9 



by planting several seeds in a hill, in the hope that some of 

 the plants may escape attack, but even this measure might be 

 ineffective in a badly infested field. 



Remedies: Perhaps the best remedy for cutworms and wire- 

 worms is found in the use of poisoned baits. These are pre- 

 pared by combining a poison — such as arsenic — with some food 

 substance for which the cutworm has a decided taste. AYhite 

 arsenic is most generally used, either on freshly cut alfalfa, or 

 combined with molasses, cane sirup or honey and mixed into 

 bran, middlings or flour. Use one pound of arsenic to ten of 

 bran. Fifty to seventy-five pounds should be sufficient for one 

 acre. 



Cutworms are kept in check to some extent by dipterous 

 and hymenopterous parasites as well as by birds. 



APHIDS. 



Cotton suffers more or less from aphids all the time, and 

 at certain times or seasons the damage by these insects becomes 

 a great handicap to the plant. On germinating seedlings aphid 

 attack is serious and threatening, often demanding active 

 measures to save the plants. Specimens of the aphid on cotton 

 recently submitted to the Bureau of Entomology. United States 

 Department of Agriculture, were determined by Mr. T. Per- 

 gande to be the well-known species. Aphis gossypii Glover. This 

 species is a common pest of cotton in the United States, but 

 there it is heavily parasitized and consequently, as a pest, of 

 little importance. In these islands, as far as is known, it is 

 unparasitized. although fairly well kept in check by Cocci- 

 nellids and other predaceous species. 



Aphid injury is at a minimum during the hot. dry months 

 of April. May. June, July, August, September, and October. 

 With the oncoming of the cold and wet weather in the latter 

 part of November and through December, indeed through the 

 remaining months — January. February, and March — aphids are 

 likely to do considerable damage to cotton, although any abnor- 

 mal increase is soon brought in check by ladybirds. 



