U. S. D. A., B. E. Bui. 109, Part IV. T. C. & S. P. I. I., April 5. 1912. 



PAPERS ON INSECTS AFFECTING VEGETABLES. 



A LITTLE-KNOWN CUTWORM. 



(Porosagrotis vetusta Walk.) 



By F. H. Chittenden, Sc. D., 

 In Charge of Truck Crop and Stored Product Insect Investigations. 



INJURIOUS OCCURRENCE. 



During the past decade authentic evidence, based on specimens 

 which have been reared to the adult, has been received of the in- 

 juriousness of the cutworm Porosagrotis vetusta Walk., and com- 

 plaints have reached the bureau of other cases of injury doubtless 

 wrought by the same insect. 



* April 22, 1901, Mr. K. W. Caviness Avrote from Southern Pines, 

 N. C, sending numerous specimens of this cutworm, many nearly 

 mature, with information concerning its ravages. His place at that 

 time was described as literally alive with them, and there was an 

 outbreak of the same species the previous year (1900), when it was 

 impossible to get a stand of watermelons until the cutworms had 

 matured. They seemed to eat " every green thing." Many cutworms 

 were found on and about dewberry, sometimes a dozen or more to 

 a vine. They crawled up the vines and ate the buds and leaves, and 

 treated young peach and other trees in the same manner. It was 

 impossible to get a stand of beans, cabbage, or any other garden 

 " stuff." They were described as most abundant and doing their 

 worst damage on cowpeas. In 1900 they cut fall-sown turnips until 

 .the weather became too cold for the larvae to work. 



May 18 Mr. Caviness made another sending of this cutworm taken 

 from melon vines, 100 having been caught in an hour's time. They 

 infested small vines that were just coming up, entirely destroyed one 

 field of corn, and it was found necessary to replant both melons and 

 corn. The land had previously been planted to cowpeas, but there 

 was no apparent reason why this crop had any influence on the 



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