COTTON. 409 



wings. &quot;When at rest this moth does not fold its wings like the Aletia or cotton-worm moth, 

 but keeps them partly open and slightly raised. It is difficult to determine the number of 

 broods of this worm, in a single season; but, from careful observations recently made, there 

 are supposed to be at least five. They, however, retire from the field sooner than the cotton- 

 worm, that usually sends out another brood after the boll worm progenitors have left for 

 winter quarters. The same remedies with respect to the destruction of the cotton-worm are 

 applicable to the boll- worm, their natural enemies of birds and insects being the same, while 

 the use of Paris green is also available to a certain extent. As the worms enter the bolls, 

 however, they are more difficult to reach by applications of this kind; yet those hatched upon 

 the stalks and leaves that have not migrated to that portion of the plant may be destroyed 

 by this means. Planting rows of corn occasionally through the field, late in the season, is 

 highly recommended by some, as the moth that lays the eggs prefers corn, and will be liable 

 to choose it instead of cotton. 



Fires built in the early evening at the edge of the cotton-field will attract many of the 

 moths, and large numbers are frequently destroyed in this way. Too much cannot be said, 

 however, in favor of the protection of birds of all kinds that feed upon insects, for they are 

 the best friends and aids of the farmer in destroying injurious insects of all kinds. 



There are other insects, besides those already mentioned, that attack the cotton-plant, but 

 their injuries are slight in comparison with the former, and the same remedies for their 

 extermination are eqxially applicable. 



Diseases of the Cotton-Plant. These are not numerous, though often resulting 

 in considerable injury to the crop. There is a species of rust that sometimes proves very 

 disastrous in certain .seasons, which is quite similar in its cause and effects to that which 

 proves so destructive to the wheat crop at the North. This disease is occasioned by para 

 sitical plants which attach themselves to the stalk, from which they absorb the sap and thus 

 weaken its vitality and productive power. 



Weak plants are more liable to be attacked by this disease than those that are strong 

 and thrifty, and it is also more liable to occur on coarse, sandy, or ill-drained soils than 

 others. Potash is considered a good remedy; consequently the use of those fertilizers that 

 contain the element of potash is highly beneficial. A proper system of drainage is also 

 highly essential on wet lands. Liberal manuring, careful and frequent culture, together with 

 the planting of the most vigorous and hardy varieties, combined with what has been pre 

 viously suggested, will prove an efficient remedy in most cases. 



Blight and other kindred diseases are supposed to be traced to the same general cause, 

 which is a lack of some essential element of plant-food in the soil. By supplying a liberal 

 amount of plant-food through fertilizers of some kind, removing the surplus water by 

 a proper system of drainage, and giving the growing plants frequent cultivation, these evils 

 may be largely, if not wholly, avoided. 



Rotting of the bolls is generally attributed to long-continued wet weather. When the 

 plants are crowded so as to form a very dense foliage, excluding the air and sunlight, the 

 bolls will also rot and much of the crop will be lost by this means. Planting farther apart 

 would remedy the evil when the latter is the cause. Breaking off some of the limbs, causing 

 a better circulation of air and admitting the sunlight, will generally also prove effectual. 

 Sometimes a mule is driven between the rows for this purpose. Shedding is attributed to 

 very dry weather being followed by wet; hence, in seasons rather wet, this evil does not 

 appear, but they are the periods when the aphides, boll, and cotton-worm are the most 

 destructive. 



