318 



to tliis insect, in 

 are comiparatively 

 ferent parishes in 

 noted for their 



THE PEA MOTH (ENDOPISA 



NIGRICANA STPH), 



This moth, writes R. Stewart MaeDougall, 

 M.A., D.Sc, in the Journal of the Board 

 of Agriculture," appears in the literature 

 under a number of names, the generic names 

 being GraphoLitha, Tortrix, Laspeyres'a, and 

 Endopisa, while the specific names are nigri- 

 cana, pisana, nebritana, and proximana. 

 The pea moth is well known in Central and 

 in South Europe. It is found over Britain 

 to Perthshire, and also in Ireland. 



The caterpillars of the moth are the cause 

 of the so-called worm-eaten peas. ITie moth 

 a widely-distributed one, and the damage 

 done is frequently great; yet the references 



the economic literature, 

 rare. In 1911, from dif- 

 England — some of them 

 pea-growing — complaints 

 came to the Board of Agriculture regarding 

 loss due to the ravages of the caterpillar. 

 One correspondent wrote that while " peas 

 without grubs were selling at 110 shillings a 

 quarter, similar peas infested by the cater- 

 pillar fetched only B5 shillings a quarter." 

 An interesting point in the communication 

 was that, during the past summer, whereas 

 most of the samples grown on land that car- 

 ries peas once in 1.0 years or so were iniested, 

 there was not the slightest trace of the in- 

 sect on land, somewhat remote from other 

 pea-growing fields, in which it was known 

 that peas had not been grown for 80 years. 



The moths fly at the time of flowering of 

 the pea; the caterpillars live in the pods, 

 and when full-fed leave the pois and creep 

 a little way into the soil. The caterpillar 

 is destructive to both field and garden peas. 

 One or two other leguminous plants have 

 been named as possible host plants, the seed 

 in each case being sought while still forming 

 in the pod. 



Description of Adult Insect. 



'llie fore-wingri of the moth are dark- 

 brown or black, and have a metallic sheen 

 or gloss; at the front margin of the fore- 

 wings short white streaks or spots may be 

 seen ; there is a very faint eye-like mark 

 towards the apex of each fore-wing, this 

 mark containing within it small black 

 streaks; near the hind margin, about the 

 middle of the wing, is a curved white streak ; 

 fringes to the wing resemble the ground- 

 colour. The hind wings are pale- brown or 

 bronzy-'brown, with white fringes. The 

 underside of all four wings i^ pale and with 

 a leaden gloss. ^Fhe antennae are black-br<)w ). 

 ITie moth measures 1-5 inch in length, and 

 from ^ inch to inch in spread of wings. 



Larva. 



ITie caterpillar is 16-footed, and measures 

 1-3 inch when full-fed. The colour is a very 

 pale green or yellowish-white; the head is 

 brown or blackish, and lobed ; on the 

 upper surface of the joint behind the head 

 is a dark horny plate; the segments of tlie 

 body have a number of dark dots or warts, 

 each of which carries a bristle-like hair. 



Life History. 



The moths are found flying in June and 

 July (some may be found in flight in 

 August). The Continental text-books write 

 of the flight taking place soon aiter sunset. 

 Barrett, on the other hand, writes of the 

 moth as "found in plenty sometimes alonj 

 the hedges bordering a field which has pvc- 

 duced a crop of peas in the preceding year," 

 and as 'Moving to sit in the bright sunsh ne 

 on oak and other bushes, flying away with 

 extraordinary swiftness if disturbed to revel 

 in the sunshine in another bush/' and he 

 adds, "as it seems to be on the wing 

 throughout the day there seems no reason 

 to suppose that it flies also at dusk." 



The females lay their eggs on the young 

 pea-pods. Tlie same female may lay "^^ 1 or 

 2 or 3" eggs on a pod. ITie caterpillar en 

 hatching eat.s through the pod in order to 

 reach its normal food, i.e., the seed or pea. 

 The tiny entrance-hole heals up, so that ex- 

 ternally the pod may appear quite un- 

 damaged, while inside the peas are h?'^v,'r 

 attacked by the caterpillar. 



Some peas are gnawed, others more or less 

 destroyed. Caterpillars may be found at 

 work from July onwards. The caterpillar, 

 on attaining its full size, leaves the pod and 

 passes a little way into the soil, where it 

 spins a web round itself, and so passes the 

 winter. In the next spring pupation takes 

 place, and the adults appear in due course. 



Taschenberg states that infested pods ripen 

 earlier than those not infested, and open 

 slightly, so that the full-grown caterpillars 

 can creep or press themselves out. The 

 caterpillar may eat its way out of the pod. 



Correspondents sometime^ confuse the 

 work of this caterpillar with the destructive 

 work of the larva of the Pea Beetle, de- 

 scribed in Leaflet No. 150. The following 

 distinctions may prevent confusion : 



Caterpillar of Pea Moth : Caterpillar has 

 sixteen legs; pupation m soil; the peas are 

 irregularly gnawed externally; the attacked 

 peas are often wcven together by ^i_k threads, 

 and there is a marked granular excrement. 

 Grub of Pea Beetle: Grub legless; pupation 

 in pea; the peas are eaten internally; there 

 is no sign of spun threads and the hollowed 

 peas appear clean, without external excre- 

 ment. 



A closely-allied spec'es, known as Grapho- 

 litha or Laspeyresia dorsana, is rarer in 

 Britain. It is found in the North of Eng- 

 land, and in Scotland has been taken as far 

 north as Inverness. Its caterpillar is longer 

 than that of E. nigricana, and is orange- 

 yellow in colour. On the Continent it ap- 

 pears as a pest on peas, with a life-history 

 resembling that of E. nigricana. 



In Britain wild species of Lathyrus have 

 l)een named as host plants. 



ntive and Remedial 



easures. 



Tlie time when this pest of the pea can 

 l)e most advantageously fought is when the 

 caterpillar is in the soil for its winter rest. 

 Where possible a thorough raking or deep 

 hoeing of the soil as soon as it is free from 

 peas would turn up and destroy many of the 

 caterpillars. A field attack should be fol- 

 lowed by deep ploughing before winter. 



Tlie collection and burning of infested 

 pods, and the firming of the soil at the foot 

 of the plants to hinder the entrance of the 

 caterpillars, have also been recommended. 

 When peas are ''shelled" for culinary use 

 all larvae found should be destroyed. 



The Testing of Sanitary Com- 

 pounds. — At the twenty-seventh ordi- 

 nary general meeting of Jeyes' Sanitary 

 Compounds Company, Lim., held recently at 

 the offices of the company, 64, Cannon 

 Street, th& Chairman, Mr. H. H. Nelson, 

 stated that Dr. Klein had been appointed 

 scientific adviser to the company. He men- 

 tioned that Dr. Klein was the originator in 

 this country of the special branch of re- 

 search in which the company was most in- 

 terested, and no man to-day stood higher 

 both as regards professional and personal 

 estimation. All the standard products of 

 the company— Jeyes* Fluid, Cyllin and Cor- 

 poration Fluid — were now tested by Dr. 

 Klein, and certified as regards their relative 

 guaranteed values (by the Rideal-Walker 

 test), whilst every tender issued by the 

 company was accompanied by the method of 

 test, with every detail exactly set out, so 

 that such values might be checked upon pre- 

 cisely similar lines and conditioois. He 

 hoped this arrangement would tend to 

 abolish the disputes which had proved in- 

 separable from guaranteed standards often 

 checked by operators unaccustomed to mani- 

 pulating such delicate tests. The company 

 alwavvs used the E ideal- Walker test because 

 the-r sc'entific adviser and other 



guished authorities regarded it a 

 accurate. It was the business 



distiu- 

 i-i the nio.t 

 of Jeyes' 



Sanitary Compound Company to meet tho 

 demands of the public, and it had been th':^ 

 policy of the company for 27 years not to 

 allow themselves to be surpassed as regards 

 th? excellence of the various products they 

 -upplied. 



ANSWERS TO 



CORRESPONDE NTa 



Editorial Communications should he addrefised to thi 

 Editor of the Gardenees* Magazine, 148 and 14A 

 Aldersgate Street, E.G. ^ 



S«cretaricfi of horticultural eocieties are invited ti 

 send early notification of forthcoming exhibitioni 

 and meetings, and are requested to adv;se as coq. 

 cerning changes of dates. 



The Editor will be glad to receive photographs i 

 gardens, plants, flowers, trees, fruits, etc., fw 

 reproduction in the Gardeners' Magazine. He w | 

 also be greatly obliged by correspondents eendin* 

 early intimation of interesting local events relatinr 

 to horticulture. In sending newspapers containinJ 

 matter to which they wish to draw attention oor- 

 respondents are requested to distinctly mark th* 

 paragraph. 



OXLIP OR COWSLIP.— S. P. R., Fulliam: 

 Will you kindly tell me if the larger of the 

 two specimens sent is the true oxlip (Primula 

 elatior). It comes from Corfe Castle, Dorset, 

 and, although the specimen is from a plant 

 which has been cultivated at Corfe for a vear 

 I am assured the field ones are just as large! 

 'ITiis exampLe was rflound gfrowing among 

 cowslips. Sorry I have not a whole plant to 

 send, but I enclose some cowslips for coi 

 parison. — The specimen sent carries its 

 tiowers in a somewhat horizontal fashion, and 

 there is also an absence of the folding at 

 the mouth of the corolla, both characters 

 which help very largely to distinguish the 

 oxlip from the cowslip. 



PROPAGATING BUNCH PRIMROSES.- 

 H. C. C, St. Neots: I have a fine bed of 

 bunch primroses, and so many of the varie- 

 ties are so good that I propose to increase 

 the stock and plant more largely for next 

 spring's display. Of course, I understand 

 that the plants may be increased by division, 

 but I am anxious to carry out the work with 

 th© befit possible results, and therefore seei 

 your advice. — Proeeed at once to prepare a 

 plot or border in a semi-shaded spot, for the 

 reception of the bunch primroses ; if the 

 ground has been well dug and manured dur- 

 ing the winter, little need be done beyond 

 adding a goodly dressing of leaf -soil and 

 forking this into the top six inches. When 

 the plants have lost their floral beauty pro- 

 pagation should not be delayed. Give the 

 bed a good watering (failing moist weather) 

 overnight, and lift the plants next morn- 

 ing, putting them in a shady place as lifted. 

 We assume you have already placed a label 

 to the plants you wish to increase, with the 



recorded thereon. Deal with one 

 or colour, at a time, and cover the 

 the plants with a damp mat. With a 

 strong, and sharp knife, carefully 

 each specimen, doing the work so 

 that each growth, or each division, has its 

 complement of roots. Plant with a trowel, 

 and give a good watering. The distance at 

 which to plant will depend upon the size 

 of the divisions and the space at disposal; 

 but if the rows are eighteen inches apart 

 and the plants a foot apart, that will allow 

 plenty of room for development, for hoeing 

 and for a subsequent top-dressing of leaf- 

 soil and old manure, when the stock becomes 

 established, and is growinsf freely. All this 

 may appear to be much ado about bunch 

 primrosefi, but, here, as in so many cases, 

 it is chiefly the proper consideration of many 



colour 

 plant, 

 rest of 

 large, 

 divide 



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