192 



JOURNAL OF ECONO^IIC ENTOMOLOGY 



[Vol. 8 



COTTON WORM 



By L. Hase:\iax, Columbia, Mo. 



For -the past three j^ears the moth of the cotton worm has migrated 

 northward across ]\Iissom'i. In some places it has been more abund- 

 ant than in otiiers and the damage which it has done to fruits has been 

 considerable each year. The past fall the pest was more injurious 

 than in form.er years. It began to attract attention early in Septem- 

 ber and was abundant until frost. It spread rapidly across the state 

 and in two weeks seemed to be generally distributed. In places it 

 was so abundant as to literallj^ cover ripening fruit in the orchard and 

 about cider presses and at night collected about lights as I have ncA^er 

 before seen m.oths collect. Everywhere the moth of the a.Ymy worm 

 was found associated vrith it. 



Injury Done by AIoth. — It is a well-kno^Ti fact that this moth is 

 able to break the skin of ripening peaches and apples and other fruits. 

 There are cases on record where it has attacked bananas on the city 

 market, though in such cases it \eTY probabh^ selects injured bananas. 

 The moths have a voracious appetite and mil feed for hours without 

 stopping after a prolonged fast. The proboscis can be thrust into the 

 flesh of ripe apples and peaches without any trouble and it vrill reach 

 almost to the pit of an average-sized peach. As the juice is extracted 

 a depression appears which resembles a bruise. This injured tissue 

 is porous and in a short time decay sets in and the fruit is ruined. 



Late peaches seem to be the moth's favorite food though it may 

 also attack apples, grapes, pears, tomatoes and other fruits on the 

 markets. In some orchards the crop of Heath Chng and other late 

 peaches was a com^plete loss this fall. The moths begin feeding about 

 sundown and often completeh^ cover the fruits which they attack. 

 This year they truly assumed the role of an important orchard pest. 



Work of Caterpillar. — Missouri is not a cotton state though in 

 a few southeastern counties a great deal of cotton is raised and the 

 crop can be grown ^^i.th. profit even as far north as the Missouri river. 

 The cotton worm was very abundant and destructive to the cotton 

 foliage where the crop was not protected by the use of arsenicals. As 

 the m.oths migrated northward they oviposited on cotton where it 

 was to be found. At Columbia a small experimental plot of cotton 

 was found to be severely attacked by the fifteenth of September and 

 b}^ the first of October the foliage was all consumed. The moths be- 

 gan to lay eggs as soon as they arrived and continued to do so until 

 all the cotton foliage was gone, for on the fi.rst of October caterpillars 

 of all ages as well as pupae were present. Many immature caterpillars 

 migrated in all directions and faihng to find cotton died of starvation. 



