COTTON 
191 
number of them it has never been accurately 
ascertained. 
The worms are generally of a brown, gray or 
greenish color, often marked with longitudinal 
stripes and dashes. They are stout, and when full 
grown are often almost two inches in length. 
There are three pairs of regular legs on the front 
portion of the body besides the fleshy appendages 
further back on the prolegs. 
Their feeding is done only at night, and for this 
reason their presence is usually discovered only 
after the damage has been done. During the day 
they hide near the plants, frequently entering the 
ground, and leaving a little hole where they went in. 
Some species remain entirely under ground, often 
pulling the plant down into the soil. 
By thorough cultivation of the land in late fall, 
winter, and early spring, much can be done toward 
controlling these pests. Thus exposed to adverse 
weather conditions, many of them will die, while 
others are eaten by birds or killed by parasitic 
insects. Furthermore, land plowed during winter 
has no vegetation on it in early spring, and conse- 
quently there is no food for these worms to feed on. 
Frequently, of course, the farmer cannot apply 
these preventive measures, and when the pests 
then become destructive, they may be destroyed by 
scattering poisoned vegetation over the infested 
portions of the field. Bunches of grass may be 
immersed in Paris Green, one pound to a barrel 
of water. 
VI. THE GARDEN WEB WORM 
In early spring we often see a great number 
of small caterpillars feeding on the surface of cotton 
