241 



bear in mind that my observations were made from a practical and not 

 from a scientific standpoint. Tlierefore, when I saw that no good prac- 

 tical resnlts conld be obtained fi^om a certain line of work it was imme- 

 diately abandoned. 



Habits of Moth and Larva. — I believe that a few years ago these 

 moths were regarded as almost strictly noctnrnal in their habits. This 

 is certainly not the case, eitlier in feeding or oviposition, for on varions 

 occasions have I noticed them feeding freely during all hours except 

 the early morning hours, and during the present season, especially, 

 have noted them depositing their eggs in broad daylight, even on the 

 dead blades of corn, but upon this point I will have more to say 

 further on. 



Host Plants. — Corn is unquestionably the most preferred in a gen- 

 eral way to all others as plants for depositing their eggs on, but they 

 prefer plants blooming and fruiting to corn not yet tasseling and silk- 

 ing — a fact worthy of note. To illustrate : Should tomatoes be blooming 

 and fruiting with corn growing by it not yet tasseling and silking, the 

 eggs will be placed on tomatoes, but should the corn be in silk and 

 tassel the eggs will be placed on the corn. Therefore, to protect a 

 tomato crop the corn must be planted early and the first brood of worms 

 crushed in the buds of the corn (not destroy the corn to get rid of the 

 worms, as has been suggested). Let this corn be an extra early variety, 

 and even then the tomatoes should be early also; the silk and tassels 

 will attract the moths. But in case growers do not wish corn to remain 

 throughout the season, if this corn be carefully watched up to the 

 last of May but few moths will be on hand to infest the tomatoes with 

 the second brood, and this is the brood dreaded by tomato- growers 

 south of Kentucky or Missouri. 



With cotton growers the idea is to destroy every insect, at all times, 

 and under all circumstances. Should every southern farmer turn 

 wrong-side outward every corn or cotton bed during early winter, but 

 a few seasons would elapse before the Boll Worm would become a thing 

 of the past. Two furrows with a 12-inch steel plow would accomplish 

 this, two furrows to the row, with double team. Again, should plant- 

 ers and farmers determine to feed them out of cotton, corn is the cheap- 

 est and best way to do it. We know that the fourth brood is the one 

 that plays havoc with our cotton crops unless it is late cotton ; then it 

 is the fifth brood. Adopt different ages of corn with peas planted and 

 that will be blooming from the 1st of August on, and all will be well. 

 Whenever these moths have filled themselves on the nectar of peas 

 they become sluggish in their habits, and if corn is near by they will 

 invariably lay their eggs on it. Either the surface or position of the 

 blades seem to suit them, though dead, better than anything else to 

 place their eggs upon. They are very fond of hiding during the day 

 in rank peavines, grasses, and weeds around ditches and at the ends 

 of cotton or corn rows, and I have noticed that badly cultivated grass 

 18-t30— No. 4 3 



