342 
DESTRUCTION OF THE COTTON CROP BY INSECTS. 
with an olivaceous-bronze tinge. The outer or 
upper wing has three minute white spots along, and 
close to, its outer edge; the first about three-six¬ 
teenths of an inch from the neck; the others each 
an eighth of an inch below—still lower, is a kid¬ 
ney-shaped black or brown spot, shaded with 
white, many times larger than the small white ones, 
a fourth one of which forms the upper end of the 
dark spot. Across the wings are several wavy 
purple lines, resembling the letter W. There is 
also a fringe of the same color, on the inner edge, 
and one of purple and grey at the end. The under 
wing, which is of a lighter color, is fringed in the 
same manner. The body is thick, and tapers to 
the end. The female is larger than the male, but 
otherwise they are much alike. Their duration of 
life is about five to seven days, during which they 
may be seen, in the evening, flying about the blos¬ 
soms of the cotton plant, the cow-pea, &c., 
feeding upon the honey of the flowers, sucking it 
up like the rest of their kind, through the long 
tube they keep coiled up, when not so employed. 
At this time, too, the female deposits her eggs, 
scattering them over the leaves of the cotton plant, 
attaching them, to the number of from two to six 
hundred, or more, to the lower side, by a very 
short thread. The egg is minute, almost transpa¬ 
rent, so that the color of the leaf gives it a green 
appearance. When detached, they are white. 
These eggs hatch in from two to five days, ac¬ 
cording to the weather, and some say the phase of 
the moon; the young larvae are very minute, but 
immediately commence eating the leaves of the 
plant, and increase rapidly in size, attaining their 
full growth of one and a half inches, in from four¬ 
teen to twenty days. During the first ten days of 
their life, they merely puncture the leaves, and eat 
round their margins, doing comparatively little in¬ 
jury ; and at this time, too, they moult or cast their 
entire skin, at least four times. After that their 
voracity is absolutely astonishing. They eat up, 
in three or four days, aiot only all of the leaf, but 
the calyx or squares, the young and even full- 
grown bolls which are not yet hard; and of these 
they gnaw the outer rind, so as to cause the boll 
to rot. This year, owing to the immature condi¬ 
tion of the cotton plant, they are able to consume 
all but the main stalk and the stoutest limbs; so 
that what bolls they left, which were not thor¬ 
oughly ripe, are not maturing ; and in many fields, 
where the plant was still more backward, it is dry¬ 
ing up to the ground. 
The caterpillars differ in color ; some being all of 
a light green, with some stripes of yellow; but the 
general color is light green, with longitudinal 
stripes of yellow on the sides, and along the back 
two black ones, separated by a very narrow, clear 
line of white. What may be the cause of the dif¬ 
ference in their general color, I cannot say ; the 
markings, however, show that they all belong to 
the same family. They are studded all over with 
small, distinct black spots, from each of which a 
black hair grows. This caterpillar has sixteen 
legs—one pair behind, eight in the centre of the 
body, and six near the head. It elevates the front 
half of the body, when at rest, giving it a continued 
motion from side to side ; and when touched, it 
doubles up and jumps off to some distance. They 
give forth, when even few in number in a field, a 
peculiar sweetish odor, which is yielded neither by 
the worm nor the plant alone; and which, when 
smelled by a planter, will not readily be forgotten. 
Their presence is thus easily and certainly detected. 
When it has attained its full growth, it places itself 
near one of the corners or lobes of the leaf, spins a 
few threads of silk, attaching them to the leaf in 
such a way as to draw up the edge, which it makes 
fast to the surface, forming a scroll, within which it 
undergoes its transformation to a pupa. When the 
leaf has been all consumed, they attach themselves, 
for this transformation, to the leaf of any plant 
within reach; and, unfortunately, too often make 
use of the loose fibre in the open boll, for this pur¬ 
pose ; and being gathered with the cotton, are cut 
up by the gin, staining and trashing the cotton 
very injuriously. 
The pupa is black or dark brown, and shining. 
From the moment it begins to spin, until it issues 
from the pupa, a perfect moth, is from eight to nine 
days of warm, seasonable weather. But if un¬ 
usually cool, it extends to a longer period ; even to 
weeks. Hence, I am inclined to think, that it is in 
the pupa state the insect is preserved over winter. 
In fact, there is no doubt that many are thus saved 
—the moths that are seen occasionally on a warm 
winter’s day, having been hatched prematurely by 
the unseasonable warmth of the weather, and 
quickly perish from cold and want of food. But 
whether we at all times receive our supply from 
this source; or whether (which I think quite as 
probable), they are not unfrequently brought on a 
gale of wind, from the W est Indies, Mexico, or the 
coast of Guiana, will be difficult to decide. My ob¬ 
servations lead me to the conclusion, that after a 
steady cold winter, we have the caterpillar early, 
and in abundance; and that after a mild or warm 
one, we have them, if at all, but partially, and late 
in the season. The pupa is frequently found dur¬ 
ing winter, safely sheltered under a scale of bark, 
between two evergreen leaves, under the splinter of 
a fence rail, or in a tuft of pine leaves. 
We find then, that during the summer, and par¬ 
ticularly if the weather be close, dark, and sultry, 
this insect increases and multiplies itself with great 
rapidity. One pair of moths saved over winter, 
actually produce in from four to five weeks, say 
400. If even half of that number escapes, we have 
in less than five, and often in four weeks, 40,000; 
wdiich again produce 4,000,000, whose progeny 
would destroy a whole crop. And I suspect that 
the actual progressive increase is greater than even 
this would show. 
I have this moment received a note from my 
overseer on Cold Spring plantation, in Wilkinson 
County, in this State, from which you must permit 
me to quote, though unwilling to intrude myself or 
my own concerns. “ The worms have finished the 
cotton. They have not left a leaf or young boll on 
it. I never saw cotton eaten so clean. I cannot 
make more than half a crop, if that.” He is an ex¬ 
perienced cautious man, and had a remarkably fine,, 
promising crop, though backward, of course, like 
every other this season, before the appearance of 
the worm. Thank heaven, I have plenty far my 
people to eat, at all events. The corn crop is gene 
rally good, in this region. 
