COTTON 181 



mean the destruction of many. Hence it follows 

 that all rubbish, including cotton stalks, should be 

 burned as early in the fall as practicable, and the 

 land turned with the plow. 



Other effective remedies lie in trapping the beetle 

 in the late fall by means of new plants left standing; 

 by enticing with early plants those that escape and 

 live through the winter, and then destroying them; 

 by destroying all volunteer cotton plants for these 

 are natural feeding places and brooding grounds; 

 by picking summer squares so as to check the 

 summer ravages; and by using early-maturing 

 seed and planting as early as possible. 



In some of these methods you can now find help; 

 by some of these methods the final battle will be 

 waged and the victory will come to you and your 

 fellows. 



II. THE CATERPILLAR OR COTTON WORM 



This insect has a wider territory for his range, 

 and while he still causes much anxiety and dis- 

 tress, he once ruled with considerable force and 

 power. 



He looks like a caterpillar : in fact that is what he 

 is. You are thoroughly familiar with his work and 

 that of his class. Eating seems to be his principal 

 occupation. All caterpillars are voracious eaters. 

 Trees are stripped of their leaves; small fruits be- 

 come bare of every vestige of green; cabbages are 

 often entirely destroyed. You are familiar with 

 these. The cotton caterpillar is just as greedy in 

 his cotton field. In appearance you find him a 

 bluish green caterpillar, with small black spots, 

 and often with black stripes down his back. This 

 is the fellow that does the damage. 



