169 
ing many tomatoes where the cause is really due to the tomato rot. 
The worms are much more apt to attack tomatoes slightly affected with 
the rot thau sound tomatoes. 
There are always some Boll Worms every year, but in some years 
there are but a few, while iu other years they are very abundant. 
Scarcity or abundance, however, in oue locality does not necessarily 
mean a like condition in another locality. Thus at the Mississippi 
Agricultural College last year, especially toward the close of the sea- 
son, the Boll Worms were very abundant, but this year there are 
scarcely any, while at Columbus, 25 miles distant, they are reported 
this year in great abundance. 
As the Boll Worm works within rather than without, I doubt very 
much the practicability of the application of any insecticide to destroy 
them. Success in this direction would be more apt to follow with the 
Boll Worm upon tomatoes than upon cotton. Upon tomatoes the 
insecticides would have to be applied to all parts of the fruit, the under- 
side as well, and it would also have to be applied several times during 
a short growing season. With cotton the bolls are somewhat concealed 
and the eggs are deposited at the calyx or underneath, where it would 
be difficult to place an insecticide. So that so far as our present 
knowledge goes we may say that the application of insecticides for the 
Boll Worm is impracticable. 
Much has been done in the way of poisoned sweets, but with little 
success. Lights, as already stated, do more harm than good. Fall 
plowing has been recommended and no doubt would do much good, 
especially if the ground was well broken several times during the win- 
ter if the weather would permit. Farmers say as to this, however, that 
fall plowing was universally practiced in ante-bellum days, yet the 
Boll Worms were then if anything more numerous than at present. 
The only effectual way of dealing with the Boll Worm is by means of 
trap plants, i. e.j by planting other food plants in the cotton fields upon 
which the Boll Worm will feed in preference to the cotton. I consider 
corn more effective for this purpose than cow peas or other plants. 
The Boll Worm attacks corn when first up and also when the ears are 
forming. I consider the best plan that of planting a row of corn about 
every tenth row throughout the cotton. The corn may be planted at 
the same time as the cotton, or better a little later, so that it will mature 
early in September. Some may say that this forms a good food plant 
for the Boll Worms and favors rather than decreases their numbers. 
Success in this trapping lies in the fact that the worms feed upon each 
other, and where there are several within an ear of corn it becomes a 
struggle for life in which the strongest survive. They thus destroy 
themselves, and besides this bird's, especially sap-suckers and blue 
jays, also destroy great numbers. Parasites also are more apt to reach 
maturity when this plan is followed. Mally and others have recom- 
mended three plantings of corn in the cotton fields at different times 
