238 REPORT UPON COTTON INSECTS. 



A very great saving of time may be accomplished by those who apply 

 poisons with water by improving the facilities for getting it. The de- 

 tails of this will vary with local conditions. We are led to speak of it 

 from our observation in the canebrake region of Alabama. Although 

 this section is one of those which has suffered most from the cotton- 

 worm, and at the same time one which is admirably adapted for provid- 

 ing supplies of water, little has been done in this direction. A large 

 part of this region is supplied with artesian wells which bring the water 

 several feet above the surface. Doubtless it would pay, in many cases, 

 to sink wells in those parts of the plantation where water is most likely 

 to be needed for poisoning; at least tanks should be arranged at the 

 existing wells so that barrels could be rapidly filled in time of need. 

 This, however, is seldom done. In those sections in which cisterns are 

 used instead of wells, it would pay to make one or more cisterns in each 

 of the larger cotton-fields, and to see that they were properly filled dur- 

 ing the rainy season. 



We wish also to urge prompt action in the use of poisons. We are 

 convinced that it does not pay to wait for the third crop of worms before 

 poisoning the cotton. The earliest 'brood in the spring should be de- 

 stroyed. At this season it probably would be necessary to poison only 

 the cotton growing on low land. Let those places in which the worms 

 are known by tradition to appear first each season be early and thor- 

 oughly poisoned. The expense of this poisoning need not be great, for 

 not only are such areas- of limited extent, but, as the plants are small, 

 little poison will be required. It will probably pay best to use dry 

 poisons early in the season, as but little flour will be needed on each 

 plantation, thus doing away with one of the greatest objections to dry 

 poisons. 



The poison should be first applied at a date not later than twenty 

 days subsequent to that when the cotton first appears above ground. 

 It will probably be found necessary, as the successive broods of worms 

 appear, to poison larger and larger areas, until, with the third crop, all 

 the cotton growing should be poisoned ; doubtless, however, it would 

 frequently occur that only the rank-growing cotton would need to be 

 poisoned even then. If concerted action were taken throughout any 

 extended region in poisoning early in the season, we do not believe that 

 the worms would be able to develop in sufficient numbers to do any 

 serious injury; at least, their progress might thus be retarded, so that 

 the cotton would not be stripped until too late in the fall to do damage. 



Wet poisons. The least expensive mode of applying poisons, and the 

 one most generally adopted, is with water. When Paris green, arsenic, 

 or London purple is used, it is necessary to stir frequently the water into 

 which the poison is put, as none of these substances are soluble in water. 

 In applying the mixture every leaf should be thoroughly wet, and the 

 proportions used should be such as to distribute from twelve ounces to 



