190 



STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



a 



Fig. 40. — Parsnip borer. Pupa, larva and tunnel in seed 

 stalk. (After G. C. Davis.) 



REMEDIES. 



appears at all, usually it 

 is in goodly numbers, and 

 the destruction wTOught 

 is pretty complete. Such 

 ravages point to the pres- 

 ence of the parsnip-seed 

 moth, also called the 

 stem-borer. The larvae or 

 caterpillars of this moth 

 enclose the large umbels 

 or flower-heads in webs. 

 Such larvae are about 

 three-fifths of an inch 

 long, yellov.ish or green- 

 ish-3'ellow in color, with 

 many small, black points 

 on the body. Each point 

 bears a short hair. The 

 head, prothoracic shield 

 and true legs are black. 

 When nearly full-grown, 

 the caterpillar descends 

 to the axil or fork where 

 a leaf is given off, and 

 bores into the stem, where 

 it changes to a brown 

 pupa a little less than 

 half an inch 

 from which 

 miller or moth 

 Julv. This moth is brown- 

 ish-grey in color, with 

 minute markings of black. 

 It measures nearly an 

 inch and one-quarter from 

 tip to tip of the expanded 

 wings. 



in length, 

 the adult 

 appears in 



When the larvae first appear, a spray of paris-green and lime, applied 

 at the rate of one pound of the poison to two hundred gallons of water 

 will kill them. If the application is delayed until the flower-heads are 

 enclosed by the webs, then it will be almost impossible to reach their 

 food with the spray. It will readily be seen that the spray must be 

 put on early so that the "worms" will have only poisoned flowers and 

 seeds to work on. Later after the larvae have bored into the stems, 

 the knife is the only remedy. Cut out and burn the affected parts. 



INSECTS AFFECTING THE FOLIAGE. 

 Parsley butterfly {Papilio polyxenes) . 



One of our most striking caterpillars is the parsley caterpillar which 

 feeds on parsley, parsnip, caraway and other plants of the same family. 



