﻿Tobacco 
  Interests 
  of 
  North 
  Carolina. 
  199 
  

  

  like 
  the 
  sunlight, 
  and 
  during 
  the 
  day 
  bury 
  themselves 
  in 
  

   the 
  lower 
  soil 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  the 
  plant. 
  When 
  grown, 
  

   they 
  are 
  from 
  1^ 
  to 
  H 
  inches 
  long. 
  They 
  bur}' 
  themselves 
  

   beneath 
  the 
  soil 
  to 
  pupate. 
  The 
  pupa 
  is 
  three-fourths 
  of 
  an 
  

   inch 
  in 
  length, 
  of 
  a 
  shining 
  or 
  glossy 
  light-brown 
  color, 
  and 
  

   the 
  anterior 
  margin 
  of 
  the 
  segments 
  is 
  dark 
  brown. 
  The 
  

   anal 
  segment 
  is 
  armed 
  with 
  two 
  very 
  small 
  spines 
  or 
  points, 
  

   by 
  the 
  assistance 
  of 
  which 
  it 
  pushes 
  itself 
  toward 
  the 
  sur- 
  

   face 
  about 
  the 
  time 
  the 
  moth 
  is 
  evolved. 
  This 
  moth 
  is 
  com- 
  

   monly 
  called 
  the 
  Lance 
  Rustic, 
  from 
  the 
  dark-brown, 
  lance- 
  

   shaped 
  spots 
  on 
  the 
  anterior 
  wings, 
  which 
  are 
  a 
  light 
  brown 
  

   in 
  color. 
  The 
  hind 
  wings 
  are 
  lustrous 
  and 
  whitish 
  in 
  color, 
  

   with 
  a 
  grayish 
  margin. 
  The 
  antennae 
  of 
  the 
  females 
  are 
  

   filamental 
  or 
  threadlike; 
  but 
  in 
  the 
  male, 
  along 
  the 
  inner 
  

   margin 
  near 
  the 
  base, 
  they 
  are 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  pectinated. 
  The 
  

   body 
  of 
  the 
  largest 
  specimens 
  is 
  three-fourths 
  of 
  an 
  inch 
  in 
  

   length, 
  and 
  the 
  wings 
  expand 
  If 
  inches 
  from 
  tip 
  to 
  tip. 
  

   Cut-worms 
  are 
  largely 
  preyed 
  upon 
  by 
  hyraenopterous 
  and 
  

   other 
  parasites, 
  and 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  better 
  or 
  safer 
  remedy 
  than 
  

   hand-picking 
  while 
  they 
  are 
  yet 
  in 
  the 
  larval 
  state, 
  dis- 
  

   criminating 
  in 
  favor 
  of 
  the 
  parasites 
  when 
  seen 
  and 
  known. 
  

   Toads, 
  lizards, 
  snakes, 
  and 
  moles 
  are 
  all 
  very 
  useful 
  in 
  keep- 
  

   ing 
  these 
  worms 
  in 
  check, 
  and 
  should 
  be 
  protected, 
  except- 
  

   ing, 
  of 
  course, 
  poisonous 
  snakes. 
  The 
  cut-worms, 
  in 
  vari- 
  

   ous 
  stages 
  of 
  development, 
  may 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  earth 
  dur- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  entire 
  w^inter, 
  too 
  torpid 
  to 
  feed 
  until 
  the 
  return 
  of 
  

   warm 
  weather. 
  This 
  accounts 
  for 
  their 
  appearance 
  and 
  

   their 
  advanced 
  physical 
  condition 
  so 
  early 
  in 
  the 
  season. 
  

   When 
  cut-worms 
  exist 
  in 
  large 
  numbers, 
  as 
  in 
  grass 
  or 
  

   clover 
  sod 
  or 
  in 
  fields 
  not 
  cleanly 
  cultivated, 
  fall 
  or 
  winter 
  

   plowings, 
  to 
  expose 
  as 
  much 
  as 
  possible 
  the 
  upper 
  soil 
  to 
  

   the 
  severe 
  freezings 
  of 
  midwinter, 
  are 
  absolutely 
  necessary 
  

   to 
  secure 
  a 
  good 
  stand 
  of 
  tobacco; 
  but 
  no 
  matter 
  how 
  hard 
  

   the 
  frosts, 
  nor 
  how 
  often 
  the 
  ground 
  is 
  plowed, 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  

   worms 
  will 
  survive, 
  making 
  daily 
  inspection 
  of 
  the 
  newly- 
  

   planted 
  iield 
  indispensable 
  for 
  an 
  even 
  stand 
  of 
  plants. 
  

  

  Wire-worms 
  do 
  not 
  attack 
  the 
  leaf, 
  but 
  bore 
  into 
  the 
  

   stems 
  of 
  the 
  plants 
  at 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  ground 
  and 
  work 
  

   their 
  way 
  upward. 
  After 
  the 
  tobacco 
  gets 
  a 
  fair 
  start 
  in 
  

   growth, 
  nothing 
  is 
  seen 
  of 
  these 
  worms 
  for 
  the 
  remainder 
  of 
  

   the 
  season. 
  They 
  are 
  the 
  larvte 
  of 
  " 
  click-beetles," 
  or 
  " 
  ham- 
  

   mer-bugs" 
  {Elateridce). 
  These 
  worms 
  are 
  sometimes 
  very 
  

   numerous. 
  In 
  April 
  and 
  early 
  in 
  May, 
  sometimes 
  as 
  late 
  

  

  