78 WALL'S MANUAL 



flits from flower to flower, depositing a single egg on 

 each, which hatches in three or four days, and the 

 little worm immediately eats its way into the center 

 of the enclosed bloom, or boll, and, devouring the 

 interior, escapes to a leaf, where it soon casts its skin. 

 The ruined bloom, in the meantime, " flares " open 

 and falls to the ground ; and the young worm then 

 attacks another bloom or boll, in the same manner ; 

 and at length, as it acquires size and strength, it is 

 able to bore into the nearly natural bolls, which 

 become entirely destroyed by its punctures; for, at 

 this period, if the interior is not all devoured, the 

 rain penetrates the boll, and the lint becomes rotten 

 and useless. 



The worm, after attaining full size, descends into 

 the earth, when it makes a silky cocoon, interwoven 

 with particles of gravel and earth, in which it 

 changes into 'a bright, chesnut-brown chrysalis, 

 Those which enter the ground in September and 

 October reappear as perfect moths by the end of 

 November. 



Whenever a young bloom is seen in the field with 

 the calyx "flared" open, it may safely be concluded 

 that it has been attacked by the young boll- worm? 

 and will soon perish and fall to the ground. If the 

 fallen blooms are closely examined they will mostly 

 be found to have been pierced by the worm. ' 



There is a striking similarity between this worm 

 and the corn worm, in appearance, food, and habits, 

 both in the caterpillar and perfect state. This leads 

 to the supposition that the boll- worm may be the 

 young of the corn-moth, and the eggs are deposited 

 on the young bolls, as the nearest substitute for green 



