200 



ENTOMOLOGY. 



The Corn- weevil (Sphenophorus zece Walsh).- — Puncturing 

 large holes in young corn near the base of the stalk, before 

 it has spindled, and sometimes destroying whole fields of 

 young corn, a rather large black weevil, nearly half an inch 

 long. 



The Spindle-worm (Achatodes zece Harris). — Boring in the 

 stalk before the corn spindles, causing the leaves to wither, 

 a caterpillar an inch long, smooth and naked, with the head 

 and last segment black. When the leaves begin to wither, 

 cut open the stalk and remove the worm. 



The Stalk-borer (Gortyna nitela Guenee). — Boring in 

 the stalks of corn, potato, tomato, etc., a caterpillar of a pale 

 livid hue, with light stripes along the body; also sometimes 

 boring into the cob of growing Indian corn. 



This worm also bores in dahlia and aster stalks, and may 

 be cut out with a penknife, and the split in the stalk will 

 heal by being closed with a piece of thread. 



Besides these pests, corn is often attacked by the chinch- 

 bug, and sometimes by the boll- worm, as well as the cater- 

 pillars of the Io and Arge moths. 



Injuring the Cotton-plant. 



The Cotton Army-worm (Aletia argillacea Hiibner). — 

 This caterpillar often feeds in vast numbers on the leaves of 

 the cotton-plant. It has a looping gait; is slightly hairy, 



green, dotted with black along 

 a subdorsal yellowish line, with 

 black dots beneath; and changes 

 to a pale-reddish-brown moth. 

 The insect, as shown by Riley, 

 "never hibernates in either of 

 the first three states of egg, 

 larva, or chrysalis, and it sur- 

 vives the winter in the moth or 

 imago state only in the southern 

 portion of the cotton belt." The moth, he adds, hiber- 



FlG. 



244. _ Cotton-worm 

 moth. 



egg .ami . 



