ENEMIES- or THE SUGAR BEET. 279 



but little activity during the day, remaining in the 

 crevices of old walls, etc. Its larva has the same 

 habit, remaining under ground during the day and at 

 night coming to the surface and eating the leaves until 

 morning. 



The Noctua deposits its eggs in small packages on 

 the leaves of the beet. 



Destruction. — This is a most difficult problem to 

 solve on account of their number. We have noticed 

 as many as four hundi-ed per square inch, near every 

 root in the portion of the soil on which they were located. 

 Some farmers advocate the use of lime with hydrochloric 

 acid, but this has but little if any effect. A plan simi- 

 lar to the one before spoken of is to localize the same 

 by digging a ditch and filling it with water. The 

 caterpillar creeping from one portion of the field to the 

 other will fall in and drown ; as many as one hundred 

 and fifty pounds per day have been destroyed in this 

 manner. It has been suggested to have these larvae 

 gathered after ploughing; the cocoons can be gotten 

 rid of in the same manner. In Germanj' some farmers 

 make use of lighted lamps at night, which are inclosed 

 in boxes made of glass, on the surface of which is a 

 certain quantity of oil, the Noctua will fly against the 

 same and there be caught. 



As this insect makes its appearance very late in 

 the season, a good plan is to sow the seeds as early as 

 possible, and when the enemy comes the plant is 

 strong enough to resist it. Then, again, a good one is 



