Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1913-10-12
WORM AND SPIDER
ATTACKING COTTON
State Entomologist Worsham Receives
Many Complaints and Gives
Remedies.

Atlanta, Ga-Just as Georgia is
about to make one of the largest and
best cotton crops in the history of
the state, numerous complaints of the
ravages of the red cotton spider and
the cotton boil worm are reaching the
state department of entomology; and
in many instances these pests threat
en- serious damage.
The cotton boil worm has been sent
in from a number of South Georgia
counties, while reports of the red spl
der come from various sections OF the
state, both northern and southern.
OF course the best remedy in both
instances is prevention, says State
Entomologist E. Lee WoTsham; but
where the pest is already on the cot
ton plant just approaching maturity,
there is but one thing to do and that
is to kill it with some effective poi
son.
The red cotton spider is exceedingly
small and its prevailing color is red
1t feeds on the under side of the cot
ton leaf. The female lays anywhere
from so to 80 eggs, which hatch in
about four days, and there may be
as many as 16 or II generations dur
ing one year. The spiders suck the
juice from the leaves, causing red
dish spots to appear, later turning to
dark brown. The leaves drop one
by one until usually the plant dies.
The pest increases most rapidly during
hot dry weather until, toward the end
of August, several acres of a field
may become badly damaged.
Pest Lives Through Winter.
The cotton red spider often survives
the winter, if he can find green food.
AS rule, they prefer the cultivated
violet, common goldenrod or the poke
weed, but will attack other plants if
these cannot be found.
Where the red cotton spider is now
prevalent in cotton fields, the only
way to stop its ravages, Entomologist
Worsham points out, is to spray the
infected fields with some good insect
icide known to kill this particular pest.
The cheapest and at the same time
most effective insecticides for this
purpose are either two per cent. pre-
pared lime-sulphur solution, or two
per cent. Scalecide solution, used as
a spray. The state department of en-
tomology will be glad to furnish at
any time, information upon this and
kindred subjects.
Where the red cotton spider is prev
alent Mr.. Worsham calls attention to
the necessity for the exercise of care
to prevent its recurrence next year.
Clean culture is important; all weeds
and underbrush, especially pokeweed
and goldenrod on ditch banks and
field borders, should be grubbed out
and burned. Cultivated violets near
cotton fields should either be spray
ed or destroyed Trap borders, or
thickly sown cotton, along the border
of field, which may be cut off and
burned, is a good preventative. A
careful watch should be kept for all
first attacks and infested plants should
be removed and burned
Work of the Boil Worm.
The moth of the boil worm, Mr..
Worsham points out, generally has a
wing expanse of about one and one
half inches, and may be easily distin-
guished from the cotton leaf worm
or caterpillar moth by the fact that,
when at rest, it holds its wings slight
ly raised and parted, while the cotton
caterpillar moth always rests with
the wings tightly closed.
In Georgia there are at least four
and possibly five generations of the
boil worm each season. Fortunately
for cotton, the female moth prefers
to deposit her eggs on young corn,
the eggs being laid on all parts of the
plant, but preference is shown for the
silk, if it is present. Each female de-
posts on an average of LOO eggs.
These hatch in from three to ten days,
depending on the season. 1t is usually
the third brood that Injuries cotton
most severely, along in August, when
the corn begins to mature.
Corn planted as trap in rows from
200 to 300 feet through the entire
field, so as to be in prime silking con-
dition about August l, will attract the
pest away from cotton. The eggs are
deposited on the corn which can be
cut and fed to stock when the worms
are partly grown.
Since the worm, when fully grown,
descends into the ground where it
passes the pupal stage, a splendid
preventative is winter blowing of the
ground, which exposes the pupa and
kills it.
When the worm is on the plant the
only thing to do, of course, is to kill
it by poison. Paris green may be
used in the proportion of one pound of
Paris green to two pounds of flour,
and at the rate of three pounds of
Paris green to the acre; but the most
effective method has been found to
be busting with arsenate of lead. In
the case of this poison no dilution is
necessary, and it should be used at
the rate of about three pounds per
acre. The buster is made of a one
inch board one and one-half feet long