﻿PACKARD.] 
  CUT-WOEMS 
  INJURING 
  EOOTS 
  OF 
  CORN. 
  717 
  

  

  subjected 
  to 
  a 
  killing 
  beat, 
  is 
  to 
  stack 
  the 
  grain 
  a 
  year 
  or 
  two 
  until 
  the 
  

   insects 
  are 
  starved 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  barns, 
  just 
  as 
  they 
  lay 
  by 
  ships 
  in 
  the 
  

   grain-trade, 
  or 
  use 
  them 
  for 
  other 
  freight 
  when 
  they 
  once 
  become 
  infested 
  

   with 
  this 
  insect, 
  or 
  with 
  the 
  true 
  grain- 
  weevil." 
  — 
  (Riley.) 
  

  

  AFFECTING 
  INDIAN 
  CORN. 
  — 
  INJURING 
  THE 
  ROOTS. 
  

  

  CuT-wouMS, 
  Agrotis 
  siiffusa 
  (Denis 
  and 
  Scbiefermiiller) 
  and 
  other 
  species. 
  (Plate 
  

   LXV, 
  Figs. 
  2, 
  '^, 
  4, 
  5.) 
  Eating 
  the 
  roots 
  of 
  corn 
  and 
  other 
  cereals 
  ; 
  large, 
  dark, 
  obscurely- 
  

   colored, 
  smooth-bodied 
  caterpillars, 
  hiding 
  by 
  day 
  and 
  feeding 
  by 
  night. 
  • 
  

  

  Not 
  only 
  Indian 
  corn 
  but 
  other 
  cereals 
  and 
  grasses 
  are 
  indiscriminately 
  

   attacked 
  by 
  different 
  species 
  of 
  caterpillars 
  called 
  cut 
  worms 
  from 
  their 
  

   habit 
  of 
  cutting 
  off 
  young, 
  succulent 
  plants 
  as 
  they 
  are 
  coming 
  up 
  out 
  

   of 
  the 
  ground. 
  They 
  are 
  thick, 
  with 
  a 
  distinct 
  horny 
  prothoracic 
  plate, 
  

   and 
  are 
  usually 
  marked 
  with 
  shining 
  and 
  warty, 
  or 
  smooth, 
  spots 
  of 
  the 
  

   same 
  general 
  color 
  as 
  the 
  rest 
  of 
  the 
  body 
  ; 
  they 
  are 
  usually 
  striped 
  

   longitudinally. 
  They 
  are 
  seen 
  early 
  in 
  spring 
  hiding 
  under 
  sticks 
  and 
  

   stones, 
  having 
  hibernated 
  in 
  this 
  state. 
  They 
  feed 
  by 
  night, 
  hiding 
  in 
  

   the 
  day-time. 
  The 
  chrysalids 
  are 
  situated 
  under 
  ground. 
  They 
  trans- 
  

   form 
  to 
  moths, 
  sometimes 
  call 
  dart-moths, 
  which 
  might 
  be 
  known 
  by 
  

   their 
  crested 
  trunks 
  and 
  ciliated 
  or 
  pectinated 
  antennce, 
  while 
  the 
  fore 
  

   wings 
  are 
  rather 
  narrow, 
  usually 
  with 
  a 
  dark 
  dot 
  near 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  the 
  

   wing, 
  and 
  just 
  beyond 
  a 
  reniform 
  marking, 
  while 
  there 
  is 
  usually 
  a 
  basal, 
  

   median, 
  black 
  streak. 
  The 
  moths 
  appear 
  in 
  midsummer, 
  and 
  lay 
  their 
  

   eggs 
  near 
  the 
  roots 
  of 
  grasses, 
  which 
  hatch 
  in 
  the 
  autumn, 
  the 
  worms 
  

   living 
  on 
  roots 
  and 
  sprouts 
  of 
  herbaceous 
  plants. 
  "On 
  the.approach 
  of 
  

   winter 
  they 
  descend 
  deeper 
  into 
  the 
  ground, 
  and, 
  curling 
  themselves 
  up, 
  

   remain 
  in 
  a 
  torpid 
  state 
  until 
  the 
  following 
  spring, 
  when 
  they 
  ascend 
  

   toward 
  the 
  surface, 
  and 
  renew 
  their 
  devastations." 
  — 
  (Harris.) 
  

  

  Our 
  largest 
  species, 
  Agrotis 
  sujjusa 
  (Plate 
  LXV, 
  Fig. 
  2), 
  was 
  probably 
  

   imported 
  from 
  Europe. 
  The 
  caterpillar 
  is 
  described 
  as 
  follows 
  by 
  Kiley 
  : 
  

  

  Its 
  general 
  color 
  above 
  is 
  dull, 
  dark, 
  leaden-brown, 
  with 
  a 
  faint 
  trace 
  of 
  a 
  dirty 
  

   yellow-white 
  line 
  along 
  the 
  back. 
  The 
  subdorsal 
  line 
  is 
  more 
  distinct, 
  and 
  between 
  it 
  

   and- 
  the 
  stigmata 
  are 
  two 
  other 
  indistinct 
  pale 
  lines. 
  There 
  are 
  eight 
  black, 
  shiny, 
  

   piliferous 
  spots 
  on 
  each 
  segment, 
  two 
  near 
  the 
  subdorsal 
  line, 
  the 
  smaller 
  a 
  little 
  

   above 
  anteriorly 
  ; 
  the 
  larger 
  just 
  below 
  it, 
  and 
  a 
  little 
  back 
  of 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  the 
  seg- 
  

   ment, 
  with 
  the 
  line 
  appearing 
  especially 
  light 
  above 
  it. 
  The 
  other 
  two 
  are 
  placed 
  

   each 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  stigmata, 
  the 
  one 
  anteriorly 
  a 
  little 
  above, 
  the 
  other 
  just 
  behind, 
  in 
  

   the 
  same 
  line 
  with 
  them, 
  and 
  having 
  a 
  white 
  shade 
  above 
  it. 
  

  

  Another 
  cut-worm, 
  which 
  is 
  still 
  more 
  abundant 
  in 
  the 
  Middle 
  and 
  

   New 
  England 
  States, 
  is 
  the 
  young 
  of 
  the 
  Clandestine 
  moth 
  {Xoctua 
  

   clanclestina 
  of 
  Harris), 
  and 
  may 
  be 
  called 
  the 
  Corn 
  cut 
  moth. 
  While 
  

   the 
  fully-grown 
  caterpiller 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  described, 
  the 
  young 
  are 
  said 
  by 
  

   Harris 
  to 
  be 
  " 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  distinctly 
  marked 
  above 
  with 
  pale 
  and 
  dark 
  

   stripes, 
  and 
  are 
  uniformly 
  paler 
  below." 
  According 
  to 
  Melsheimer, 
  as 
  

   quoted 
  by 
  Harris, 
  when 
  first 
  hatched, 
  it 
  feeds 
  on 
  the 
  various 
  grasses, 
  

   descending, 
  when 
  half-grown, 
  in 
  the 
  ground 
  on 
  the 
  approach 
  of 
  severe 
  

   frosts, 
  and 
  re-appearing 
  in 
  the 
  spring, 
  and 
  then 
  beginning 
  to 
  grow 
  again, 
  

   attaining 
  their 
  full 
  size 
  and 
  pupating 
  before 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  July, 
  often 
  

   much 
  earlier, 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  New 
  England 
  States 
  the 
  moth 
  is 
  seen 
  from 
  the 
  

   middle 
  of 
  June 
  to 
  the 
  middle 
  or 
  end 
  of 
  August. 
  

  

  Moth.— 
  It 
  is 
  of 
  a 
  peculiar 
  dull-blackish, 
  with 
  the 
  body 
  very 
  flat 
  when 
  the 
  wings 
  are 
  

   expanded, 
  and 
  with 
  obscure 
  markings. 
  " 
  The 
  fore 
  wings 
  are 
  generally 
  of 
  a 
  dark 
  ash- 
  

   color, 
  with 
  only 
  a 
  very 
  faint 
  trace 
  of 
  the 
  double 
  transverse 
  wavy 
  bands 
  that 
  are 
  found 
  

   in 
  most 
  species 
  of 
  Agrotis 
  ; 
  the 
  two 
  ordinary 
  spots 
  are 
  small 
  and 
  narrow, 
  the 
  anterior 
  

   spot 
  being 
  oblong 
  oval, 
  and 
  connected 
  with 
  the 
  oblique 
  kidney-shaped 
  spot 
  by 
  a 
  lon- 
  

   gitudinal 
  black 
  line." 
  The 
  hind 
  wings 
  are 
  rather 
  dark, 
  and 
  the 
  head 
  and 
  legs 
  darker 
  

   than 
  usual, 
  almost 
  blackish. 
  It 
  expands 
  an 
  inch 
  and 
  three-quarters. 
  

  

  