86 



COTTON CULTURE. 



ers the stalk from the root entirely, and is for that reason 

 very appropriately called the -Cut-worm. 



Fortunately, there is a remedy for the depredations of 

 this little reptile, which is easy of application, and in most 

 cases a specific ; though where the crop is large, there may 

 be a practical difficulty of obtaining a sufficient amount. 

 Ashes or lime, or a combination of both these fertilizers, 

 will at once hasten the growth of the plants that are un- 

 injured, and render the soil so alkaline as to be quite dis- 

 agreeable to the villain- 

 ous little creatures. If 

 they appear in all parts 

 of the field, the planter 

 should obtain enough 

 wood ashes to mix with 

 an equal quantity of 

 lime, and thus make a 



Fig. 15. CUT-WORM AND CHRYSALIS. 



dressing for the entire 

 crop. Let a hand fol- 

 low the plows, dashing the mixture near the roots. The 

 hoes should follow and blend the fertilizer with the soil in 

 such a way as to fit it for ready absorption, and at the 

 same time make the immediate vicinity of the root dis- 

 tasteful to the Cut-worm. 



THE COTTON MOTH. 



Sometime in August, when the planter, moving over his 

 crop, begins to see, now and then, an open boll, he may 

 notice here and there a gray, harmless looking moth or 

 miller, early in the morning or in the evening, flitting 

 about, in a careless way, over the plants. In a few days 

 after, some worms will make their appearance in different 

 parts of the field, but their ravages will be inconsiderable, 

 not sufficient to excite alarm except with the experienced 

 observer. 



