COTTON 191 



number of them it has never been accurately 

 ascertained. 



The worms are generally of a brown, gray or 

 greenish color, often marked with longitudinal 

 stripes and dashes. They are stout, and when full 

 grown are often almost two inches in length. 

 There are three pairs of regular legs on the front 

 portion of the body besides the fleshy appendages 

 further back on the prolegs. 



Their feeding is done only at night, and for this 

 reason their presence is usually discovered only 

 after the damage has been done. During the day 

 they hide near the plants, frequently entering the 



round, and leaving a little hole where they went in. 

 ome species remain entirely under ground, often 

 pulling the plant down into the soil. 



By thorough cultivation of the land in late fall, 

 winter, and early spring, much can be done toward 

 controlling these pests. Thus exposed to adverse 

 weather conditions, many of them will die, while 

 others are eaten by birds or killed by parasitic 

 insects. Furthermore, land plowed during winter 

 has no vegetation on it in early spring, and conse- 

 quently there is no food for these worms to feed on. 

 Frequently, of course, the farmer cannot apply 

 these preventive measures, and when the pests 

 then become destructive, they may be destroyed by 

 scattering poisoned vegetation over the infested 

 portions of the field. Bunches of grass may be 

 immersed in Paris Green, one pound to a barrel* 

 of water. 



VI. THE GARDEN WEB WORM 



In early sparing we often see a great number 

 of small caterpillars feeding on the surface of cotton 



