoubtedly be a spread from the ter
ritory now infested that will reach at least
as far east "a Mississippi and Alabama by
the end Of July. IT, on the other hand
the conditions are unfavorablc the in
festation IL not likely to become extensive
outside of Texas
A bulletin on the cotton worm or cotton
caterpillar issued on May ia says that the
outbreak Of the pest last year did not origin
ate in the tinted States but In Central
or South America. The moths flew north
ward very early in the season and reached
the neixhborhoOd Of Brownsville in Texas
by April BY the middle Of June prac-
tically all Of the cotton fields In the vicinity
of Brownsville, that had not been projected
by the use Of polsons. had become de
foliated. The new generations Of the in.
.ects flew northward and eastward during
June and July. During the latter month
there appears also TO have been another
invasion OF the United states from South
America This re-tnvasion took the moths
into the south Atlantic States. where they
soon we're found in very great numbers
They bred with great rapIdity and spread
northward and Westward In August
the western and eastern invasions coalescsd.
and within . few weeks the insects were
numerous In cotton fields throughout the
belt
The cotton caterpillar. also known o. the
army worm. has been known 10 cotton
planters for nearIv 100 years. During some
seasons damage has occurred as early a.
June. and occasionally fields were com
pleteiy defolated by the middle Of July
The dest rictiveness Of the insect Ia described
In an account published by Mr.. Thomas
Affieck OF Washington. Miss. in the Amor
icnn Aorsc ulurisf OF September o. is4e
which sava sThe caterpillar, cotton worm.
cotton moth. or chenille of the French Weat
Indies Guiana. &c, has utterly blighted the
hopes Of the cotton planter for the present
year and produced most anx xious fears for
the future. have heard from the greater
part Of the cotton growing region the news
is all alike-the worm has DESTROYED the
crop. have no idea that any cons sidera bic
portion OF any State will escape. The
present year the crop IL unusually backward,
at least four weeks later than usual. We
have but just commenced picking, USUALLY
beginning about the last week In July or
the first week in August. At this moment
every field within this region of country
say south OF Nicksburg, ia stripped Of every
thing but the stems. the larger branches
and few Of the hrst bolls. already too hard
for the worms power OF maetication. The
full grown bolls not yet become hard are
| completely eaten out. q circumstance
have never heard OF but once before. in
1925. The fields present a most melancholy
appearance: looking from the blum a,
\atchez across the river to those fine plan
tations back Of Vidalia. nothing s TO he seen
, but the brown withered skeleton of the
plant
just ~ the present the cotton trade Ia no,
disposed TO attach much Importance to the
advent Of the army worm. hut this probably
i, due partly 10 the fact that the present
generation in the cotton trade knows little
or nothing Of the previous ravages Of tho
pest and also because last year little perma
nent damage resulted. although this was
explained nv the fact that the caterpillar-
appeared late on crop that was unusually
early. This year an entirely different resul,
/ i possible.