COTTON INSECTS 



389 



known as the ear-worm. Eggs are laid on all parts of the 

 cotton plant, but especially on the leaves. On hatching, 

 the young worms, which are too small to be easily seen, 

 wander about for a 

 few hours or days, eat- 

 ing small amounts of 

 the surface tissue of 

 the cotton leaves and 

 of the tender growing 

 buds. This is the 

 period in the life of 

 the insect on cotton 

 when it can be most 

 easily poisoned and 

 controlled. 



On becoming strong 

 enough to cut into a 

 boll, the worm destroys 

 the contents of one or 

 more bolls (Fig. 168). 

 On reaching full size, 

 it drops to the ground, 

 burrowing usually to a 

 depth of two or three 

 inches below the sur- 

 face. Here it remains FIG. 167. MOTHS OF COTTON BOLL-WORM 

 during the pupal stage AND CORN EAR - WORM - 



/rp- i nr\\ u*i u Showing the variations in color between 



(Fig. 169), while chang- different individuals . 

 ing to a moth. 



In most parts of the cotton region there are five genera- 

 tions annually produced by the boll-worm, the first three 



