38 
by planters are to be at all recommended if nothing more is to be accom- 
plished than the trapping of the Boll Worm moth, and for the following 
reasons : (1) Bat a small per cent are caught ; (2) of these the great ma- 
jority are males ; (3) while some females are caught before having 
deposited many eggs, the greater per cent have passed their prime; 
(4) beneficial insects being more easily trapped are destroyed in too 
great numbers in proportion to the benefit derived from the destruction 
of obnoxious insects to warrant such inefficient warfare. These may 
all be included in the one general reason that the lights are only strong 
enough to readily attract beneficial insects but are powerless to attract 
the obnoxious insects desired until its most important work (deposition 
of eggs) has almost been completed. 
POISONED SWEETS. 
No field experiments were made with poisoned sweets, but a number 
were made with moths in the laboratory. The mixture was composed 
of 1 part of white arsenic dissolved in 20 parts boiling water; 4 parts 
of this solution were added to 3 parts of ordinary table sirup. The 
mixture was placed in a watch glass under a bell jar or sprayed upon 
cotton branches in a breeding cage. When the moths were placed in 
they always soon found the sweets and sipped of them. The result of all 
the experiments showed that the moths readily partook of the sweetened 
liquids. Those having sipped of the poisoned solutions died, on an 
average, within 30 minutes ; the shortest time being 15, the longest 45 
minutes. Experiments were also made upon a few other insects, mostly 
such as were considered beneficial. They were placed in the cages just 
as the moths had been and were found to partake of the sweets quite as 
readily and died as certainly. Thus in field experiments doubtless 
many beneficial insects will also be destroyed by the extensive use of the 
poisoned sweets. 
The moths kept in cages for experimental purposes were fed by spray- 
ing unpoisoned solutions of the sweets upon the cotton branches. The 
moths fed readily and lived usually from 5 to 8 days. 
The poisoned sweets used in the experiments in the laboratory con- 
tained no liquids which could liberate a strong odor such as is neces- 
sary in field experiments. These may be added in the form of beer or 
vinegar or perhaps any other liquid having similar properties. 
It was demonstrated by the experiments in the laboratory that newly 
issued and old moths were alike easily induced to feed on the poisoned 
drops of sweets sprayed on the branches in the cages. It may there- 
fore follow that if these poisoned liquids can be properly applied to the 
plants upon which the moths feed freely both at night and during the 
day, that females may be readily attracted to feed, and hence killed, 
during their entire period of deposition. It therefore appears probable 
that if some practical means is employed to apply these poisoned sweets 
properly and abundantly as food for attracting the moths that such 
