346 



THE AGKICULTURAL NEWS. 



November 3, 1906. 



INSECT NOTES. 



obtained from the application of a small amount of Paris 

 creen, provided the application is thorough and the poison is 

 evenly distributed. 



Careful and constant insiiection of cotton fields to detect 

 the presence of the worm in its early stages of development, 

 and the careful and economical use of Paris green, are matters 

 that should receive the cotton planters' most earnest attention 

 from the time the cotton begins to grow till the crop is 

 harvested. Carelessness in these matters is almost sure to lead 

 to severe loss to the planter. 



Cotton Insects in Barbados. 



The present season has been specially favourable 

 for the insect pests of all kinds of crops in Barbados, 

 and cotton, corn, potatos, and green dressings have all 

 suffered from attacks of caterpillars, or worms, in 

 different parts of the island. 



At the present time, the cotton worm is to be found in 

 most sections of the island where cotton is being grown, 

 and on certain estates is causing considerable damage to the 

 growing crop. 



A recent tour of inspection through a portion of the 

 Lsland. where large areas of cotton are now growing, revealed 

 some significant facts as to the control of the cotton worm and 

 the use of Paris green. 



On one estate a field of cotton was badly attacked by 

 the cotton worm. The gang was applying Paris green and 

 lime mixed at the rate of 1 to .3, 16 IT), of the mixture being 

 used for a single application per acre. 



The dusting of this field had been left for at least four 

 days after it should have been done, and the injury was very 

 great. To make up for this neglect, about three times as 

 much Paris green was being used as was necessary. The loss 

 here was three-fold: (1) the injury to the cotton by the 

 destruction of the leaves, (2) the wa.ste of Paris green and 

 lime, and (3) the worms were not being killed. This last was 

 not the fault of the Paris green, but was due to the presence 

 of such large quantities of the poison mixture that the 

 caterpillars would not eat the leaves. Those that were 

 nearly full-grown would, in this case, pupate, and while a few 

 would not have the strength to complete their development, 

 the remainder, pupating and providing for the production of 

 large numbers of eggs, would cau.se the continued infestation 

 of this and neighbouring cotton. The younger cotton worms 

 will, for the most part, refuse to eat the cotton leaves so 

 densely covered with Paris green and lime and will migrate 

 from that field to the next, or, failing to find suitable food, 

 will starve to death. 



In the cotton fields in question, the poison mixture was 

 being applied by means of bags. These were made of 

 material much too coarse, so that, even with great care, it was 

 difficult to avoid applying too liberal a covering to the plants. 

 As a contrast to this field of cotton, the cotton on 

 another estate might be mentioned. In this instance, 

 Paris green and lime were mixed at the rate of 1 to 

 7, and applied by means of (a) Champion powder guns, 

 (h) Acme powder bellows, and (c) bags of fine cloth. The 

 amount of Paris green used on this estate varies from i »>. to 

 a little over I lb. per acre for each application, and no damage 

 is done to the cotton by the attacks of the cotton worm. 

 Forty acres of cotton had been dusted with only 24 ft. of 

 Paris green. This does not indicate that the cotton on the 

 second estate was any less subject to these attacks, but show.s, 

 rather, that care and intelligent .supervision had resulted in 

 every attack being checked before it became serious, that is, 

 while the worms were still young ; and comparison of the 

 amounts of material used shows that good results can be 



Cotton Pests in Egypt 



The Yearbook of the Khedivial Agricultural 

 Society of Egypt, for 1905, contains interesting papers on 

 the insect pests of cotton in that country. These are : — 



The cotton worm (Pi-odenia littoralu), the boll worm 

 (Earias in.<ulana), the cutworm {Agroth ypsilon), and a leaf- 

 eating insect, Caradrhia t.dgua. 



The cotton worm ditfers from the cotton worm of North 

 and South America and the West Indies in several respects, 

 and the methods in use for its control differ also. The 

 Etfyptian cotton worm moth deposits its eggs in clusters on 

 the lower leaves of the cotton plant. These eggs are collected 

 by children, this method of hand picking being considered the 

 most practicable for that country. 



The use of insecticides is not considered feasible on 

 account of the large size of the Egyptian cotton plant. 



Prndeniii (ittoralis feeds on a variety of plants, and, 

 while this fact may seem to render its control more difficult, 

 the caterpillars may be attracted to one or another of these 

 food plants and then destroyed. 



The cotton boll worm attacks the boll after the manner 

 of the North American boll worm {Hdiotlds armigera), and 

 the corn ear worm {Laphygma trugiperda), which sometimes 

 attacks cotton bolls in the West Indies. (See Agricultural 

 News, Vol. IV, p. 202.) 



Earias inndana also attacks the terminal shoots of the 

 cotton and lives in winter on other malvaceous plants. 

 Cultural methods, such as the removal of secondary food 

 plants and the cutting out of infested shoots and bolls, are 

 recommended for the control of this pest. (See Agricultural 

 News, Vol. V, p. 106.) 



Agrotii i/psilon is known as the cutworm of cotton and 

 berseem. This insect is known in America and the West 

 Indies, and is one of the cutworms that have attacked 

 young cotton seedlings in the West Indies in the past few years. 



The poisoned bait already recommended for use in these 

 islands has been found to be successful in controlling the 

 cutworm in Egypt. 



Caradrina exigua feeds upon the leaves of cotton, and 

 frequently the tender stem.s, and the soft part of the roots 

 below ground are eaten also. This pest generally attacks the 

 young cotton, and is controlled by hand picking, flooding, 

 and the use of Paris green. Several species of this genus 

 occur in the AVest Indies. 



WEST INDIAN AGRICULTURAL CON- 

 FERENCE, 1907. 



Brief mention was made in the Agricultural 

 Neics (Vol. V, p. 316) that it w-as hoped to hold the 

 next West Indian Agricultural Conference in Jamaica 

 in the second week of January next. Steamer arrange- 

 ments having now been satisfactorily settled, there is 

 every prospect that it will be possible to carry out this 

 prosposal. 



