^48 EXPERIMENTAL FARMS. 



do a great deal bo prevent serious loss. Cut-worms are the caterpillars of dull-coloured 



active moths belonging to the Noctuidce or Owlet Moths 

 (Fiif. 12), of which there are upwards of 400 different kinds 

 I in North America. The caterpillars of these different kinds 

 vary somewhat in their habits, but, on the whole, they are 

 very similar, being smooth, almost naked, gray-looking 

 caterpillars (Fig. 13) of some dull shade 

 of colour similar to the ground in which 

 they hide during the day. The head is 

 smooth and shining as well as a small 

 Fig. 12.— A Cut-worm Moth horny plate on the segment next to the pi^ 13. -^A Cut- worm 

 (Jgrotis clandcstina). head. Their habits are almost always (.4. clandestuiaX. 



nocturnal ; lying hid by day just beneath the surface of the soil, they come out at night 

 to feed. When they occur in large numbers, they change their habits somewhat and 

 feed by day as well, owing to the reduced food supply consequent upon their ravages. 

 The eggs fi"om which cut-worms hatch are laid by some species in the autumn and by 

 others in the spring or summer and, as a consequence, cut-worms of all sizes can be 

 found in the spring ; for these insects, according to the species, may pass the winter in the 

 state of eitiier a perfect moth, a chrysalis, a partially grown caterpillar, or an egg. 

 This last habit is that usually, if not always, followed by the Red-backed Cut-worm. 

 Eggs laid in Ottawa in October did not hatch until the end of the following April, and 

 the caterpillar took 6 weeks to reach full growth ; they were then large cut-worms 

 over 1^ inches in length, gray, with a broad sienna-red stripe down the middle of the 

 back. The moths did not emerge until 5 weeks after the caterpillars buried themselves 

 to turn to chrysalids. This cut-worm is particularly injurious. It is a large voracious 

 species with an exceptionally wide territorial distribution and feeds upon almost all 

 kinds of succulent vegetation. Nearly all the references in the following extracts were 

 to the Red-backed Cut-worm. 



*' Edmonton, Alta. — Cut-worms as busy as ever in the Peace River District." — 



C. BUKTON. 



" Edmonton, Alta., June 16. — Everbody about here is troubled with cut- worms, 

 whicii havo done great damage, necessitating the sowing of gardens over again." — 

 Francis C. Clare. 



"South Edmonton, Alta., July 13. — I send you a box containing cut-worms. They 

 are most destructive, cutting off cabbage and all root crops just under the ground. If 

 you remove the earth from a bitten otl' plant, you find the grub buried just beneath. 

 They are general throughout this district." — I. L. Andrews. 



" Lacombe, Alta. — I tried alsike clover here ; it came up splendidly ; but the 

 ground was so full of cut-worms that they took almost the whole of it, although I 

 sowed about six acres." — Harry Sargent. 



" Cochrane, Alta. — This summer for the first time cut-worms were very bad on my 

 cabbage crop ; they cut the plants off close to the ground." — John Dartigue. 



" Calgary, Alta. — I have a fair-sized vegetable and tlower garden here. This spring 

 my garden swarmed with cut-worms, as did gardens of others in the neighbourhood. 

 The worm is just the colour of the soil ; it burrows into the ground by day and comes 

 up at night to feed. These insects gave no trouble after the first or second week of 

 June. I had to plant three crops of every thing before I could get the start of them. 

 The vegetables the worms went for were onions, beets, parsnip^;, carrots, peas, beans, 

 turnips, radishes, lettuce. Can you advise me what to do to rid my garden of this 

 pest ?■'— E. D. H. WiLKiNs. 



" Victoria, B.C., June 12. — Cut- worms have been hard at work about Victoria. One 

 grower lost all his onions, and I have heard complaints from many others." — J. "W. 



TOLMIE. 



At the same time specimens were also received from Mr. Mont. McDonald, of the 

 same place. 



"Sr. John, N.B., May 27. — Please send me some information about cut-worms. 

 Last year in the garden at my summer house out of town we were very much troubled 



