272 KEPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE. 



localities or on otber plants. There are no fixed rules which can always 

 be depeiided on in the life habits of these insects, as exceptional occur- 

 rences, such as this wide-spread iajury to onions around Goshen, are very 

 probably due to exceptional conditions. Thus, while the normal habit 

 may be to hibernate in the larva state, exceptional climatic conditions 

 may bring- about an exceptional hibernation of the moths. This would 

 seem to have been the case in this instance, more especially as the land 

 in which they occurred has for the last few years been planted to onions 

 season after season. Unless the onion fields were allowed to get quite 

 weedy in the fall (which is not the case) the larva? could not well develon 

 so as to hibernate in any (luantitics in the field, and the methods of cult- 

 ure, as well as the condition of the larvai in June and their absence in 

 October, all point to spring hatching. The worms had not been seen be- 

 fore, and the moths most probably concentrated on the fields in the 

 spring-. Wo have, however, no records of captures of the moths later 

 than September 10. 



We regret not to be able to give a description of the eggs or of the 

 place of oviposition, but it is not at all improbable that they are laid 

 on many different plants or even upon shrubs which the larvae, on hatch- 

 ing, abandon. 



EElvrEDIES. 



In our last report the subject of remedies for Cu t-worms was considered 

 in a general way as applying to all of the species there treated of, and in 

 this particular case, the circumstances being more or less peculiar, our 

 general recommendations must be somewhat modified to suit. We have 

 said nothing about the peculiar conditions coiinected with this Goshen 

 outbreak, nor have we mentioned the remedies tried by the onion-grow- 

 ers, as these are described both by Mr. Smith and Mr. Bennett in their 

 rei)orts, which follow. 



We believe that the crop can be grown successfully even in a marked 

 cut-worm season by adopting the following measures : 



As a iireventive we would treat the land early in spring with a 

 mixture of lime and ashes (preferably wood ashes). This mixture should 

 be spread lightly over the laud, after plowing, and harrowed in. 



If, after the seed is sown and the plants have begun to come up, the 

 worms still appear and threaten damage, we would employ the i)oisoncd 

 ball system described on pages 299 and 300 of our last annual report. 

 This, in brief, consists in placing along the rows, at a distances of 15 or 

 20 feet apart, small bunches of fresh-cut grass or other green plant (cab- 

 bage leaves where available), which have been previously sprinkled witli 

 dilute Paris green or London purple. By this means nearly all of the 

 worms can bo destroyed with a minimum of trouble. 



If, as is very improbable, the worms should still appear in great num- 

 bers, by migration from surrounding fields, we would sprinkle the fields 

 i!t nigbt, while the worms are at work, with a dilute emulsion of kero- 

 sene. Mr. Smith shows that pure kerosene has been tried at Goshen 

 with the effect of killing the worms and simply blackening, but not 

 killing, the onion tips. We are not satisfied, however, that the free 

 use of pure kerosene would not seriously injure the plants, and we 

 recommend instead an emulsion as being safer and much cheaper, while 

 just as effective in killing the worms. The kerosene is emulsified with 

 soap or milk in order that it may be readily diluted with water. Foi 

 the iiroper i^reparation and application of the emulsion a good force- 

 pump is needed, but beyond this no aj^paratus is necessary. The best 

 formula for this preparation is that given on page 331 of our last annual 



