284 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE. 



broods are small, and more appreciable work can then be done. Later 

 in the season the abundance of the worms, if they have been protected 

 by wet weather earlier, is so marlced that an ordinary change of the 

 weather has small influence over them. 



The law, then, which we should lay down for the influence of weather 

 upon the cottoo-worm, taking all evidence into consideration, would be, 

 A mild winter, followed by a rainy May and June, will usually bring a 

 destructive " third crop" of the worms, while an opposite state of the 

 weather will be more likely to bring about comi^arative exemption. 



NATURAL ENEMIES OF THE C O T T ON-TTO BM. 



Prior to any remarks upon remedies comes naturally a discussion of 

 this subject, for the encouragement of the natural enemies of any inju- 

 rious insect is the first remedy that suggests itself. In order to pursue 

 this subject to the best advantage, it will be necessary to divide it into two 

 heads — vertebrate and invertebrate enemies. 



VERTEBRATE ENEMIES. 



Of mammals but five have been observed to devour the cotton- worm 

 in any of its stages, although, without doubt, several others have the 

 habit. These are three domestic and two wild — hogs, dogs, and cats, and 

 coons and bats. 



The destruction of cotton-worms by the domestic mammals being only 

 an exceptional occurrence, and then very limited in. extent, we will not 

 dwell upon it. 



One of the most effective mammalian enemies of the cotton-worm is 

 the common " leather- winged bat" {Vespertilio Sp.). This animal has 

 often been observed to catch the moths on the wing at night, and Mr. 

 Trelease observed many bats around the jujube trees on which the moths 

 were collected at night, repeatedly darting under and each time catch- 

 ing a moth. It is hard to estimate the amount of good which is accom- 

 plished in this way, as with each female moth is usually destroyed some 

 hundreds of embryo worms. 



We have the testimony of Mr. E. B. Dunlap, of Boligee, Ala., as to 

 coons eating the worms. It is probable also that both skunks and opos- 

 sums do some good in the same way. 



Our list of birds is a longer one. It is probable that the planters in 

 general do not sufiiciently appreciate the amount of good which birds 

 as a class do for them ; and there are many who at this late date insist that 

 no bird will touch the cotton- worm. 



From multiplied evidences it seems clear, notwithstanding contrary 

 reports, that much can be done toward the extermination of this pest 

 with the aid of domestic fowls where poisons are not used ; the latter 

 contingency, of course, renderiug it necessary to carefully isolate the 

 fields from poultry. 



And now let us turn from the consideration of domestic birds to that 

 of wild birds. It has long been noticed that the cotton near the edge 

 of the field where there were trees and bushes was not eaten by the 

 worms, and this wc can safely ascribe to the good offices of birds. In 

 many parts of the South the amount of good performed by these little 

 friends of the planters is not appreciated, and they are shot indiscrimi- 

 nately by the ignorant freedmen and others. The subject as to what 

 particular species destroy the worms has been studied but little in this 

 investigation, and we are obliged to rely upon the reports of corre- 

 spondents. From these we have gathered the following partial list: 



