182 COTTON 



THE STORY OF HIS LIFE 



The female lays about 500 eggs, using one or 

 more leaves for places of deposit, and usually the 

 underside of the leaf. Since the moth is a night- 

 flyer, eggs, as a rule, are laid at night. In the 

 summer, these eggs hatch in three or four days, 

 but the time is lengthened somewhat in the earlier 

 and the later seasons of the year. The young 

 larva on hatching from the egg, begins feeding on 

 the leaf, starting with the underside, and biting 

 just a bit of the layer. A little stronger, it travels 

 about, and finally may be seen at any place on the 

 stalk. During the caterpillar's life, the skin is shed 

 five times; at the fifth shedding full growth is 

 reached. It usually takes from one to four weeks 

 to complete this part of its existence. At first 

 the larva is yellow in color, but soon a change 

 is seen and the greenish appearance deepens 

 and becomes permanent, the black along the 

 back coming out prominently, though varying 

 in intensity with different individuals. The larva 

 moves rapidly; in walking it brings its hind prop 

 legs forward to its fore legs, arching its back and be- 

 coming a loop in shape. It eats greedily now, 

 subsisting on leaves principally; but where numbers 

 are many and food consequently scarce, the cotton 

 boll is not spared but also contributes to the bill of 

 fare. And should the vegetation diet become short, 

 there is no hesitation about the stronger members 

 feeding on the feebler and smaller individuals of 

 the race. 



WHEN MATURITY COMES 



Many farmers believe that the caterpillar, when 



