76 AGRICULTURE. 



animal at work. If, however, we turn up the soil we find some 

 dull-colored, greasy-looking caterpillars of almost the same 

 color as the soil. On the top of the ring or section next 

 to the head is a smooth shield; the head is smooth and shiny; 

 there are some bristles along the side ; and, when disturbed, 

 the worm curls up. This is a cutworm ; rather, this is one 

 of the cutworms, for there are very many different kinds. 

 They stay in the ground during the day and come out at night to 

 eat off the leaves and stalks. These cutworms have been hatched 

 from little eggs in the spring, summer, or fall. The cutworms, 

 or caterpillars as they may be called, are quite small when first 

 hatched, but they are heavy feeders and grow gradually to the 

 size shown in figure 29, and by their feeding they do 

 great damage in garden and field. When they have become 

 full grown they burrow into the soil several inches and 

 become a hard, deadlike mass similar to that shown 

 in figure 29. This is what is known as the pupa of the 

 insect. For several weeks, perhaps all through the winter, they 

 remain asleep in this condition. Then another change takes 

 place, the hard shell of the pupa cracks and there comes forth 

 a moth with wings and legs and feelers, looking entirely 

 different from the caterpillar or the pupa. These moths 

 are the perfect insects ; they are dull in color and are 

 very active at night. They lay eggs which hatch into cater- 

 pillars, and the caterpillars go to sleep in the pupa form 

 to again come forth as perfect moths. In most cases the eggs 

 are laid in the fall, and the young caterpillars, less than half an 

 inch long, lie in the ground quiet all winter. In the spring 

 they attack the young crops and do most damage. About July 

 they are full grown ; then they go into the pupa state and 

 come out moths in August. If the fields become weedy and 

 there is much vegetation on the land in the fall the moths have 

 a fine place for laying their eggs, and there is plenty of food for 



