April, '15] 



hase:max: cottox worm 



193 



Food Plants. — It is said that this caterpillar will feed only on cot- 

 ton. From rather extensive observations in the field and from limited 

 cage feeding experiments I have found this to be a fact. In the field, 

 grasses, nati^'e weeds, legumes, corn and other plants found around 

 the infested cotton patch were left strictl3^ alone by the migrating and 

 star\dng caterpillars. In cages, alfalfa, red clover, white clover, cot- 

 ton weed, morning glorj^, hollihock, dock were, except for an occa- 

 sional hole being eaten out, refused by the starving caterpillars. 



Natural Enemies. — In this latitude the winter conditions destroy 

 this pest completely and during the summer two parasites assisted. 

 A native ichneumorLj^vas found ovipositing in the pupte and several 

 were bred from pup«. Some caterpillars were found with the eggs of 

 a Tachina fly on them, though the species was not determined. The 

 caterpillar is so active that it is difficult for the Tachina flies to deposit 

 eggs on it. The boll worm was also found to attack the cotton worm 

 in a few cases. 



Mr. H. a. Surface: I found this moth rather abundant in peach 

 orchards last fall and saw considerable damage to Salway peaches. 

 It was not nearh^ so numerous as was the case two years ago but 

 considerable injur^^ resulted. 



oMr. J. J. Davis: It is interesting to note that the moths seem to 

 lay their eggs after migrating. I would like to ask if there is any 

 data regarding egg-laying after the migratory period? 



Mr. Leonard Haseman: We made no observations as we did 

 not know the pest was breeding in the vicinity until we saw the cater- 

 pillars. It was the first year that we had seen these caterpillars 

 feeding so far north. 



Me. C. T. Brues: We caught quite a number of these moths 

 at an electric trap light at the Bussey Institution, Forest Hills, Mass., 

 but it was impossible to secure eggs from them. They come quite 

 regularly every few years and are apparently too much exhausted 

 by the long flight to deposit eggs. 



President H. T. Fernald: A paper will now be presented by 

 H. B. Scammell. 



THE CRANBERRY ROOT WORM 



By H. B. Scammell, Pemberton, N'. J. 

 {Withdrawn for publication elsewhere) 



Secretary A. F. Burgess: I do not care to discuss the paper, 

 but would like to state for the information of some of the members 

 that several cranberry bogs in Massachusetts were seriously injured 



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