70 TJiE crLTriu-: of tobacco. 



At cutting time, care slmukl Ijc taken that uuiie of these caterpillais 

 1)3 placed in the curing bai-n M'ith the tobacco, for they will continue 

 to eat the drying leaf as well as develop into parent moths for the next 

 year's lirood. 



The Bud Cateppillars.— In America both the Heliothis Armiger 

 ami Heliothis Ehexiie are known Ijy the name of " bud worms," because 

 of theu' habit of destroying the terminal bud of the plant. The 

 Heliothis Armiger is very common in Ehodesia, and is the catei-pillar 

 that damages the mealie ears, the cotton. Cape gooselieriy, and the 

 tomato. 



The spray of Paris green used for the horn caterpillars will also 

 assist greatly in destroying this destructive pest, but if it becomes vei-y 

 common, it will be necessary to use the following special ti'eatmeut. 

 A pound of Paris green is mixed with fifty pounds of finely ground 

 mealie meal, and a small quantity of the meal sprinkled on the bud of 

 each plant. If the weather is at all wet, this treatment will have to 

 be often repeated. This method is not as slow or expensive as it might 

 appear to be, and is certainly veiy effective. In Florida where fine 

 cigar leaf is grown, this sprinkling of poisoned meal is kept up through- 

 out the season. 



It is also a good plan to keep all the tomatoes and (Jape gooseberries 

 growing in the vicinity sprayed with Paris green. This will not only 

 lie a good thing for the plants spi'ayed, Iiut will be of assistance to the 

 tobacco, Iiy desti'oying catei-pillars that will produce later broods 

 injurious to the t<jbacco plant. 



The Leaf Miner or " Split Worm."— The larva of this moth, 

 rielechia Solanella, is ali'eady doing great damage to potatoes in 

 Ehodesia, and will probably become a pest of tobacco. The moth, 

 which is a very small gray one, lays its eggs upiin the leaf, and the 

 caterpillars as soon as hatched enter the leaf and there mine, between 

 the two surfaces. Their presence is made known l)y a grey discolouia- 

 tion of this portion of the leaf. In potatoes these insects also work in 

 the haulm and even in the stored tubers. 



After working in one place for a time, the catei'pillar will 

 emerge on to the surface of the leaf, and enter at another place. 

 Because of this fact it may be treated, to a certain extent, with 

 arsenical poisons. The same spray that is used for the horn 

 caterpillar is of value with this insect — that is, one pound of Paris 

 green to one hunch'ed and fifty to two liundied gallons of water. 

 The potato fields should be as carefully treated as the tijbacco, 

 and it is very likely that this insect will also be found w<n"king 

 on the tomato and Cape gooseberry, so that these ]jlants should 

 either be treated with pi.ison or destroyed. 



The Tobacco Flea Beetle.— This insect {Epitri,- pamila is the 

 common species of America) is a small a(;tive beetle that does great 

 damage t(j all solanaceous plants — as the potato, tobacco, tomato, 

 C'ape gooseberry, datura, &c. 



It eats the tobacco leaf f\ill of veiy small holes, and thus 

 destroys its value, as well as providing an entrance for fungus and 

 bacterial di.seases. A certain amount of damage is also done to 

 the roots by the larvie. 



The preventive treatment, which is the destruction of all 

 solanaceous weeds growing in tlie locality, should bp adoiited, for 



