﻿— 
  I03 
  — 
  

  

  six 
  to 
  twelve 
  inches 
  deep, 
  and 
  the 
  smaller 
  ditches 
  were 
  sometimes 
  

   dammed 
  until 
  the 
  water 
  burst 
  the 
  banks, 
  carrying 
  bushels 
  of 
  the 
  still 
  

   living 
  caterpillars 
  into 
  adjoining 
  fields. 
  

  

  The 
  mature 
  larva 
  is 
  about 
  two 
  inches 
  long, 
  nearly 
  smooth, 
  light 
  

   green 
  to 
  dark 
  brown 
  with 
  alternating 
  dark 
  and 
  light 
  stripes 
  along 
  the 
  

   sides. 
  The 
  moth 
  is 
  brown 
  with 
  gray 
  markings, 
  and 
  a 
  wing 
  expanse 
  of 
  

   about 
  an 
  inch 
  and 
  a 
  quarter. 
  The 
  larvae 
  hibernate, 
  like 
  other 
  cutworms, 
  

   partly 
  grown, 
  doing 
  their 
  principal 
  damage 
  in 
  spring, 
  and 
  the 
  moths 
  

   appearing 
  late 
  in 
  summer 
  and 
  fall. 
  Ditching 
  and 
  poisoning, 
  as 
  for 
  the 
  

   common 
  army 
  worm 
  {Leucania) 
  will, 
  of 
  course, 
  be 
  effective 
  against 
  

   this 
  western 
  species. 
  A 
  barrier 
  of 
  poisoned 
  clover 
  proved 
  on 
  one 
  occa- 
  

   sion 
  to 
  be 
  an 
  efficient 
  means 
  of 
  destroying 
  it. 
  

  

  The 
  Spotted 
  Cutworm, 
  

   Noctua 
  c-nigrum 
  Linn. 
  

   This 
  insect, 
  common 
  to 
  Europe 
  and 
  America, 
  is 
  best 
  known 
  as 
  a 
  

   corn 
  cutworm, 
  but 
  destroys 
  also 
  cabbages, 
  beets, 
  and 
  other 
  garden 
  

  

  plants. 
  We 
  have 
  bred 
  the 
  moth, 
  in 
  fact, 
  

   f] 
  om 
  cutworms 
  taken 
  on 
  beets. 
  The 
  spe- 
  

   cies 
  is 
  double-brooded, 
  injuries 
  of 
  the 
  

   first 
  generation 
  being 
  practically 
  over 
  by 
  

   the 
  first 
  of 
  May, 
  and 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  second 
  

   brood 
  occurring 
  mainly 
  in 
  July 
  and 
  Au- 
  

   gust. 
  The 
  larva 
  is 
  ashy 
  gray 
  or 
  pale 
  

   brownish, 
  about 
  an 
  inch 
  and 
  a 
  half 
  long 
  

   when 
  full 
  grown, 
  and 
  marked 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  

   accompanying 
  figure 
  (Fig. 
  28). 
  It 
  pu- 
  

   pates 
  under 
  ground 
  or 
  in 
  loose 
  cocoons 
  

   at 
  the 
  surface. 
  The 
  hibernating 
  larvae 
  

   begin 
  feeding 
  in 
  April 
  and 
  May, 
  and 
  most 
  

   of 
  them 
  produce 
  adults 
  in 
  May 
  or 
  early 
  

   June. 
  A 
  few, 
  however, 
  are 
  said 
  to 
  con- 
  

   tinue 
  much 
  longer, 
  even 
  as 
  late 
  as 
  August. 
  

   Larvae 
  of 
  the 
  second 
  brood 
  begin 
  to 
  ap- 
  

   pear 
  in 
  the 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  June, 
  but 
  are 
  

   most 
  abundant 
  in 
  the 
  following 
  month. 
  

  

  '■LI 
  

  

  M 
  

  

  Fig. 
  28. 
  The 
  Spotted 
  Cutworm, 
  Noc- 
  

   tua 
  c-nigrmit, 
  larva.back 
  and 
  side 
  views. 
  

  

  This 
  second 
  brood 
  generally 
  becomes 
  

   adult 
  from 
  late 
  July 
  to 
  September. 
  

   We 
  have 
  found 
  a 
  single 
  small 
  cutworm 
  

   of 
  this 
  species 
  on 
  a 
  beet 
  plant 
  June 
  

   24th, 
  which 
  became 
  a 
  pupa 
  July 
  i8th 
  

   and 
  an 
  adult 
  August 
  8th. 
  There 
  are 
  

   occasional 
  traces 
  of 
  a 
  partial 
  third 
  

   generation 
  during. 
  the 
  autumn 
  months. 
  

  

  Fig. 
  29. 
  The 
  Spotted 
  Cutworm, 
  Noctua 
  

   c-nigrum, 
  adult. 
  

  

  