34 PAPERS OX INSECTS AFFECTING VEGETABLES. 



The seed beds were again visited October IT. The conditions had 

 not materially changed, except that some larvae had reached maturity 

 and left the plants. On November 2. 3.000 plants were taken from 

 the three beds and transplanted to a field fully 2J miles from the 

 seed beds. The plant- were carefully examined and only those free 

 from larva? were transplanted. Unfortunately, small patches of old 

 cabbage and Japanese turnips occurred but a short distance from the 

 transplanted plants. The old cabbage was not badly infested, but 

 the webworms were abundant in the turnips, and a portion, about 

 one-fifth of an acre, of one patch was nearly destroyed. It will thus 

 be seen that, although the young plants were free from larva? when 

 transplanted, they were placed in a badly infested and dangerous 

 neighborhood. TVTien these plants were examined November 18 

 nearly every one in the entire patch was found infested with from 

 1 to 10 webworms. These were mostly -mall — very few more than a 

 week old — and many were not more than 1 days old. They had 

 burrowed into or between the tender, curled leaves at the " bud " and 

 were so well protected that they were apparently beyond the reach of 

 a spray. Even at this early stage the plant- showed plainly the 

 results of infestation. It was obviously a hopeless case : and the 

 man in charge, a Japanese, was advised to pull up the plants and 

 burn them, but this he refused to do. At the next visit. December 8, 

 little remained of these plants but stunted, worthies- >tumps. 

 Larvae were still abundant in them, although many had reached ma- 

 turity and burrowed into the soil. About 700 plants which had been 

 set out shortly after the middle of November in an adjoining patch 

 were also generally infested and were rapidly becoming worthless. 



In summing up these observations it will be seen that nearly -1.000 

 transplanted plants were destroyed by webworms. while at the same 

 time the plants in seed beds were so generally infested that it was 

 almo.-t impossible to procure stock for replanting. 



One of the most obvious factors making possible this lo-s was the 

 almost utter indifference with which the necessity of clean culture 

 was regarded. Old cabbage stumps and abandoned seed beds were 

 not promptly destroyed, but were allowed to serve for months as 

 breeding centers. An es>ential lesson that these growers have to 

 learn is the absolute necessity of promptly destroying remnants of 

 the crop by burning or some other equally effective method. 



LIFE HISTORY AXD HABITS. 



Under normal conditions the eggs, when deposited on cabbage, are 

 placed about the " bud "' at the axils of the terminal leaves or on the 

 leaves. From 1 to 12 eggs may be deposited on a single small plant. 



