CONTROL OF GARDEN DISEASES AND INSECTS. 



31 



CABBAGE. 



COMJION CABBAGE WORM. 



The common cabbage worm (fig. 34) is known to most farmers, 

 and the butterfly is also a familiar object; but in some cases the 

 growers do not associate the velvety green caterpillar with the 

 parent white butterfly. This cabbage worm has been termed rightly 

 the bane of the cabbage grower and the dread of every careful cook 

 and housewife. It begins work early in the season, attacking the 

 first young plants 

 which it can find (fig. 

 35). After riddling 

 •the outer leaves, 

 which remain after- 

 w^ard attached to the 

 stalk, the worm at- 

 tacks the tender in- 

 ner leaves as they 

 form, hiding in the 

 immature heads, 

 where it is difficult 

 to reach it with a 

 spray and rendering 

 the cabbage heads 

 unfit for food, partly 

 owing to the filthy 

 condition in which 

 it leaves them. For 

 this reason cabbage 

 heads before being 

 marketed must be 

 examined with care 

 and damaged leaves 

 removed. They also 

 should be washed 

 thoroughly. 



In cool weather the 

 caterpillars often feed freely exposed on the upper surface of the 

 leaves in the sunshine, and at such times they are easy to combat. 

 The cabbage worm does hardly less damage to cauliflower, kale, col- 

 lards, turnips, radishes, and horse-radish. The butterflies occur even 

 in the more northern States from March to October, and the worms 

 are at work in the same region from April to September and occa- 

 sionallv later durino; warm Avinters. 





Beet leaf-spot. 



I 



