﻿PACKARD.] 
  THE 
  COTTON 
  AEMY-WOEM. 
  777 
  

  

  scientific 
  standpoint, 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  national 
  interest 
  to 
  arrest 
  the 
  

   immense 
  annual 
  loss 
  resulting 
  from 
  the 
  attacks 
  of 
  the 
  army-worm. 
  

  

  As 
  to 
  the 
  original 
  habitat 
  of 
  this 
  insect 
  there 
  is 
  some 
  question. 
  Mr. 
  

   Grote 
  believes 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  "an 
  imported 
  insect, 
  and 
  not 
  indigenous 
  to 
  the 
  

   Southern 
  States." 
  He 
  claims 
  that, 
  as 
  in 
  our 
  climate 
  cotton 
  is 
  an 
  intro- 
  

   duced 
  plant, 
  and 
  has 
  become 
  an 
  annual, 
  the 
  cotton-worm 
  has 
  been 
  im- 
  

   ported 
  with 
  it. 
  As 
  he 
  says 
  : 
  " 
  The 
  first 
  herald 
  of 
  the 
  cotton-worm 
  I 
  have 
  

   found 
  to 
  be 
  always 
  the 
  flight 
  of 
  the 
  parent 
  moths. 
  These 
  would 
  come 
  

   to 
  light 
  in 
  houses, 
  and 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  days 
  thereafter 
  I 
  found 
  the 
  young 
  worms 
  

   on 
  the 
  plants. 
  This, 
  in 
  Central 
  Alabama, 
  was 
  in 
  June 
  or 
  July, 
  and 
  

   previously 
  I 
  had 
  always 
  heard 
  of 
  the 
  appearance 
  of 
  the 
  worm 
  to 
  the 
  

   southward. 
  Before 
  it, 
  the 
  cotton 
  in 
  my 
  vicinity 
  had 
  shown 
  no 
  signs 
  of 
  

   worm, 
  and, 
  had 
  any 
  existed 
  in 
  the 
  couutrj'^, 
  it 
  must 
  have 
  showed 
  itself 
  

   during 
  the 
  preceding 
  three 
  months, 
  while 
  the 
  young 
  cotton-plants 
  were 
  

   growing. 
  In 
  favorable 
  seasons 
  the 
  broods 
  were 
  successive 
  until 
  frost, 
  

   and 
  the 
  death 
  of 
  the 
  cotton-plant. 
  Where 
  food 
  failed 
  on 
  one 
  plantation 
  

   the 
  worms 
  wandered 
  to 
  another, 
  and 
  not 
  till 
  then. 
  The 
  first 
  brood 
  in 
  

   one 
  locality 
  is 
  irregular, 
  skipping 
  some 
  plantations, 
  invading 
  others. 
  

   Again, 
  I 
  have 
  noticed 
  that, 
  while 
  there 
  was 
  yet 
  leaf 
  enough 
  left, 
  and 
  

   the 
  season 
  yet 
  warm, 
  whole 
  sections 
  would 
  be 
  forsaken 
  by 
  the 
  freshly- 
  

   disclosed 
  moths. 
  There 
  is 
  no 
  doubt 
  on 
  my 
  mind 
  that 
  the 
  cotton-worm 
  

   has 
  a 
  yearly 
  migration 
  northward, 
  from 
  the 
  facts 
  in 
  the 
  case. 
  The 
  cold 
  

   weather 
  finally 
  kills 
  the 
  moths, 
  without 
  their 
  being 
  able 
  to 
  provide 
  for 
  

   a 
  further 
  brood. 
  I 
  have 
  noticed 
  the 
  moth 
  in 
  the 
  fall 
  as 
  far 
  north 
  as 
  

   Canada 
  and 
  the 
  great 
  lakes, 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  coast 
  of 
  Maine.* 
  Always 
  ar- 
  

   riving 
  there 
  late 
  in 
  the 
  season, 
  it 
  must 
  perish; 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  food 
  for 
  its 
  

   13rogeny 
  ; 
  it 
  is 
  too 
  late 
  for 
  it 
  to 
  retrace 
  its 
  steps." 
  This 
  supposed 
  migra- 
  

   tion 
  northward 
  of 
  the 
  cotton 
  army-worm 
  is 
  an 
  interesting 
  and 
  practical 
  

   subject 
  for 
  further 
  investigation. 
  As 
  yet 
  I 
  am 
  hardly 
  inclined 
  to 
  sup- 
  

   pose 
  that 
  this 
  particular 
  species 
  should 
  not 
  live 
  in 
  all 
  its 
  stages 
  where 
  it 
  

   is 
  now 
  found, 
  and 
  I 
  think 
  that 
  further 
  research 
  will 
  prove 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  so. 
  

   It 
  should 
  be 
  remembered 
  that 
  the 
  caterpillars 
  of 
  a 
  good 
  many 
  species 
  of 
  

   this 
  family 
  do 
  not 
  hatch 
  out 
  until 
  toward 
  midsummer, 
  for 
  example, 
  

   the 
  northern 
  army-worm. 
  Its 
  larva 
  should 
  be 
  looked 
  for 
  in 
  the 
  North- 
  

   ern 
  States 
  where 
  it 
  occurs, 
  and, 
  if 
  found, 
  the 
  food-plant 
  ascertained. 
  It 
  

   is 
  i30ssibl-e 
  that 
  the 
  chrysalides 
  have 
  been 
  carried 
  north 
  In 
  cotton-bales, 
  

   but 
  under 
  the 
  circumstances 
  in 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  seen 
  the 
  moth 
  flying 
  on 
  

   an 
  island 
  in 
  Salem 
  Harbor, 
  I 
  do 
  not 
  doubt 
  but 
  that 
  the 
  caterpillar 
  will 
  

   be 
  found. 
  I 
  have 
  taken 
  several 
  specimens 
  of 
  this 
  moth 
  on 
  Coney 
  Isl- 
  

   and 
  in 
  Salem 
  Harbor. 
  Mr. 
  Edward 
  Burgess 
  informs 
  me 
  that 
  it 
  flew 
  

   aboard 
  his 
  yacht 
  in 
  Boston 
  Bay, 
  September 
  9, 
  1873. 
  Mr. 
  Grote 
  records 
  

   it 
  from 
  Buffalo, 
  K. 
  Y., 
  and 
  Mr. 
  Riley 
  from 
  Chicago. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  accompanying 
  map 
  showing 
  the 
  area 
  of 
  distribution 
  of 
  the 
  cot- 
  

   ton 
  army 
  and 
  boll 
  worm, 
  I 
  have 
  indicated 
  the 
  area 
  in 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  per- 
  

   manently 
  destructive, 
  being 
  the 
  cotton-growing 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  Southern 
  

   States, 
  taken 
  from 
  Walker's 
  Statistical 
  Atlas. 
  

  

  Description 
  of 
  the 
  moth. 
  — 
  Pale 
  brown, 
  with 
  a 
  slight 
  reddish 
  tinge 
  ; 
  hind 
  wings 
  some- 
  

   what 
  paler. 
  I'ore 
  wiugs 
  with 
  three 
  indistinct 
  ii-regularly 
  scalloped 
  reddish 
  lines, 
  the 
  

   basal 
  one 
  on 
  the 
  inner 
  third 
  of 
  the 
  wing 
  composed 
  of 
  four 
  or 
  five 
  scallops 
  ; 
  the 
  second 
  

   is 
  situated 
  deyond 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  the 
  wing, 
  and 
  branches 
  out 
  behind 
  the 
  middle 
  (trans- 
  

   versely) 
  of 
  the 
  wing, 
  and 
  sends 
  a 
  brancli 
  just 
  beyond 
  the 
  discal 
  dot, 
  forming 
  a 
  third 
  

   line. 
  The 
  scallops 
  differ 
  in 
  size, 
  but 
  the 
  line 
  curves 
  out 
  most 
  just 
  below 
  the 
  costa, 
  and 
  

   again 
  opposite 
  the 
  discal 
  spot, 
  which 
  is 
  large, 
  dark, 
  conspicuous, 
  obliquely 
  oval, 
  and 
  

   centered 
  with 
  two 
  unequal 
  bluish 
  spots. 
  Expanse 
  of 
  wings, 
  1.55 
  inches. 
  Salem, 
  Mass., 
  

   Demopolis, 
  Ala., 
  and 
  Waco, 
  Tex., 
  September 
  5, 
  October 
  12, 
  and 
  November 
  15. 
  — 
  (Bel- 
  

   frage.) 
  

  

  * 
  This 
  is 
  most 
  probably 
  a 
  mistake 
  for 
  Massachusetts, 
  as 
  I 
  am 
  quite 
  sure 
  it 
  has 
  not 
  

   been 
  observed 
  north 
  of 
  Salem, 
  Mass. 
  

  

  