62 SOME INSECTS INJURIOUS TO TRUCK CROPS. 
the larvae hatched December 4. These molted between December 10 
and 13, while being transported to Orlando, but soon died, as frost 
killed off the food plants. 
July 25, 1908, Mr. H. H. Dickson asked for a remedy to apply 
against the larvae on sweet potatoes at the Orlando Truck Farm. 
Egg-masses received May 24, 1907, hatched at that time and the 
larvae entered the earth in the rearing cage June 19. In dry sand the 
pupae were found at a considerable depth, but in moist sand they 
were found barely under the surface. 
July 8 larvae in the rearing-cage were almost full grown. Larvae 
hatching from egg-masses, and others a few days old, were also 
found in abundance on sweet-potato plants. As soon as hatched 
they separate, feeding on the leaf on which the egg-mass was laid, 
perforating the underside full of minute holes, and leaving only the 
upper epidermis, which turns brown. On growing larger they. sep- 
arate, as in the case of most caterpillars, except those of peculiarly 
gregarious habit, and soon become widely scattered. Even when 
abundant it is common to see eight or a dozen on the underside of a 
single leaf, and frequently as many as an hundred. Occasionally a 
nearly full-grown larva feeds on the upper side of a leaf. In many 
cases large larvae were found hiding during the day at the bottom of 
furrows. 
June 15, 1908, the larvae of this insect were found to be very abund- 
ant at Orlando, Fla., in one part of the town feeding on pokeweed, 
and in another on amaranth. 
EARLY RECORDS. 
Among the records of the Bureau of Entomology is one of May 22, 
1887, when larvae and pupae were received from Mr. E. A. Schwarz 
with report that the species was very injurious to the eggplant at 
Cocoanut Grove, Fla. 
In September, 1905, Mr. F. C. Pratt sent to the Bureau a large 
colony of the larvae found feeding on pokeweed at Dallas, Tex., the 
moths from which began to issue September 26. 
LIFE-CYCLE PERIODS AND GENERATIONS. 
Larvae mailed from Orlando, Fla., July 3, arrived at Washington, 
D. C, July 5 and began to enter the earth for pupation the following 
clay. On the 16th two had transformed to pupae, on the day follow- 
ing three more, and the remainder transformed within a week. This 
experiment shows a pupal period of about 9 days, allowing 1 day for 
the larvae in the earth before pupating. The weather was quite hot. 
In a cooler temperature in August the pupal period required 11 to 
13 days. 
The moths hatched from different lots were separated and the egg- 
period observed. In one case this lasted from August 8 to 12, or 
