132 
frequent attempts are made at eating, and the larvae would be readih^ 
poisoned if poisons were present on the plants. From a series of 
observations, both in 1903 and lOO^l, it was found that from 62 to 73 
per cent of the eggs deposited b}^ the bollworm moth on cotton were 
placed on the leaves, stems, leaf stalks, etc., or on other parts than 
the tender tips, squares, and flowers, so that the resulting larvae 
could be destroyed by timely applications of poison. Ordinarily, : 
poisons will be profitable only against the August generation of 
larvee, and results will be much more pronounced during seasons of 
severe, as compared with moderate, bollworm injur3^ The plants 
should be kept poisoned from about the last week in July until about 
the second week in August, and later if the moths are seen to be 
abundant. During this period the eggs of the destructive August 
brood will be deposited, and the presence of poisons on the plants as 
the young larvae are hatching will result in their destruction in large 
numbers. 
As between the dusting and spraying methods of applying poison, 
the former seems more practicable (see PI. XXIII, fig. 1). In dusting 
with Paris green, this should be used at about the rate of 2 to 3 pounds 
per acre for each application, the quantity varying somewhat with the 
size of the plants. In many cases, as with careless labor, it will be 
more economical to dilute the poison with cheap flour or dry slaked 
lime. Applications ma}" satisfactorily be made by the usual pole 
and bag method. The use of geared poison blowers (see PL XXIV. 
fig. 1) would permit of the work being done more rapidl}", which is 
ver}" important. Applications of dry poison should be made at night, 
earl}" in the morning, or late in the evening, when the plants are 
sufiiciently wet with dew to insure its sticking. Paris green, applied 
in water, should be used at about the rate of 1 pound to 50 gallons, 
which amount will cover about 1 acre (see PL XXIII, fig. 2, illus- 
trating Department's spraying experiments in bollworm control). The 
effect of a rairrwill be to wash the poison largely from the plants, and 
the application must necessarily be at once repeated. Applications of 
poisons, as above indicated, at intervals of a week or ten days, should 
keep the plants sufiiciently poisoned to accomplish the desired results. 
INEFFECTIVE METHODS OF COMBATING THE BOLLWORM. 
During periods of serious bollworm injury planters often resort to 
various methods in their efforts to prevent the destruction of the crop. 
The burning of lights in the fields, the use of poisoned sweets, and the 
burning of sulphur were more or less practiced in 1903. These and 
similar methods have been shown, by numerous tests (see PL XXV, 
figs. 1 and 2) during the present investigation, to be of no practical 
value whatever, and attention is called to their futility that needless 
expense may be avoided in the future. 
