52 INSEGTS INJURIOUS TO CARDED AND ORCHARD CROPS. 



According to the report received by Mr. Scott through, correspond- 

 ence with persons at Augusta, the mature insect or moth lays its eggs 

 in the heart of cabbage and other vegetables, and the larvae soon after 

 h arching spin a web and twist the leaves in toward the center inclosing 

 themselves so that it is impossible to reach them with dry insecticides. 



Their first appearance was noticed in August. 1S97. and the species 

 at present appears to be confined to that vicinity, although report of 

 this or a similar species has reached Mr. Scott from Waycross. Ga. 



On the 2Sth of September. Mr. X. L. Willet, of Augusta, sent speci- 

 mens or' the same larva, which is known locally as the webworm. with 

 the accompanying statement that it had destroyed hundreds of acres 

 of turnips, eollards. and cabbages. 



October 14 Mr. Willet sent additional specimens of the larvae and 

 made the statement that this insect had cost the county of Eichmond 

 115,000 to 120,000 during that year. Writing-Kovember 26. ATr. Scott 

 stated that the damage had been estimated by some sufferers at 

 650. UUO for that county. 



About a day or two later we received from Augusta another lot of 

 specimens from Mr. Scott, who wrote on the 19th of the month that 

 one grower at Augusta claimed to have lost $1,500 through the ravages 

 of this insect. Soon after the plant comes up. he writes, these cater- 

 pillars begin their work by eating out the bud and cutting off the leaves 

 near the base. In the case of turnips they sometimes gnaw holes in 

 the top of the root. Three or four days after their work is first noticed 

 an entire crop may be destroyed. The moths are obviously nocturnal 

 in habit since they may be attracted by light at night, as our corre- 

 spondent ascertained by taking a lantern into an infested turnip field 

 and in a few minutes capturing dozens which hew about it. 



In an article written by Mr. Willet for the Augusta Chronicle of 

 October 0. 1898, some new facts are added which are not mentioned in 

 his letter. Under the subheading ; - The garden webworm." he says, in 

 substance, that the larva after hatching spins a web over itself, leaving 

 a hole for egress. From the protection afforded by this web house it 

 feeds, retiring into the web when its hunger is appeased. As the larva 

 grows it forms a larger web. This it spins either on the upper or the 

 lower surface of a leaf. Three or four days suffice for the larva- to kill 

 out a turnip patch. 



One of Mr. WHlet's friends was of the opinion that this species had 

 been seen at work in some other years previous to 1S9S. but that it did 

 little harm until that year. This is undoubtedly the truth, but that 

 correspondents who are not familiar with the diamond-back moth and 

 the true garden webworm Loxostege similalis may not coufuse these 

 in<e<-ts. it should be said that their larvae as well as adults are easily 

 distinguished though both larvae have the habit of living in webs on 

 their host plants. 



The parent moth lays her eggs in the bud and it requires from ten to 

 fourteen days for them to hatch. In ordinarv vears the tender leaves 



