1906 ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 21 



occupation in all parts of the state, far out-ranking all otlier industries com- 

 bined in the amount invested and in returns. The abolition of slavery forty 

 years ago left these people poor, and many of the large plantations were 

 abandoned, while, as a rule, the farms are still too large to be cultivated to 

 best advantage. An abundance of cheap, inefficient and generally ignorant 

 labor, and a scarcity of intelligent and reliable help, has had a very detrimen- 

 tal effect. In all parts of the state, especially east of the mountains, may 

 be seen abandoned farm lands, and occupied lands which are poorly cared 

 for. These facts all influence the entomological conditions prevailing. 



Geologically, the state is very distinctly divided into three great re- 

 gions : — 1st, the Eastern, or coastal plain region, extending from the coast 

 to about 100 miles inland to an elevation of 300 feet. 2nd, the Middle, or 

 piedmont region, extending from the coastal plains region to the foot of the 

 mountains, a belt some 150 miles in width, ranging from 300 to 1,000 feet 

 elevation. 3rd, the Western, or mountain region extending from the Blue 

 Ridge mountains to the Great Smokies which form the western boundary of 

 the state. Elevation ranges from 1,000 to 6,700 feet. The Blue Ridge ^'s 

 the water-shed, and the fauna and flora of the mountain region partakes to 

 some degree of the nature of the Mississippi valley, though the Great Smoky 

 Range cuts off many of the typical and more southern forms. I shall only 

 mention such insects as are of interest as showing distribution, variation ^'n 

 hab^'ts, remedies, etc. 



The Eastern Region. 



This portion lies principally in what is biologically known as the humid 

 area of the Lower Austral Zone, a zone not at all represented in Ontario. The 

 soil is for the most part sandy, or a black muck or peat. The crops are corn, 

 cotton, peanuts, sorghum, a little rice along the coast, potatoes (both Irish 

 and Sweet), and garden truck for early shipment to northern markets. 



Insfcts of (Staple Ceops. The Black Grain weevil, Calavdra oryzae, 

 occurs abundantly throughout this region. Carbon bi-sulphide is the re- 

 medy recommended, and is satisfactory when properly applied. The Corn 

 Bill beetle, Sphenophorus sculptilis, is destructive to young corn on low lands, 

 especially those subject to overflow. They are worse on lands just from rice 

 sod, and the avoidance of such lands is the only satisfactory method of avert- 

 ing injury. During the last two seasons there have been serious outbreaks 

 oi the Sugar-cane Beetle, Ligyrus rugiceps, although this is typically a pest 

 of the cane plantations along the Gulf of Mexico. A satisfactory remedy 

 for this insect is yet to be devised. Late planting was the only expedient 

 which proved worthy of notice. The Corn Stalk-borer, Diatraea saccharalis, 

 (Lepidoptera) is also destructive throughout this area, while the Ear-worm, 

 Heliothis armigera, (Lep.) I have seen destroy whole fields of sweet corn, 

 every ear containing from one to twelve of the voracious larvae. This latter 

 insect is also frequently guilty of boring into the bolls of cotton, and of re- 

 cent years, since there has been so much discussion of the Boll-weevil, farmers 

 often mistake it for this pest. The peanut has no serious insect pest to my 

 knowledge. 



Insects of Garden Crops. Throughout most of this region the Potato- 

 beetle, Doryphora 10-Jineata, is abundant and destructive, though, curiously 

 enough, I had a report from one isolated locality that it appeared there in 

 numbers for the first time in 1901. It can hardly be said that spraying is 

 a common practice even in combatting this pest, as labor is generally so ig- 

 norant throughout this region that pumps would be rapidly broken, and the 

 work would be poorly done. Hand-picking is, therefore, much relied upon 



