4 



two dead ones in the seed. Of one thousand of the seeds 154 had 

 been damaged by seed worm. 



A further recommendation is that, if possible, all seed cotton 

 stored in Egypt after January 22 of each year should be kept in 

 moth-proofed stores, and that cotton seed be permitted to remain 

 unprotected until after planting is finished. Before this date it 

 might be kept in open stores without much harm, provided they are 

 sprayed and swept periodically, as the majority of larvae emigrating 

 from seed and seed cotton before then will belong to generations 

 bred in the first picking cotton; these larvae can be expected to 

 pupate and the moths to emerge during winter and early spring ; 

 such moths not finding foodplants to oviposit on are lost for the 

 propagation of the species, whilst the hibernating larvae from the 

 later seed are not yet leaving the seed. Of course it would be better 

 if all cotton seed and seed cotton could be stored in moth-proofed 

 stores, from the time of picking until ultimately disposed of, but 

 it is not possible to interfere to so great an extent with ordinary 

 practice. 



Leaving the question of cotton seed and seed cotton in stores on 

 one side, the much more important question arises as to the fate of the 

 larvae left in the fields after the last picking. 



Under the old boll worm law, which was intended to restrict 

 Earias insulana Boisd., all cotton sticks have to be pulled up by 

 December 31 of each year. This is in order to reduce the quantity 

 of oqr or ratoon cotton which in the spring could offer breeding 

 grounds for Earias larvae. The law further ordered all bolls to be 

 removed from the sticks before December 15 in order to destroy the 

 last generation of Earias. 



At first it was hoped that vigorous enforcement of this law would 

 also help to check Gdechia gossypiella. It has without doubt made 

 Earias insulana much rarer this winter (1915-1916) than it used 

 to be only four years ago, but in the case of Gdechia the result has 

 not been appreciable. 



At the time of pulling the sticks great attention has been given 

 to the removal and burning of the bolls, and the Ministry of Agriculture 

 has caused large quantities of badly cleaned sticks to be burnt. To 

 affect Gdechia gossypiella this work ought to be carried out at a much 

 earlier date than prescribed by the Boll Worm Law (Earias Law), 



