26 
The broods overlap each other mostly as a result of a difference in 
the rapidity of growth of many of the worms. One lot of Boll Worms 
obtained from eggs deposited in a breeding cage by a single female in 
a single night, and later hatched on the same date, were reared under 
the same conditions. Some of these worms matured and entered the 
earth for pupation, while others were yet but half or two-thirds grown. 
Due to such great irregularity in the length of the larval state fresh 
females of the fourth brood may be found along with the first to issue 
of the fifth brood in September. Not much work of the Boll Worm in 
cotton is noticed until August or early in September. From about the 
middle of September the moths of the fifth brood begin appearing, 
and continue to the last of the mouth, or even the first of October, 
after which time they are not often met with. At least a partial sixth 
brood begins appearing late in September and early in October, and 
consist principally no doubt of those individuals that have undergone 
their transformations rapidly. That all of the sixth brood does not 
appear is evident from the fact that they are fewer in number than any 
of the earlier broods. ' Hence many of the pupa? of the fifth brood of 
moths pass through the winter as such and form a part of the first 
brood in spring. The moths of the last brood appearing so irregularly, 
worms hatched from eggs of this brood are found in all stages as late 
as November 20 to December 1. At Shreveport, Louisiana, during 
this period Boll Worms were found on cotton which had only molted 
the second time and were therefore only about one-third grown. 
But this irregularity in duration of certain stages of the insect is not 
confined to the larva?, but to the pupae as well. Of a number of pupae 
which had been kept over from September and October one issued at 
Shreveport, Louisiana, December 12. Whether the moths, if there be 
many which issue at this time, hibernate as such or deposit their eggs 
at once and die soon after, has not been determined positively. If the 
latter be the case, the progeny will certainly be entirely lost, since no 
living food plants are found at this period. The Boll Worms which were 
yet immature at the time of the killing frost early in December were 
quite certainly destroyed, as nothing remained for them to feed upon. 
As to whether the moths hibernate, I can only say that close and con- 
tinued search during December has failed to discover the moth. This 
may not be surprising, however, since certainly the moths which issue 
at so late a date, and which would therefore be likely to hibernate, are 
very few in number, and hence would be met with perhaps only acci- 
dentally during the winter season. Though a few moths issue at so 
late a time as has been mentioned, the other extreme is also met with 
in the pupal state. Evidence of this is the fact that several pupa? 
which were obtained from breeding cages late in August had not issued 
up to November, when they were still alive, but were accidentally in- 
jured and died. 
It must be kept in mind throughout in speaking of certain stages of 
