COTTON CULTURE. 89 



when compared with the front ones, which are short and 

 slender; the tail is simple, that is, undivided. The 

 length of this insect is about an inch from head to tail, and 

 the wings, when expanded, are of about the same width. 

 To conclude, I will add, that the shape of this moth is 

 very much that of an isosceles triangle, with the line 

 forming the base bent in about a quarter of an inch. 

 This peculiar figure is produced by the outer angle of the 

 upper wings projecting beyond the inner angle." 



There are two general modes of attack ; one is to make 

 war upon the moth itself and destroy as many as possible 

 before they lay their eggs, about the last act of their lives, 

 which extend through ten days. The other is to hunt out 

 their little nests on the cotton leaves and destroy then!. 

 Though depending for its existence entirely upon cotton, 

 which is a tropical plant, this fly and the worm which is 

 produced from it, does not seem to enjoy the hot sun. The 

 worms sometimes perish in passing from one plant to an- 

 other if the sun falls full upon them, and the moth is most 

 likely to be found in the morning and the evening. 



Let the laborers go out very early, and start into the 

 field in a line between the rows, each armed with a wide 

 shingle cut away into a handle at one end. As they move 

 forward, the moth rises from the leaves, and can be struck 

 down and killed with the paddle. 



Another method is to mix molasses, vinegar and cobalt 

 in such proportions as to make a sticky mass. Expose it 

 in plates, each set on a board, which is nailed to the top 

 of a stake. Some planters recommend that they be used 

 as thickly as a plate to an acre. The moths are attracted 

 to these plates, and falling in, become fastened and perish. 

 Fires in the fields have been recommended as attracting 

 and destroying this moth; white cotton flags, about a 

 yard square, are also said to allure the insect, and serve as 

 deposits for their eggs. 



It will not do to rely upon either of these modes, as 



