250 
_Many years ago I investigated this subject closely, surrounding a stock of 
eotton by mosquito netting, and raising the worm in that way. I ascertained 
the following facts: 
1. The moth, or cotton fly, will deposit from three to five hundred eggs. 
These eggs are of a bluish green color, and seem to be glued to the under side 
of the leaf. 
2. These eggs will hatch into werms in four days’ time. 
3. The worm will generally attain its full size in about eight days, and roll 
itself up in the leaf. 
4, In eight days afterwards it will come out in the form of a moth, too well 
known to require description here. 
5. The whole time required for one generation is from 26 to 28 days. 
It follows, then, that a single worm on the first of July is capable of pro- 
ducing five hundred worms by the 28th of the same month. On the Sth of 
August these worms give us five hundred moths, part males and part females. 
We will suppose there are three hundred of the latter. This would give us 
150,000 worms about the 24th of August, and these multiplied again by 300 
would give 45,000,000 as the number produced by this one worm about the 
20th of September. One hundred worms, then, on the first of July are capable 
of producing 4,500,000,000 on the 20th of September. Now, if these one 
hundred worms could be destroyed during the first few days of July, or even 
most of them, one month’s time would be gained, and that month the one most 
essential to the maturity of the crop. 
All plans of destroying the moths by fires in the fields, or by any other pro- 
cess of which I have yet heard, are entirely fallacious, and only do harm by leading 
planters to misapply their energies. The worms generally begin in some low 
place in the field, and at first eat round in a small circle, being few in number. 
The only means by which the crop can be saved is to kill this first lot, or at 
least all that can be found of them, remembering always that every worm de- 
stroyed now is equal to many millions in less than three months’ time. If this 
can be accomplished I am confident that one or two months’ more time will be 
gained for the maturity of the crop. 
Since we now have military governments in the south, I have thought that 
your official sanction to this plan would give it such weight that the commanding 
generals of Louisiana and 'T'’exas might endeavor to have it carried into execu- 
tion by giving notice of the time when all should commence, or by other means 
which to him might appear, and his orders, I am confident, would be obeyed by 
the people with alacrity. 'T'o be successful the operation must be general, for it 
would be futile for one or two planters to attempt it while the rest remained idle. 
If I am correct in my views, and success should not reward our efforts this year, 
owing either to the want of concert of action or the lateness of the season, pub- 
lie attention would be directed to the proper course of proceeding, and another 
year better results might be obtained. 
If the postmasters throughout the lower cotton region were properly instructed 
from your office, and authorized to offer a reward for the first cotton worm, moth, 
or egg which should make its appearance in their vicinity, and then authorized 
to employ laborers to destroy them, or have power to call out everybody for that 
purpose, no more crops would be lost by the cotton worm. The great difficulty 
is to obtain general action in time to produce the required results. 
I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 
GEO. W. MORSE. 
Hon. J. W. STOKEs, 
Acting Commissioner of Agriculture. 
