THE GAKDEN WEKWoRM. 18 



the middle of April in central Texas and larva^ of the first brood are 

 found nearh' fidl gTown i\y ttie middle of Ma3\ The moths of this 

 brood oviposit late in Ma}', of the second in late June or early Jul}", 

 of the third about August 8, and of the fourth about September 15. 

 There would still l)e ample time for a fifth brood in the fall, especially 

 in the southern part of the State. Without rearing- one series through 

 an entire season it would doubtless be impossible to determine the 

 prolmble numlier of generations, for the moths appear almost con- 

 tinuoush' in July, as is seen by the following record, which shows the 

 number of moths taken at trap light at Terrell on the dates given — 

 July 3, 8; T, 4; 8, 5; 9, M 10, 5; 14, 6; 26, 4. 



Young cotton and corn are usually affected when about 8 inches 

 hig"h, so that replanting makes a ver}' late crop. Alfalfa is also often 

 serioush' damaged, the injury occurring somewhat earlier in the spring 

 than that to corn and cotton, and again in August or September, 

 rndoubtedly the larva' working on the alfalfa in the fall remain in 

 the fields over winter. In the spring they work upon the alfalfa, and, 

 when that is cut, they move out into the cotton and corn adjoining in 

 such muubers that this migration has often been observed and reported 

 to us. About the middle of July, 190.3, alfalfa was thus injured in 

 Oklahoma. On August 24, 1904, Mr. Lewis found that the alfalfa 

 near Scurry, Kaufman Count}^ Tex., had been somewhat injured, and 

 learned that the insect had done similar damage about the same time 

 in 1903. On September 1 the same injury was found at Wolfe City. 

 The larva? had migrated to the adjoining rows of cotton, which had 

 been partly defoliated, and had then disappeared, evidently being in 

 the pupal stage, as w'ere those being reared in the laboratory at that 

 time. September 12, 1899,. Mr. W. D. Hunter sent to the Division of 

 Entomology two moths of this species, stating that it had been exceed- 

 ingly destructive to alfalfa in southeastern Nebraska during that year. 



As has been previously recorded, the favorite food of the insect is 

 the common pigweed or ''careless weed" (Amaranthus), from which 

 the insect received its local name of "careless worm." It is common 

 throughout the arable portion of the State, as is evidenced by reports 

 of its occurrence from near San Antonio, from Victoria, and from east 

 Texas (Anderson County), but it seems particularly injurious in the 

 northern part of the State. Many of the larva? captured were para- 

 sitized by AjxTii-tcJi's hipJiygmm Ashm. and CardiocJiiles explorator Say. 

 One specimen was parasitized by a larva which emerged and formed its 

 cocoon Jul}' 29, the adult, which proves to l)e Mexoclioriia eJecflUs 

 Cress, emerging August 4. 



The species has also been found to ])e parasitized h\ l^d'ortntaltypcmie 

 Coq. and Phowcera pai-ini Bigot, specimens of which have been bred 

 by Mr. Pergande. 



