The Brunswick news. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 1906-2016, 1913-09-26


OF course the best remedy In both
instances is prevention, says State
EntoIhologist r. Lee Worsham; 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 lill 1t with some reflective 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 so eggs. which hatch in
aF1oat four days, and there may be
as many ais 1s or IL 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 ontii, toward the end
of August, several acres Of field
may become badly damaged.
Pest Lives Through Wflntsf.
Tho cotton red spider ofte gsives
the winter, II he can Nm II food.
AS rule, they prefer IL snltiya "a
violet, common gola8fod 81 the p
weed, but win attack other plenSS II
klese cannot be found. 81
Where the red cotton spider Ks now
presalent in cotton fieiNs, the on4y
way 10 stop It's ravages, Enton1ologist
| WorsIan points Out, fs'to spray the
| infected fields with some good insect
icide known to kill this particular pest
| The cheapest and at the same tinA
most effective insecticides for this
! purpose are either two per cent. pre-
pared lime-sulphur solution, or two
per cent. Scalecide solution, used as
q spray. The state department Of en-
tomology win 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 tile exercise Of care
70 prevent it's recurrence next year
Clean culture IL important; all weeds
and underbrush, especially pokeweed
and goldenrod on ditch banks and
field borders, should be grubbed out
and burned Cultivated vlolets near
cotton fields should either. be spray
ed or destroyed Trap borders, or
thickly sown cotton. along the bofder
/ Of field, which may be cut off and
burned, Is 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.
Worsharn 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 tho fact that.
when at rest, 1t holds its wings slight
~ 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 eli parts Of the
plant but preference is shown for the
silk II it is present Each female de-
posits on an average of 1,1G0 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
geo to 300 feet through the entire
field, so as to be In prime silhfng con
dttion about August /, 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,
descepds into the ground where 1t
passes the pupal stage a splendid
preventative Ia winter blowing OF the
ground, which exposes the pupa and
kills 1t.
When the worm Is op the plant the
only thing to do, Of course, Is to kill
it by poison. Parts green may be
used in the proportion Of one pound Of
Paris green TO two pounds of -four,
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 1t should be ueed al
the rate Of about three pounds per
acre. The buster is made OF one.
inch board one and one.half feet long
err than the width OF the rows ard
three inches wide, with a one and
one.haif inch auger hole bored FIVE
inches from each end, and under each
hole Is attached sack made OF I'M
Atarched shesting about fifteen inches
long. The .arsenate of LEAD Is placed
in these seeks and one person can
dust fifteen to twenty acres per day
by riding on horseback and busting
as he passes between the rowe.
Wherever the cotton boil worm is
found this remedy should be applied
at once. :
'svs. "a III