40 



Fig. 36. Cotton Worm. 



(a) Moth with wings spread ; (b) with wings closed. Natural size. 

 (Redrawn. After U.S Dept. Agric-) 



in length, nearly cylindrical, and broadly rounded at the 

 anterior and pointed at the posterior end. 



The Moth. The adult insect (Fig. 36) is a small, olive- 

 grey moth with a^spread of wings of about 1 inches. The 

 forewings are marked with several wavy dark lines, and 

 with one or two small bluish-white spots. The moth flies 

 at dusk, hiding by day and coming out to feed and deposit 

 eggs in the late afternoon and early evening. Egg-laying 

 begins a few days after the moths emerge, each female 

 laying a large number, with an average of 300. 



Remedies. The cotton worm is controlled by the use of 

 arsenical poisons, of which Paris green and London purple 

 have given the best results in the West Indies. These poisons 

 are applied dry, mixed with lime in the proportion of 1 K>. of 

 the poison to 5 or 6 fix of dry air-slaked lime. This mixture 

 is dusted on to the plants from bags of strong cloth, such as 

 ticklingburg, which has a fairly close mesh, but one that 

 allows the poison to pass through with a little shaking. 



Fi gf- 37 Fiery Ground beetle, 

 (a) larva ; (b) adult. Natural size. (From U.S. J)ept Agric,} 



