INSECTS ON THE CABBAGE. 



869 



Fig. lO. 



pands about two inches. The female lays her eggs singly on 

 the under side of the leaves. The 

 caterpillar (Fig. 11, a) is green, 

 and so densely clothed with min- 

 ute hairs as to be velvety ; it has 

 a yellowish stripe down the back, 

 and another along each side, the 

 belly being of a paler, brighter 

 gi'een ; it is often more than an inch long, and about as thick as 

 a large crow-quill. It changes in September under some board 

 or stone, to a chrysalis, suspended by a thread spun over the back, 

 as shown at fig. 11, b. It is of a pale flesh-brown color, freckled 

 with black. It does not appear to have been 

 very destructive in Europe, but, like other intro- 

 duced species, it suddenly becomes a fearful 

 scourge. The best remedies are evidently hand- 

 picking when the caterpillars can be seen, and 

 the capture of the butterflies by means of a light 

 gauze net mounted on a wire ring a foot in 

 diameter, and attached to a short pole. Affected 

 cabbage heads should be carefully examined, and 

 if much infested by worms, be burnt, for if they 

 are suffered to lie about the garden after being 

 pulled up, the caterpillars will attack the other plants. 



A correspondent of the " American Agriculturist " for Nov- 

 ember, 1870, states that " it is estimated that the loss from this 

 insect will, in the vicinity of New York [city] alone, exceed half 

 a million of dollars ; and already the price of cabbages has 

 advanced." He says that Mr. Quinn, the owner of a large 

 plantation, " has found carbolic powder, superphosphate, and 

 lime together, to destroy them. The carbolic powder appears 

 to be sawdust impregnated with carbolic acid. Salt has been 

 recommended, but Mr. Quinn did not find dry salt efficacious, 

 tlipugh lime has been reported by others as useful." 



Mr. C. S. Minot, in an interesting article entitled " Cabbage 

 Butterflies," in the " American Entomologist," vol. 2 (from 

 which Figs. 9, 10 and 11 are taken), strongly recommends de- 

 stroying the chrysalis, which may be found under chips, boards, 

 stones, (fcc, and advises that boards, raised two inches above 

 47 



