3 



during the winter, and apparently do not wander away from the 

 ,sacks to any great extent. During December, January, and February, 

 it is always possible to find immense quantities of dead moths in the 

 accumulation of dust and dirt that collect on and between the sacks 

 in a seed store. For example, scrapings off sacks containing first 

 picking seed taken in February at Kafr el Zayat were found to contain 

 large quantities of dead moths. Ten grammes were examined and 

 found to include 248 dead moths, forty-four empty pupa cases, and 

 two dead larvae. 



In second picking seed at the same time of the year, the worms 

 are mostly still in the seeds, and have not emigrated to pupate. 



This leads one inevitably to the conclusion that the worms in 

 the seed at the time of the first picking do not to any great extent 

 hibernate, but that they pupate and emerge during the course of the 

 next few months. A further conclusion is that for want of suitable 

 food plants, or on account of the cold weather, the majority of these 

 moths do not propagate their species. 



The main danger consequently lies in the worms which were 

 not full fed at the time of the first picking. If it were possible at the 

 time of the first picking to destroy all the cottoa plants and immature 

 bolls, the damage to be anticipated from GeLechia in the next season 

 would be very slight. Such a procedure is, however, impossible on 

 account of the great financial loss involved by rejecting the second 

 picking. 



A recommendation can, however, be made to reserve first picking 

 for sowing, and either to crush or export all second picking seed as 

 soon as possible. Alternatively the second picking seed could be 

 treated by heat or poisonous gas to kill all the worms contained, 

 should it for any reason be desired to keep it in Egypt. Similar 

 treatment of first picking seed is not so necessary but would be 

 useful. 



Not all the worms that having left the seed wander about in a 

 seed store, pupate on the sacks. A small minority is to be found in 

 other places. Sweepings were taken in February in a seed store at 

 Kafr el Zayat. 639 grammes were examined, which consisted of 

 113 grammes of cotton seed, 95 grammes of stones or straw, and 

 431 grammes of dust. In this material three larvsS were found, of 

 which two dead. The living larva was discovered in the dust, the 



