THE GREASY CUTWORM. 9 



which the moth emerg-ed Deoeniber 6. In Missouri fuU-^rown hirvte 

 were found as early as Ma}^ 1, but in no case did the moths from them 

 emerge until July. In his eighth report Lintner has discussrd this 

 species as an onion pest." The first larva pupated June 16 and the 

 moth emerged July 12, while other larva^ pupated Jul}' 2 and 6. Con- 

 cerning the time of appearance of the moths he states: 



I have taken it as early aH May 30, and in collections made by me "at sugar," 

 have observed it every night through the months of June, July, and August, on over 

 lialf the nights of September, and until the last week in Octolter. 



The species was reported as injurious to cotton in Mississippi in 

 1S88.^ Garman'' states that the larvie are injurious from May to 

 flune 21; that adults have been taken from June 25 to September 23, 

 and that newly emerged moths occur from June 29 to Jidy 12. 

 Quaintance, in his account of the tobacco insects of Florida,'' states 

 that the larvpe may be found in all stages of growth throughout the 

 winter. In Maryland Johnson observed the species as a tobacco pest 

 in late jNIay and tJune, the first moths emerging" July 19.'' In his 

 Twenty-first Report of the Insects of Illinois,-^ reporting- the species 

 as an enemy of sugar beets, Dr. S. A. Forbes writes as follows: 



There is apparently but one brood each year, with many occasional irregularities 

 in the stage of hibernation and periods of development. It seems usually to hiber- 

 nate as a larva, pupating about June 1, and yielding the moth late in June and in 

 July. The hibernating larvfe are seldom found after July 15. Pupte have, however, 

 been found in winter, and adults, probably emerging from these, early in spring. 



It would seem, therefore, that not infrequent!}^ they winter as pupa?, 

 the moths from which lay eggs in early spring, and from these develop 

 caterpillars, which do not transform until midsummer or August. 

 Normally, however, the insect winters as a larva, and the moths 

 emerge early in July. In Texas, at least in the southern part of the 

 State, where this species is most injurious, there are probably three 

 generations. It must be remembered that the difference in latitude 

 between St. Louis, Mo., and south-central Texas is equal to or greater 

 than that between the former point and the northern boundary of the 

 United States. Taking the length of seasons into account, it is only 

 reasonable to suppose that the number of generations annually would 

 increase in arithmetical progression as we go south. 



An exhaustive study of this and other species of cutworms, both in 

 the South and North, would clear up many uncertain points relative 

 to their life history. 



«1893: Eighth Report N. Y. State P:nt. f. 1891, pp. 188-191. 



61889: Insect Life, Vol. I, p. 217. 



'■1895: Bui. 58, Kentucky Agric. Exp. Sta., p. 97. 



(«1898: Bui. 48, Fla. Agric. Exp. Sta., pp. 181-183. 



''1898: Bui. 55, Md. Agric. Exp. Sta., p. 143. 



/1900, p. 104, 2 figs. 



15109— No. 57—06 2 



