© SS GO? C?GvS Cornell University Library SB 608.C8G5 Insects. Insects frequenting the cotton-p 3 1924 018 329 189 x - , - The date shows when this volume was taken. Aua 1 ? fit* All books not in us e for instruction or re- search are limited to all borrowers. Volumes of periodi- cals and of pamphlets comprise so many sub- jects, that they are held in the library as much as possible. For spe- cial purposes they are given out for a limited time. Graduates and sen- iors are allowed five volumes for twoweeks. Other students may have two vols. from the circulating library for two weeks. Books not needed during recess periods should be returned to the library, or arrange- ments made for their ■ return, during borrow- er’s absence, if wanted. Books needed by more than one person are held on the reserve list. Books of special value ind gift books, when the giver wishes it, are not allowed to circulate. %5Z S6(=0§ C 9" G\ ^ o 34th Congress, ) HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, f Ex. Doc. lsi Session. \ \ No. 1-2. REPORT OP THE COMMISSIONER OE PATENTS FOR TITE YEAR 1855 AGRICULTURE. WASHINGTON: CORNELIUS WENDELL, PRINTER. 1856. p> S6 (, o 8 ^ o O DOMESTIC ANIMALS. 63 Statement of D. Minis , of Beaver Plain, Beaver county, Pennsylvania. Hogs are not mufch raised with us beyond the Wants of the county, nof being considered so profitable as other kinds of stock. The “ China’ ’ breed is the most, prevalent, though some keep the “Russian,” the latter of which aye not much esteemed on account of the cost of bring- ing them to maturity. Pork is worth from 5 to 8 cents a pound ; lard from 9 to 12J cents. Statement of Albert Hoopes, of West Chester, Chester county, Penn- sylvania. \J > / Hogs are raised here for home consumption, and a few for market. Several of the/ imported breeds have been tried, but all have given way to an ‘ 1 Improved Chester county” jiog. Swine are generally kepi in pastures during the summer, beiijg allowed the slops from the kitchen, and (the refuse milk from the dairy. When fattened with whole corn between the ages of six and eighteen months, they will gain about a pound a day. The price of pork is from 9 to 10 cents a pound. Statement of James E. Kendall, of Poplar Grove, Kanawha county Virginia. Hogs are regarded as indispensable stock in this county. Tlmy grow large, and do well on acorns and beech mast. The only at- tention required is to keep them tame. A cross of the Berkshire and China breeds suits us beat. POULTRY AND EGGS. CONDENSED CORRESPONDENCE. Statement of George P. Norris, of Newcastle, Newcastle county, Delaioaie. I have dtjvoted much time to the poultry department of the farm ; and, though present the great mania for large fowls appears to have subsided, it cannot be said that our people have not been bene- fited in Having their attention called to the improvement of the various breeds. The “ Large Shanghai ” fowls generally introduced throughout Lie country, are by no means the most, profitable. They are regular, but not extraordinary layers, and grow very rapidly, but. are enor- mous eaters. The principal benefit, to be derived from them will be the cross obtained between them and the smaller breeds. Of all the fancy fowls, I prefer either the “Black Spanish,” or the “ Polands. ” The former are handsome, of moderate size, hardy, 64 AGRICULTURAL REPORT. easily kept, and great layers, in consequence of which they have obtained the name of “ everlasting layers.” The Poland fowls resemble tlm .Spanish in everything except appearance. They are jet black; vdth a characteristic white top- knot, and are by many considered tile handsomest variety known. Having had sotne experience with each breed/1 can unhesitatingly recommend them, as they are well adapted to J/he wants of the farmers of the Middle States. I should have mentioned, however, that none of the breeds noticed above are gdod sitters ; therefore, a few hens of other breeds should be kept for the purpose of hatching the eggs of these, and rearing the young. INSECTS. INSECTS FREQUENTING THE COTTON-PLANT. BY TOWNEND GLOVER. The cotton-plant, furnishes food for numerous insects, 6ome of which feed exclusively upon the leaf, some upon the flower, while others destroy the young buds and bolls. It is my purpose to describe these insects, not in the order of their classification by natural families, but. according to the part of the plant they most generally frequent, or to which their ravages are chiefly confined. Thus, by referring to the parts injured, one can easily recognise the insects, or their lai vm, which attack them in any of the stages of their existence. Many of these insects at first appear in small numbers, and only become formidable in the second or third generation , for instance, if a female boll-worm produce 500 moths, one-half of which are males and the other half females, the next generation, if the increase be in the same ratio, will amount to 125,000 cattcrpillars or moths , and all this is accomplished in the space of a few weeks. It will there- fore be perceived that their destruction depends upon prompt and timely action ; and planters may materially aid in carrying out a work designed for their mutual benefit, by minutely observing the habits and characteristics of these pests of our fields, devising means for their destruction, and communicating the results of their ob- servations and experiments, through some appropriate channels, to the public. . Insects injurious to the cotton-plant consist of those very destruc- tive to the general crops, such as the boll-worm, cotton caterpillar, and some others ; and those which do comparatively little injury, their numbers thus far not being sufficiently great to cause much damage, such as the leaf-rolling caterpillar (tortrix) and several i INSECTS. 65 insects hereafter mentioned. There are still others, which do not materially injure the crop itself, such as the span-worm, and others which only feed upon the petals or pollen of the flowers. There are also many insects found in the cotton-fields which do no damage whatever to the plant, but merely feed upon weeds and grass grow- ing between the rows, such as the caterpillar of the Argynnis colum- bina, which feeds upon the passion-vine, and that of the Zanthidia niceppe, which sometimes devours the Maryland cassia, and produces the beautiful orange-colored butterflies, seen in vast numbers hover- ing over moist or wet places on the plantations. A class of insects which is highly beneficial, comprehends the larvae of the lady-bird, the ichneumon flics, and many others, that are ever on the search for living victims amongst the noxious tribes, and which serve to keep the numbers of the latter within proper bounds. Thus, it is highly necessary to be able to recognise the injurious from the comparatively innoxious as well as the useful insects, and I have therefore thought proper to describe and figure most of those which infest the cotton-fields, as many of them feed upon or injure the plants in one state or another ; and, although they may do but little injury at first, yet, were they to multiply as fast as some others, they would eventually become as great a nuisance as the boll-worm is at present. According to a communication from Colonel Whitner, of Tallahassee, in Florida, the latter insect was scarcely known in that region before the year 1841 ; but it has since increased to such an ex- tent as to cause an immense yearly loss to the planters. Several methods of destroying insects on plantations and elsewhere have been recommended, one of which is the use of fire or burning torches. The innumerable myriads of nocturnal moths, being attracted by the lights, burn their wings as they hover around, and are either destroyed at once, or disabled from flying about to deposit their eggs in distant parts of the field. A species of lantern has been used for entrapping such as are attracted by light, and with some success. It is formed of a top, bottom, and back, made of wood, with a glass front and sides, a little more than a foot square, according to the size of the glasses used. The front is supported by a pillar at each corner \ on the inside of the back of the lantern is fastened a tin or glass reflector. The three glazed sides consist of two panes, slid- ing in grooves, made in the top and bottom boards, and meeting in the middle at an angle of about 1‘20°, instead of one pane, as in com- mon lanterns. These panes can be slipped in and out, so as to leave a space open between them, larger or smaller as may be desired. A lamp is placed in the centre of the bottom, protected from insects and wind by a common glass chimney, which protrudes through a hole in ,the top. All the bottom of the box inside of the glass having been previously cut away, excepting a circular place on which to put the lamp, it is then deposited on a vessel or barrel covered with cloth, having an aperture cut in it corresponding with the bottom of the box, and the vessel beneath, containing molasses, or some other ad- hesive substance. The insects which may be flying about will be immediately attracted by the light, and approach the angle of the panes until they shall have entered the aperture, when, once within, 6 AGRICULTURAL REPORT. 66 and not being able to fly out again, they will come in contact with the heated glass chimney, and thus be precipitated into the vessel beneath, in which they will perish. Another plan, which it is hoped may, upon experiment, be found applicable to the enemies of the cotton-plant, has lately been reported as having proved efficient as a means of destroying the tobacco-worm, in h lorida. This worm is the larva of a large moth commonly known by the name of the “tobacco-fly,” ( Spliynx Carolina,) which is in the habit of feeding upon the nectar, or honey, contained in flowers, over which it may often be seen in the evening, poised in the air in a manner similar to that of the humming bird, making a buzzing noise with its wings, and busily employed in extracting the sweets by means of its long trunk. As it had been previously observed that these moths are particu- larly fond of the Jamestown weed, ( Datura stramonium ,) a plan adopted in Florida as an effectual means of destroying them, and which it is said has succeeded to a considerable extent, has been com- municated to this Office by Mr. Jesse Wood, of Mount Pleasant, in that State, who says: — “About five years ago, Mr. Igdaliah Wood, of this vicinity, en- deavored to poison the fly that produces the horn-worm, by applying a preparation of cobalt and sweetened water to the flower of the tobacco-plant. He found some difficulty in consequence of the cup of this flower not being in a favorable position to retain the poison. Mr. George Sunday next tried the bloom of the gourd-vine with bet- ter success. Mr. E. Johnson afterwards used the Jamestown weed, which answered the expectation of the most sanguine. The prepara- tion consists of about a pint of water, a gill of molasses or honey, and an ounce of cobalt. After inserting a quill through the cork of the bottle, he let fall a few drops of this mixture into the cup of the flower about sunset. As this poison will soon kill the stalk of the James- town weed, the best plan is to break off the blossoms, make a hole in the ground, and place them in it. It is thought that the flies find them quicker than when left upon the stalks. It is certain to destroy the moths, although they frequently live until ten o’clock the next day, notwithstanding they are disabled from flying or depositing their eggs soon after taking the poison. “I consider this discovery of immense value to tobacco planters, and, if it or any similar method should lead to the destruction of the cotton caterpillar and boll-worm, which is highly probable would be the case, it will be of incalculable benefit.” From this statement, it will be seen that, if such a plan is really of utility when applied to the cotton-fly, there can be no reason why it should not answer also in regions where honey-bees are not kept, for all such insects as are attracted by sweet substances ; and it is to be hoped that experiments will be made the ensuing season, and re- ported for the public good. The thing to be chiefly desired now is. to find out the favorite food of the particular kind of insect to be destroyed ; then to discover and use some efficient poison for the accomplishment of the purpose. If, however, birds should perish INSECTS. 67 from feeding upon these poisoned insects, it will somewhat militate against the advantages of the plan. # , Several experiments were made in Florida by the writer, on the utility of using arsenic, cohalt, and strychnine, as means of destroying insects, some few of which succeeded, while many failed. In severa instances, the insects would not touch the mixture at all. Honey or sugar and rum, when rubbed on the bark of trees, will attract and intoxicate several species of insects, and might sometimes be advantageously used. Many planters nithebouthern States re- commend the berries of the “China-tree, or Pride ot China, (Melta azederach,) to be put around cabbage-plants, in order to prevent the attack of the cut-worm ; and, as it is already known that these benies have an intoxicating effect upon the robins which eat so freely of them, they may have the same narcotic properties when applied to insects It is at least worth while to make the experiment. Whale- oil soap, mixed with water, in proper proportions thrown upon plants infested with plant-lice (aphides) is almost certain to destroy them. Flour of sulphur is stated to be useful when applied to grape-vines, or any other plants which are infested with the red spider or are attacked by a fungoid growth. A mixture of a gallon of water a gallon of whiskey or other spirit, and four ounces ot aloes, was highly recommended in Florida as a certain remedy against the attacks ot the orange scale insects ; but, with some who have tried it, although all the insects appeared to be destroyed, in a few weeks they reappeared, showing that the wash would have to be continually repeated until all the eggs under the scales had hatched and t o younger broods were killed. Perhaps the same mixture might be successfully used for several other kinds of insects. But, while so many artificial modes are recommended to accomplish the destruction of insects, planters are very apt to overlook the great daily benefits derived from other agents which have been kindly pro- vided by Nature to check their undue increase. These agents are the birds, which constantly destroy them in any of their varied forms, larva pupa or perfect insect. Mocking-birds and bee-martins catch and destroy the boll-worm moth, and many others, even on the wing when the latter first appear upon the plantations, and thus materially diminish their numbers. If the fields are ploughed in the fall many insects and chrysalides, which would otherwise come out m safety in the spring, are turned to the top of the furrow-slice, and either fall a prey to the ever-busy birds, or perish from exposure to the wintry fr °The nimble and graceful lizards of the South also act beneficially to the planter, as they are constantly on the alert, and catching every insect that chances to alight in tlieir way. loads, also, do much loot as they wander principally during the morning and evening hours, as well as in cloudy weather, and entrap insects by means ot their viscid tongues. Such benefactors as these should be preserved, and not injured or killed as they often are. One pair ot wrens c blue-birds in a Northern garden, or of mocking-buds, on a Southern Station will accomplish more in uestroying insects injurious to vegetation' than can bl imagined h, one who has not studied their 68 AGRICULTURAL REPORT. habits, or watched them with attention, when busily engaged in searching under every leaf, or in every fissure of the bark, for their insect prey. INSECTS FOUND UPON THE STALK. I THE CUT-WORM. < I have not been able this year (1855) to procure specimens of the worms which cut off the young plants early in the season, (PI. VI., fig. 1,) as I arrived in the region of cotton-fields after their ravages had ceased; but, from the authority of able and scientific planters, I am induced to believe that they are very similar in habits and appearance to many of the cut-worms of the gardens, which penetrate the earth close to a plant, and at night emerge from their retreats to gnaw it off at or near the ground. A gentleman in Florida, who had been troubled with this pest, in- formed me that a particular spot of four or five acres in his field had been literally thronging with cut-worms, so that most of the plants were either eaten off or destroyed, and that, finally, fearing the loss of his whole crop, he turned into the enclosure some twenty or thirty young pigs, which soon discovered the worms, rooted them up in great numbers, and fattened on the unaccustomed diet. The cotton was not injured, as the pigs were too young to root deep enough to destroy the plants. The pigs remained where the tvorms were to be found, never troubling any other portions of the field, and their strong E owers of scent enabled them to detect their insect prey even when uried in the earth. Should the moths of this cut-worm be like those of their congeners of the North, and attracted by light, it might be well to use a lantern like that already described, or to ascertain the favorite substance upon which they feed, and poison them, as suggested in the case of the to- bacco-fly. INSECTS FOUND ON THE LEAF THE COTTON-LOUSE. (Aphis ?) < When the cotton-plant is very young and tender, it is particularly subject to the attacks of the cotton-louse, (PI. VI. fig. 2,) which, by means of its piercer, penetrates the outer coating, or parenchyma of the leaf or tender shoots, and sucks the sap from the wound. Hie under part of the leaves or young shoots are the places mostly selected, and the constant punctures and consequent drainage of sap enfeebles INSECTS. 69 the plant and causes the leaf to curl up, turn yellew, and subsequently fall to the ground. The young lice are extremely minute, and of a greenish color ; but when they become older, they are about a tenth of an inch in length, and often dark green ; but, in some instances they are almost black. It is conjectured that the color somewhat depends upon the health of the plant as well as that of the insect, 01 perhaps, upon their food, as I have seen green and black lice promis- cuously feeding upon the same plant. The female produces her young alive throughout the summer, when she may often be seen surrounded by her numerous progeny, sucking the juice from the leaves and still producing young. Some naturalists state that the females, late in the fall, produce eggs for the generation of the next spring. If so, it is in order to preserve the species, as the insects themselves are easily killed by frost and cold ; and their increase would be incalculable were it not that Nature has provided many enemies among the insect tribes to prevent their too rapid multiplication. Both males and females are said to possess wings at certain seasons ; but the females and young in summer appear to be wingless. The end of the abdo- men of both sexes is provided with two slender tubes, rising like horns from the back, from which often exudes the “honey-dew,” or sweet gummy substance, seen sticking to the upper sides of the leaves be- neath them, and which forms the favorite food of myriads of ants. Although young plants are mostly attacked, yet I have seen old “stands” in Georgia, with their young shoots, completely covered with this pest as late as November. The principal insects that destroy the aphides are the lady-bird, the lace-fly and the syrphus, all of which wage incessant war upon them, and devour all they can find. Another fly, the ichneumon, likewise lays an egg in the body of the louse, which, hatching into a grub, devours the inside of the still living insect until it eventually dies, clinging to the leaf even in death, and the fly makes its appearance from the old skin of the aphis. When old cotton-plants are suffering from the attacks of the louse, many planters cause their tops to be cut off and burned, and by so doing partially succeed in destroying them ; yet, when we consider that”by this method, many young blossoms and “forms” must like- wise’ be destroyed, it must be confessed that the remedy is almost as bad as the disease. In a garden or green-house, a solution of whale- oil soap, from a syringe, showered upon the upper and under parts of the foliage, has been used with much advantage ; yet, upon the ex- tended scale of a cotton plantation, such a remedy is altogether im- practicable, and, until we can collect further information upon this 'ubject from intelligent planters, we must rest content with the in- ti net of our insect allies. i GRASSHOPPERS. ( Locusta ?) Grasshoppers, or, more properly speaking, “ locusts,” occasionally do much damage to young cotton-plants, as they not only feed upon 70 AO R1CULTUKAI. It BPOKT . the tender leaves ; but have been caught in the very act of devouring the petals of the flowers in the fields of Georgia, as late as the month of November ; but, as at this time the grass on which they usually feed abounds between the rows, the damage done by them to the general crop is but slight. Several species of grasshoppers, or locusts, infest old cotton and grass-fields, some of them being of large size and possessing great powers of flight. (PI. VI. fig. 3.) It may, however, be observed, that the true locust is not the insect generally known by that name in the United States, which is in reality a harvest-fly, (cicada,) usually inhabiting trees, where it makes an incessant buzzing noise which may be heard at a great distance during the summer and autumnal evenings. The shape of the harvest-fly is much clumsier and broader than that of the real locust, and the under wings are not folded up like a fan, under a wing-case, but transparent, stiff", and veined. The real locust is similar to the grasshopper in shape, but the body is more robust, the antennae shorter, and its flight much longer and more vigorous. Its under-wings, also, when at rest, are folded up in fan-like plaits under the outer wing-covers. Grasshoppers and locusts are produced from eggs as perfect insects, with legs and antennae. They are able to run about and leap with great agility, but are en- tirely destitute of the rudiments of wings, except in the pupa state. It is only the perfect insects which are able to perpetuate their kind. They are generally furnished with ample wings which enable them to fly from field to field. Grasshoppers and locusts do much harm, when very numerous, to grass and vegetables, and even to fruit-trees, as well as to cotton. Turkeys, ducks, and other fowls feed upon them with great avidity, and are very useful in diminishing their numbers. In some of the Northern States, they have been destroyed by means of sheets spread upon poles, so as to sweep them into a bag fastened behind, which is drawn over the fields infested by them ; they are then killed by means of boiling water or fire. THE LEAF-HOPPER. ( Tettigoma ?) The leaves of the cotton-plant are often injured by the leaf-hopper. (PI. VI. fig. 4.) This small insect is found upon the plant in the larva, pupa and perfect state. In all these forms, it sucks the sap from the leaf, causing small diseased and whitish-looking spots, much disfiguring the foliage, and injuring the plant itself, when the insects are very numerous. They are also found in great numbers on grape- vines, in Florida, and injure the foliage to a considerable degree. The perfect insects are very small, measuring only from one-tenth to three-twentieths of an inch in length. The head is somewhat cres- cent-shaped, of a green color, with two red spots on the upper surface. The thorax is also green, with two crescent-shaped spots of red on each side of a small red spot in the centre. The wing-cases are green, with two stripes or bands of red, running parallel down each wing- INSECTS. 71 case, from the thorax to the upper margin, where they form an acute angle. The legs are yellowish-green, the hinder pair being much longer than the others, and furnished with bristles on the tibia. In the larva state, they are able to leap with great agility ; but it is only in the perfect state that they are able to fly, the under-wings being hidden by the wing-cases, and not perfectly developed in the larvaj or pup*. There are several species of these insects found upon cotton, which it will not be necessary here to describe, as their natural his- tory and habits are nearly the same. In using the lantern already described, it was found that thousands of these small insects were attracted from some grape-vines in an ad- joining field. The use of fires or lights may therefore be recom- mended to destroy them, when they become very numerous, although, as regards the cotton, they are not often found on it in numbers suf- ficient to do much harm. THE COTTON CATERPILLAR (Noctua zylina.) The leaves of the plant are sometimes entirely devoured by what is commonly known to planters as the “cotton caterpillar,” or “cotton army-worm.” (PI. VI. fig. 5.) It does not appear every year in immense numbers, but at uncertain intervals. This season, (1855,) it first made its appearance in the vicinity of Tallahassee about the month of August, on the plantation of Mr. Hunter, and then spread gradually through the rest of the plantations in that re- gion. In October, it had already committed considerable ravages in several of the cotton-fields, not so severe, however, as had been anticipated, though the crops on several plantations were somewhat injured. The perfect insect, or fly, when at rest, is of a triangular shape, the head forming one, and the extremities of the wings the other two angles. The color of the upper-wings is reddish-grey, a dark spot with a whitish centre appearing in the middle of each. The under- wings are of a dark reddish-grey. The moth of this caterpillar loses much of its greyish cast when it becomes older, and the down has been rubbed from the wings. It then assumes more of a reddish tinge. The perfect flies, or moths, are easily attracted by lights, and may be found resting in the day-time on the walls or ceilings of rooms, attracted there, no doubt, by the candles or lamps on the evening be- fore. If undisturbed, they will remain motionless during the day; but, as night approaches, they fly oil’ with much vigor and strength. When in the open air, they may be found among and under the leaves of the cotton-plant, as well as those of the weeds which surround the plantation. The eggs are deposited principally on the under sides of the leaves, but often upon the outer calyx ; and I have even found them, when very numerous, upon the stem itself. 72 AGRICULTURAL REPORT. Wherever these caterpillars were very abundant, I counted from ten to fifteen eggs on a single leaf, which are very small, and difficult to be distinguished from the leaves themselves, on account of their green color. In shape, the eggs are round and flat, and, when exam- ined under a microscope, they appear regularly furrowed or ribbed. I heir color, when freshly deposited, is of a beautiful semi-transparent sea-green. They are closely attached to the leaf on which they are laid I am thus particular to state this, because, in an able article published some time ago, it was alleged that “the egg is fixed upon the leaf by a small filament attached by a glutinous substance.’’ I Ins mistake might the more easily be made by any person who had not himself observed the eggs when hatching, as that of the lace-wing fly is held by such a filament, and, moreover, is found in similar situations on the leaves, but generally with or near a colony of plant lice, where the instinct of the parent lace-wing fly teaches it to de- posit its eggs, and thus provide for a supply of fresh food for the young larvie, which feed upon and destroy millions of the cotton-lice. There is a great difference also between the eggs of the caterpillar moth and those of the boll-worm moth, the first being, "as before stated, round and flattened in shape, and green in color, whereas those of the boll- worm moth are not flat, but more of an ovoid shape, and of a dirty-ycJ- lowish tinge. I cannot state exactly what time is required to hatch ’the eggs after they have been laid by the parent fly, as I could not succeed in procuring any from the moths hatched and kept in confinement, although carefully preserved for the purpose. Dr. Capers says that it requires from fourteen to twenty days ; but the eggs I found in the fields invariably hatched within a week from the time they were brought into the house. However, this must depend a great deal upon the state of the atmosphere and the warmth of the season. The young caterpillars, when hatched, very soon commence feeding upon the parenchyma, or soft, fleshy part of the leaves, and continue to do so until they become sufficiently large, and strong enough to eat the leaf itself. They are able to suspend themselves by a silken thread ion shaken from the plant. They change their skins several times before attaining their full growth, when they measure from one and a half to nearly two inches in length. The first brood of caterpillars, in August and September, were all of a green color, with narrow, longi- udinal light stripes along each side of their bodies, and two broader light-yellowish stripes along each side of their backs, down the centre of each of which was one distinct, narrow, lighf^colored line. Each of the broader bands was marked with two black spots on each seg- ment ; and on each segment of the sides were three or more dark dots 1 he head was yellowish-green, spotted with black. The caterpillars of the second and third generations are of a much darker color than those of the first; their under parts are more of a yellowish-o-reen and their sides sometimes of a purple cast; their backs are black* with three distinct light-colored lines running down their length ; and their heads are also darker, and of a yellowish-brown, spotted with UldC K . The question naturally arises, What causes this change of color in the latter part of the season, since the moths hatched from the lightest INSECTS. they subsist - but ^ S Xrr e vidently of the second or third gener, he ThiLaterp U inar is furnished with six pectoral, eight ventral, and two .JuXoPSkowever, the two Tp^ZS feet small, and apparently useless, so that its mode 0 * P o somewhat resembles that of the span-worm, or looper, of the North, days after the caterpillar has attained its full size" it ceases to feed" It' then doubles down the ed webbing severafleaves together, fonnin/thereby ajery^oosely-spun green^ but^n'a'short^time^fter langesUThestnut-bro’wn, or even t0 Tlm°first^brood I raised, were fifteen days in the chrysalis state, be- attributed entirely to the cold weather, and non-exposure to the sun. Th f fart would tend to show that the hatching ot the chrysalis may ^ delayed, Py P-uliar circumstances, until long after the natural ‘“The tail of the chrysalis is furnished with sever ^ inward, by means of which it is enabled to hold fast to the loose web of which the cocoon is formed, while emerging from the chry gall skin, or, in case of accident, to prevent it from falling out ot the co C ° There 'have^been many ^fwHtemarsh T Seabrook Society in South Carolina, in which he says : T ha - the cottoi a mm field. In the winter of 1825, Benjamin Reynolds, of St. John s. 74 AGRICULTURAL REPORT. ton, found them in the woods, principally on the cedar-hush, encased alive in their cover, impervious to water, and secured to a twig by a thread. The pupae, wrapped in cotton leaves, from their bleak ex- posure, invariably die on the approach of cold weather.” From what was stated to me by some of the best planters in Flori- da, last summer, it wop Id seem that this caterpillar appears on their plantations more or less, almost, if not every year, and sometimes in a most unaccountable manner. Mr. E. Richards, of Cedar Keys, furnishes a statement which would seem to prove that it is migratory in its hahits, as there is no other method of accounting for its sudden presence, except that, having previously existed on some other plant, or weed, it had left it for food more congenial to its taste, although it has been asserted that the real caterpillar will eat nothing but cotton. Ho says : “The last of July, 1845, these caterpillars made their appearance in a small field of three or four acres of Sea-Island cotton, planted on Way Key, as an experiment to see if cotton could be advantageously cultivated on the Keys, no other cotton having been previously planted within 80 miles of them ; but the whole crop was devoured. The caterpillar was at the same time destroying the cotton in the interior of the country.” in a statement made this season by Mr. William Munroe, of Gads- den ~ounty, Florida, to the Agricultural Department of the Patent Oflice, lie appears to think Sea-Island cotton not so liable to bo attacked as the short-staple, when the two varieties are planted to- gether. In his letter he says: “I observed, when I had two fields of cotton adjoining, the one short-staple and the other Sea-Island, and the cotton caterpillars made their appearance, that they always destroyed the short-staple cotton first. Four years ago, my crop was destroyed by the worm, and at that time they ate every green leaf on the short-staple cotton before they attacked the Sea-Island. This year (1855) my short-staple crop was destroyed by the worm, on the Appalachicola river, and I observed that after the short-staple crop was all eaten, several Sea-Island stalks in the field, at a little dis- tance, seemed to be uninjured ; but, upon close examination, it was tound that the worm had just commenced upon them. My impres- sion, from the above observation is, that, if we in this country were to confine ourselves to the production of the Sea-Island cotton, the attack of the caterpillar would be much less frequent, or would probably altogether cease.” In regard to the periodical visitations of these caterpillars, Dr. Gapers remarks that their first appearance, as destroyers of cotton, was in the year 1800, and that, in 1804, the crops were almost destroyed by them. A snow-storm occurred, however, and swept them away ; but they were found the succeeding seasons, though in smaller num- bers. In 1825, they were spreading, but perished again by a storm. In 1820, they destroyed the crops. The first notice of them in this year was on the first of August, at St. Helena. Soon after, they were found on all the seacoast, from New Orleans to North Carolina. On the 23d of the same month, they had destroyed almost all the cotton leaves, but suddenly left the plant, though not for the purpose of webbing, as many of them were young. The cause of their sudden INSECTS. 75 disappearance is stated to have been that they weretoomuchexoed to the powerful effects of the sun, in consequence of the plants being nearly destitute of foliage, and not protecting them from its dnect ^ Colonel Benjamin F. Whitner, of Tallahassee, has also written an interesting article on the depredations of this caterpillar in that vicinity. S “In 1835,” says he, “the crops were entirely exempt from the ravages of the caterpillar. In 1836, it appeared by the firs? of oSbJ.but did no harm. In 1837 no mention is made of it These notes were made in Madison county, biorida. Colonel Whitner then moved to Leon county, in the same btate, where, in 1838, the caterpillar appeared early in August. I lie second brood stripped the plants by the 20th of September, and were so numerous that, after devouring the entire foliage, thev barked the limbs and stalks, and ate out bolls nearly grown. In 1839, they were e?s numerous, and appeared late. In 1840, they came out from the 15th to the 20th of July, and, by the 6th of September, the plants were stripped of their leaves and young bolls, so that the entire crop was less than half of the average of other years In l^l th's cater; pillar was seen in Madison county from the 15th to the 20th of Au gust, and in Leon county between the 20th of August and the lst of Sentember. The loss was serious, comprising probably one-htth of the crop In 1842, no damage was done. In 1843, they appeared near Tallahassee on the 1st of August, and plantations were stripped bv the 15th of September. The crop was cut off from one-third to two-fifths by the caterpillar and storm. In 1844, the cotton-worm was found webbed up on the 13th of July, and by the loth ot Sep- tember some plantations were entirely denuded ; yet, m other parts of the county, the ravages were only partial. In 1845, there was no appearance of the caterpillar. In 1846, it was found webbed up by tfe 7th of July. The second brood began to web up on the 26th of that month ; and by the 20th, the parts of the field m which the worm was first seen were found to be eaten out, and the fly , the worms, large and small and the chrysalides, were discovered at the same time, a of things never observed before. By the 5 th of September, the damage amounted to a loss of more than one-half of the crop. In 1847 although the fly was seen on the 16th of July, no injury was done to the crop. In 1848, it was but slightly injured ; but the year 1849 was particularly marked by the ravages of the catei pillar, as well as that of 1852. Colonel Whitner further observes that these worms appear in suc- cessive broods, and accomplish the cycle of their transformations in from twenty-six to thirty days, which has also been corroborated by ^^caterpillar hatched from the egg, under my own inspection, how- ever passed twenty days before webbing up ; but, as it had been kept in confinement in a cold room, most probably the growth was not so rapid as it would have been in the open air and exposed to the warmth of the sun. The skin was shed five times during the period ot its growth, and on the twentieth day, the caterpillar began its web. 76 AGRICULTURAL REPORT. In a very interesting communication from Mr. E. N. Fuller of E'hsto Island, South Carolina, he describes the depredations of the caterpillar in lus neighborhood as follows : t;nnJ n f 1 + 8 i 40 ’u I m iSCOVCre i their rava o es > confined to the luxuriant por- tions of the fields near the seacoast of this Island. The larva; were destroyed in the latter part of September. In 1843, they were first leard of by the 1st of September, when their ravages, limited as in 1840, were quite perceptible at some distance. A frost on the 18th of that month probably destroyed them. In 1846, they appeared on the 20 th of July; and by the 10th of September, I suppose there was scarcely a cotton leaf or any tender portion of the plants remaining and the worms not fully grown deserted the ravaged fields in millions in search of food, failing to find which they died from starvation The ?Q 0 ^ 0 !i thl8 x l8la ?, d Was about 40 P er cent - of an average one. In 184J, the caterpillars made their first appearance on the 22d of Au- gust ; their ravages this year, being confined to the low spots, caused no injury of moment. In 1852, they were found on the 10th of Au- omi*’ "A?* 40 mi 68 t0 , the southward, and on this Island about the 20th of the same month. They disappeared here, however, without doing injury. ’ i o« Thl i . 8 the / haVG a PP eared at regular intervals of three years. In 18 °e, when they were again looked for, an intense drought from the early part of July was sufficient to prevent their increase, had they made their appearance. The old planters say that, in 1804 and in years appeared as in 1846 ; that is > in Periods of twenty-one c ‘A 8 ” ear a ? 4 , can .l^dge, not having made any record, the length o time from the hatching of the egg to the chrysalis is twelve days * remaining four days in the chrysalis state and six days more to the hatching of the egg. This seems to be the case in a season of mois- slow ' ieat ; without which, their progress would probably be more Among the many remedies recommended for this fly, or moth, fires and lights in the fields have been highly spoken of as attracting ami destroying the miller. But even this may have its disadvantages as Colonel Whitner, who has tried it, states that “ it not only attracts the flies from other plantations, but that multitudes of moths perished in the flames.” An article likewise appeared in some of the Southern papers, not long since, recommending white cotton flags about a yard square, to be placed in the field, by which the moths are attracted, and upon which they deposit their eggs. Plates similar to those recommended for the boll-worm have also been used with partial success. But, to destroy this pest, it will be necessary to as- certain exactly the date of the appearance of the first moths, and then to exterminate them in the best manner, and as quickly as possible Could not some favorite aliment be found on which the moth prefers to feed, as in the case of the tobacco-fly, and then poison them with some effective agent P This would at once rid the fields of the first broods of moths, the progeny of which, in the second and third gene- rations, might devastate half the fertile plantations of the South INSECTS. 77 THE GRASS CATERPILLAR. Another insect, (PI. VI. fig. 6,) which is often found in cotton- fields, and mistaken for the real cotton-caterpillar, is commonly known by the trivial name of the “ grass-worm,” or “ caterpillar,” owing to the circumstance of its most natural food consisting of grass and weeds, although, when pressed by hunger, it will sometimes eat the leaf of the cotton-plant. _ . . . These caterpillars were very numerous in the vicinity oi Colum- bus, in Georgia, about the end of September and the beginning of October, 1854. They devoured grass, young grain, and al- most every green thing which came in their path. Instances have been known in which, urged as they were by necessity and starvation, they actually devoured stacks of fodder that were stored away for winter consumption. Deep ditches cut in the earth to stop them were immediately filled up by the multitudes which fell in and per- ished, while eager millions still rushed over the trembling and half- living bridge, formed by the bodies of their late companions, bent on their mission of destruction and devastation. These caterpillars do no essential injury to the cotton, especially when weeds abound, as they content themselves with the grass grow- ing between the rows ; and, unless very numerous, they cannot be classed among those doing much harm to the general crop, and are mentioned here principally as having been so frequently mistaken for the real cotton-caterpillar. When pressed by necessity, however, as has already been stated, they will feed upon cotton leaves. I raised about thirty of them upon this food alone, merely as an experiment, and they grew and perfected their transformations, although appear- ing to prefer a grass diet if it could be obtained. When about to change, they formed cocoons of silk under stones or in the ground near the surface, interwoven with particles of earth, and came out perfect moths from the 24th to the 30th of October ; and, as these specimens were kept in a room without artificial heat, I conjectuied that those in the open fields would appear about the same time. At a plantation in the vicinity of Columbus, where the cater- pillars were very numerous, and had already devoured all the grass on one side of a field, which was divided into two equal parts by a broad and sandy carriage-road passing through the centre of it, the grass on the other side having been untouched, it was interest- ing to observe the operations of numerous colonies of ants that had formed their holes or nests in the road, and were lying in wait for any unfortunate grass-worm, the natural desire ol which for a iresh supply of food, should tempt it to cross this dangerous path. First, one ant more vigilant than the rest would rush to the attack ; then another, and another, until the poor caterpillar, entirely covered by its pigmy foes, and completely exhausted in strength by its unavail- 78 AGRICULTURAL REPORT. ing efforts to escape, was finally obliged to succumb to superior num- bers and die as quietly as possible, when the carcass was immediately carried off by the captors to their nests, or, when too heavy to be dragged away at once, they fed upon it as it lay in the road. This warfare was carried on every day as long as the grass-worms prevailed, and no doubt their numbers were diminished in this way to a con- siderable extent. The grass-caterpillars, when in confinement, very often kill and devour each other ; and, when one is maimed in the least, it stands a very poor chance for its life. Several intelligent planters state that, when the grass and weeds are entirely devoured, and no other vegetable food is to be found, they will attack each other and feed upon the still living and writhing bodies of their former companions. One grass-caterpillar, which was kept in confinement, although fur- nished with an abundance of green food, actually appeared to prefer to feed upon other caterpillars, no matter of what kind, so long as their bodies were not defended by long, bristling hairs, or spines. The grass-caterpillar is from an inch and a half to an inch and three-quarters in length. A longitudinal light-brownish line runs down the centre, and two yellow lines along each side of the back, which is somewhat veined with black lines, and is of a dark color, marked with black spots, from each of which grows a short bristle, or hair. Below these yellow stripes, the sides are of a dark color, almost black ; beneath this, extends a light-colored line, in which the spiracles are placed ; the lower part of the body is of a dirty green, spotted with black ; the head is black, marked with two lines of a yellowish color, forming an angle on the top ; the body is somewhat hairy. This caterpillar has six pectoral, eight ventral, and two anal feet. The above description applies only to the brightest-colored speci- mens of the grass-worm, as they vary much in color and markings, some ot them being almost black, and showing indiscriminately their stripes. The chrysalis is brownish-black, and is formed in a cocoon of silk under the ground, the sand and small pebbles being so inter- woven with it as to cause the whole cocoon to appear like an ovoid ball of earth ; but it is never found webbed up in the leaves, as is the case with the true cotton-caterpillar, already described. The moth measures about an inch and one-fifth across the wings when they are expanded ; the upper-wings are grey, slightly clouded with a darker color, and a lighter spot or ring is faintly seen in the centre; the under-wings are of a yellowish-white, shaded with grey along the margin near the upper wings. Specimens of these caterpillars were brought to me when at Sa- vannah, in Georgia, and they were suspected to have injured the rice in that vicinity in the month of June. Colonel Whitner, of Talla- hassee, in his interesting communication to this Office, speaks of the grass-caterpillar as having stripped fields of grass, in 1845, and also as attacking the corn, sugar-cane and upland rice. It has likewise been said that an insect similar, if not identical with the grass-cater- pillar, destroys the leaves of the sweet potato. Thus it appears to be almost omnivorous, and not choice i'll its selection of food, like the INSECTS. 79 true cotton-caterpillar, which is believed to confine itself to the cotton- plant alone. . . . The grass-worm cannot he classed among those insects very inju- rious to cotton, although instances have been known where it has destroyed the foliage to some extent. It is more especially mentioned here as being found in cotton-fields, and often confounded with th e true cotton-caterpillar. The difference, however, is more plainly described under the head of the latter. The same remedies are applicable to this insect as have been sug- gested for the boll-worm caterpillar, or any other night-flying moth. THE RED SPIDER. ( Acarus ?) Much injury is done to the cotton-leaf by a minute red spider, (PI. VI. fig. 7,) which presents very much the appearance of inci- pient r ust,° except that the leaf is of a more rusty-brown in spots, instead of the bright-yellow of the real rust. This red spider prin- cipally attacks the under side of the leaf, the spots caused by its punctures turning brown, and finally increasing until it is completely stung all over, and falls from the plant. This insect is extremely minute, and when on the leaf, it can scarcely be discerned by the naked eye. Some of the young appear to be of a greenish cast; but, when theyare advanced in age, the abdomen assumes a dark crimson shade, with darker maroon spots upon its upper surface. The legs, which are hairy, are eight in number. ... . . .... This family of the mites (acan) do much injury to vegetable life, as they are so extremely minute as to escape the notice of the super- ficial observer. When they infest grape-houses, or rose-bushes, it has been recommended to dust the leaves while moist with flour of sulphur. THE DROP OR HANG-WORM. ( CEceticus ?) The “drop-worm,” as it is commonly called, (PI. VI. fig. 8,) is occasionally found upon the cotton-leaf, but generally infests the arbor-vitie, larch, and hemlock-spruce. It is also found upon many of the deciduous-leaved trees, such as the linden, negundo, and maple. Dr. Harris states that the female worm never quits her case, but lays her eggs in the skin of the chrysalis, in which she herself also remains until the eggs are all deposited, when she closes the end with down, and crawls out of the case and dies. These eggs being hatched the young worms, after they are hatched, make little silken cocoons,’ open at both ends, and are covered with fragments of leaves, twio-s &c., in which they conceal themselves, and drag them about wherever they move. These cases are enlarged as the insects increase in size, and are still carried about by the worms. When they change 80 AGRICULTURAL REPORT. their places, they protrude their heads, the first three segments of the body, and six legs, from one end of the case ; but, when the insects wish to rest, each case is fastened by a few threads to the leaf or branch, and they retreat within. When shaken from the tree hv an accident or by high winds, the worms are able to suspend them- selves by means of small threads, and hang in the air ; hence the name. When young, they are often blown from tree to tree, and thus carried to a considerable distance from the place where they were hatched. The males and their cases are much smaller than those of the fe males, the worm being only about an inch in length. The first three segments of the body are whitish, marked with black lines and spots, the segments where they join are brownish; the head is marked with wavy lines of black on a white ground; the rest of the body is of a dirty, blackish-green. It has six pectoral feet, by means of which it moves from leaf to leaf, with its body and case, the latter either per- pendicularly suspended in the air or dragged by the worm from be- hind. There are eight very small ventral, and two anal feet, by means of which it clings to the inside of the case. The chrysalis measures about three-quarters of an inch in length, and contains the rudiments of wings, legs, head, and antennae, like other moths, and is of a dark-brown. The perfect moth comes out in autumn, and mea sures across the expanded wings about an inch and three-twentieths Its body is downy, and of a blackish-brown ; the wings arc semi transparent, and scantily clothed with blackish scales, which art blackest on the margins and veins ; the antennae are covered at their tips, and are doubly feathered from the base to beyond the middle. The female is much larger than the male, and never leaves her case, but changes into the perfect insect in the shell of the chrysalis, and only emerges from it when the eggs are laid within. The young, after leaving their maternal case, in the spring, immediately com- mence their cases, and spread over the native tree or any others that may happen to stand near. These insects are a great nuisance wherever 'they once get estab- lished, as they are exceedingly prolific. One female chrysalis case, which was dissected, contained seven hundred and ninety eggs, while others have been found to contain nearly a thousand. These pests are very rarely seen on the cotton-plant, and even when such is the case, they may have been blown there from the ce- dars, maples, or other deciduous-leaved trees in the woods on the edges of the plantations. They are the more particularly mentioned here, from the fact that, if taken in time, they may easily be exter- minated on deciduous-leaved shade-trees ; for, as I have before stated, the female cases contain all the eggs, which may be seen in winter hanging on the branches when the leaves have fallen, and even are' large enough to be distinguished when on evergreens. Tt would therefore require but little trouble to pull them off in the autumn and winter, and burn them, so that neither males nor females should escape. If this course were pursued two or three years in succession, there would not be so many complaints in our cities about the drop- worms destroying the foliage of the trees. INSECTS. 81 CDR CORN EMPEROR-MOTH. ( Satumia to.) The foliage of the cotton-plant is also eaten hy the caterpillar of a large moth, denoted on PI. VI. fig. 9. This spiny and stinohm caterpillar is often found upon the leaf of cotton in September ; it feeds likewise upon the blades of Indian corn, and the leaves of the' willow balsam-poplar, dogwood, and many other trees. Whenever one of them is found in a field, the plants attacked by it may he easily dis- tinguished by their leafless appearance in the midst of the otherwise green and flourishing vegetation, as it rarely quits a plant before it is completely denuded. Often, however, those which have lost their leaves from the rust present much the same blighted appearance • but, in this case, the numerous yellow, withered leaves, which are scattered on the ground, at once indicate the disease. The thorny spines with which these caterpillars are armed have a peculiarly poisonous property, and are capable of inflicting painful and severe wounds, similar to the sting of a wasp. It is therefore neces- sary, if the insects require to he touched, to use a stick or branch when removing them from the plants on which they feed. These caterpillars cannot he classed among those very injurious to cotton, as they do not appear to he sufficiently numerous to effect much damage. Very few complaints have been made about them hy the planters either of Georgia or South Carolina ; but this year, (1855 ) the same caterpillar was found very abundant in the cotton-fields near lallaliassee, hut the damage done hy them was triflin°\ Mr. Newman, of Philadelphia, who has paid much attention to the breeding of caterpillars, states that this insect is found on the willow. Dr Harris says, they are also found upon the balsam-poplar and elm in Massachusetts; and, according to Smith and Abbot, in their “In- sects of Georgia, it is found on the dogwood, sassafras, and Indian corn, which are devoured hy them. This caterpillar is from two inches and a quarter to two inches and three-quarters in length ; hut, as Dr. Harris has minutely described them, I will quote his own words: “The caterpillars are of a pea-green color, with a broad, brown, stripe, edged below with white, on each side of the body be