224 



HALF HOURS WITH INSECTS. 



[Packard. 



the caterpillars of the next summer come from eggs laid by 

 moths which have flown north from the Gulf States. This 

 is not, however, in accordance with the habits of moths gen- 

 erally, and we shall expect to find that the moth winters over 

 in the middle and northern states, where it is a straggler, as 

 well as in the southern states. It will be interesting to 

 know on what plant the caterpillar feeds north of the cotton 

 states. 



The boll worm (Fig. 172, moth and larva) is more like 

 the cut worm in appearance. It feeds on the boll of the 

 cotton plant, the moth laying her eggs singly up to the num- 



FlG. 172, 



Boll Worm and Larva. 



ber of five hundred on the calyx of the plant. The cater- 

 pillars appear in three or four days. They pierce through 

 the calyx and destroy the flower buds. When fully fed it 

 makes an oval cocoon just under the surface of the soil, 

 where it i-emains in the pupa state three or four weeks. 

 There are two broods of this worm in the Middle States, 

 « three in Geoi-gia. The last brood issue as moths in Novem- 

 ber, though, unlike the Army worm, some remain under 

 ground through the winter. 



32 



