THE MONTHLY BULLETIN. 



163 



Food Plants.— The favorite food of the caterpillars is the sugar beet 

 and it bids fair to become quite a serious pest to that crop. Table 

 beets, corn, potatoes, peas, onions, sunflower, lambsquarters, pigweed, 

 saltbush and the leaves of the apple, mallow, wild tobacco, plantain 

 and wild grasses are also attacked. 



THE WESTERN ARMY WORM. 



Chorizagrotis agrcstis Grote (Family Noctuidsfi). 

 (Fig. 146.) 



General Appearance. — The adult moth is about one inch long and 



dark brown with graj^ markings 

 attain a length of two inches 

 and vary from pale green to 

 dark brown. 



Life History. — The general 

 life history is practically the 

 same as that of the varie- 

 gated cutworm {Peridroma 

 margaritosa var. saucia 

 Hiibn.). 



Distribution. — Occurs in 

 all parts of the State. 



Food Plants. — This is a 

 rather serious vegetable pest, 

 attacking beets, cabbage, 

 horse-radish, radish, mustard, 

 turnip, peas, tomatoes, pota- 

 toes, onions, celery, rhubarb, 

 corn, grasses, clover, alfalfa 

 and forest and frnit trees. 



The caterpillars or army worms 



Pig. 146. — The western army worm, Choris- 

 agrotis agrestis Grote, showing adult moth and 

 larvse. Enlarged. (After Chittenden.) 



THE COMMON CUT WORM. 



Euxoa atomaris (Smith) (Family Noctuidae). 



{Agrotis atomaris Smith.) 



(Fig. 147.) 



General Appearance.— The caterpillars are light gray in color, 



smooth, and, when full-grown, 

 measure about one and one half 

 inches in length. The adult moth 

 is about one inch long with a wing 

 expanse of two inches. The color 

 of the fore wings is almost uni- 

 form gray with paler markings, 

 while the hind wings are much 

 lighter. 



Life History. — The eggs are laid 

 early in April by moths shortly 

 emerged from the over-wintering 



Fig. 147. — Larva and adult of the mi , -n 



common cutworm, Euxoa atomaris COCOOllS. The yOUng Caterpillars 



(.Smith) (Cal. Hort. Com.). 



