214 



THE AMERICAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



ing in color from pale green to dark brown. 

 Wlien full grown there Is more uniformity in 

 lliis respect, though the diflference is often suffi- 

 ciently great to cause them to look like distinct 

 insects. Yet the same pattern is observable, no 

 matter wliat may be the general color; the body 

 being mai-kcd as in the above figures with lon- 

 gitudinal light and dark lines, and covered with 

 black spots which give rise to soft hairs. In 

 moving, the worm creeps with a steady gradual 

 motion, very unlike the looping of the Cotton- 

 worm. Our Figure 150 may be taken as a speci- 

 men of the light variety, and Figure 151 c, as illus- 

 trating the dark variety. "When full grown, the 

 worm descends into the ground, aud there forms 

 an oval cocoon of earth interwoven with silk, 

 wherein it changes to a bright chestnut brown 

 cln-ysalis (Fig. 151, d), with four Jhorns at the 

 extremity of its body, the two middle ones be- 

 ing stouter than the others. After remaining in 

 the chrysalis state from three to four weeks, the 

 moth makes its escape. In this last and pei-fect 

 stage, this insect is also quite variable in depth 

 of shading, but the more common color of the 

 fore wings is pale clay-yellow, with a faint 

 greenish tint, and they are marked and varie- 

 gated with pale olive and rufous, as in Figure 151, 

 (e showing the wings expanded, and/ represent- 

 ing them closed) , a dark spot near the middle of 

 each wing being very conspicuous. The hind 

 wings are paler tiian tlie fore wings, and iuvai-ia- 

 bly have along the outer margin a dark brown 

 band, interrupted about the middle by a large 

 pale spot. Though there are but two broods of 

 worms in the Middle States each year, there are, 

 according to Mr. Glover, at least three broods 

 in Georgia, the last brood issuing as moths as 

 late as November, though some specimens re- 

 main under ground in the chrysalis state, aud 

 do not issue till the following spring. Those 

 which we have bred have always issued as moths, 

 in the fall, and would necessarily winter over 

 in this last state. 



Remedies. 

 Not being able to speak from experience, we 

 have little to say under this head. Indeed, our 

 principal object in touching on tliese Cotton 

 insects, and in giving a clear and simple account 

 of tlieir habits and transformations, is to pre- 

 vent our Southern readers from being confound- 

 ed by tlie absurd accounts which are ever and 

 anon appearing in their different journals. It 

 is obvious from the nature of its work, that pre- 

 vention is even more imperative witli the Boll- 

 worm tlian witli tlie Cotton-worm. For this 



purpose, fires are again recommended. We give 

 the following experiment with vinegar and 

 molasses, made by B. A. Sorsby, of Columbus, 

 Ga., as quoted by Glover. 



"We procured eighteen common-sized dinner plates, 

 into each of whicli we put half a gill of vinegar and 

 molasses, previously prepared in the proportion of four 

 l)arts of the former to one of the latter. These plates 

 were set on small states or poles driven into the ground 

 in the cotton field, one to about each three acres, and 

 reaching a little above the cotton plant, with a six-inch 

 square board tacked on the top to receive the plate. 

 These arrangements were made in the evening, soon 

 after the flies had mside their appearance; the next 

 morning we found eighteen to thirty-five moths to each 

 plate. The experiment was continued for five or six 

 days , distributing the plates over the entire field ; each 

 day's success Increasing, until the numbers were re- 

 duced to two or three moths to each plate, when it was 

 abandoned as being no longer worthy of the trouble. 

 The cioji tli;it year was but very little injured by the 

 boll-w.uni. Till- Hies were caught in their ca;;i-nu"ss to 

 feed ii|Miii till- iiii.\tin-e by alighting into it and ]<r\uii 

 ?ere probably attracted by tlie 



odo 



the- 



Hie 



iiy ai 

 ling, 



nigiit, thr puiti's >ii<iuiii he- yi>it.Mi uac every evening, 

 the inscMts taki'ii ..ut, :iik1 tlir vessels replenished as cir- 

 cumstances may re(iuii-e. I have tried the experiment 

 with results equally satisfactory, and shall continue it 

 until a better one is adopted. ' ' " 



Mr. J. M. Heard, of Monroe County, Miss., 

 patented in 18C0, a device for trapping the moth, 

 which consists of a tin plate placed on an in- 

 verted cone, and connected by a tube with a bait- 

 pan made of the same material, which is to be 

 partially filled with molasses mixed with a little 

 anise, fennel or other essential oil. On account 

 of the late war, this trap has not been properly 

 tested, and is not now being manufactured. Mr. 

 Heard has sent us one, and we shall certainly 

 give it a trial ; but it seems to us, that should it 

 be even as good a trap as is claimed, it will be 

 altogether too expensive an arrangement, when 

 the great number required to properly protect 

 a large cotton field is taken into consideration. 



To destroy this insect in the corn-field or 

 tomato patch, there is certainly no more eflfectual 

 method than hand-picking. 



THE TRUE ARMY-WORM 



(Leucania unipunctata, Haworth) . 

 Editors American Entomologist: 



I inclose a match-box with grass and two worms, 

 which we think are Ai-my-worms. They are here in 

 myriads destroying the grass. Destroyed a hundred 

 acres of blue grass meadow in five days, and are now 

 advancing on me. What are they and their habits? 



Carbolic acid (one part acid 20 parts water) kills them 

 if they get a good drench with it, but is too expensive at 

 that rate. They will cross a trail of it without iiyury , 

 though they evidently dislike the smell. Have sent to 

 town for coal tar to see if they will cross it when the 

 ground is soaked with it. The advancing column is a 

 half mile wide. 



The hogs are very fond of them; will not notice corn 

 when they can get Army- worms, but we have more of 

 the latter than they can dispose of. A. E. TRABUE. 



Hannibal, Mo., June 8, 18C9. 



Since the above communication was received 

 from Mr. Trabue, we visited Hannibal and 



