6 
have developed with a greater number of eggs, and a certain proportion 
of them fly farther north. In this way there is a progressive develop- 
ment all through the cotton belt and a somewhat varying number of 
generations in different localities. Under certain conditions, however, 
such as the early development of a very large brood in the far South, so 
many moths may be developed that there is a nearly simultaneous 
stocking of a very extensive region. 
The importance of ascertaining the carly presence of the worms, 
although in small numbers, from a remedial point of view, is very great, 
and since it was conclusively shown that worms may be found in the 
fields in the Gulf States long before the so-called “first crop,” planters — 
have looked for them more carefully, and doubtless in many cases pos. 
sibly severe injury has been prevented by the poisoning of early worms. 
The moths of the last generation in seasons of cotton-worm abun- 
dance frequently make their appearance in numbers far north. The 
moth is a very strong flyer, and, aided by the wind, has been known 
to occur abundantly in Canada, and has been observed in numbers far 
out at sea. During September it has been known to do very consider- 
able injury to peaches in Kansas and to ruin acres of cantaloupes as 
far north as Racine, Wis. 
Method of passing the winter.—The greatest difficulty was found in 
setiling the question as to the manner in which this insect passes the 
winter, but it has finally been established that over the more northern 
portion of the cotton belt the species dies out every year, while in the 
more southern portions the moth hibernates and remains torpid in 
sheltered situations. There must also have been occasionally an ingress 
of moths from outside of the United States, say from the West Indies 
or from Mexico or Central America. It was undoubtedly in this way 
that the species was first introduced into the United States, and such 
immigrations were probably of frequent occurrence down to compara- 
tively recent years. Professor Riley, writing in 1882, concluded that 
there is nothing more fully established than that the moth hibernates 
principally under the shelter of rank wire grass in the more heavily 
timbered portions of the South, and that these moths begin laying on 
the rattoon cotton when it is only an inch or so high. Only the excep- 
tional few survive, and this survival seems to be more common in the 
western part of the cotton belt than in the Atlantic States. 
PARASITES AND NATURAL ENEMIES. 
In the report by Professor Comstock, published in 1880, and in the 
Fourth Report of the United States Entomological Commission much 
space is devoted to the subject of the natural enemies and parasites 
of the cotton worm. They are very numerous, and without their aid 
the worms must have done infinitely more damage than they have 
accomplished; but, practically speaking, we need devote no space to 
their detailed consideration, as they can not be practically handled. 
Their increase can not be encouraged beyond the enforcement of gen- 
