30 
There is a class of damage to the bolls which is known to planters 
as ‘‘ sharpshooter work,” which is mainly caused by the punctures of a 
leaf hopper known as Homalodisca coagulata. The insect is most abun- 
dant from the first of June on theough the season. Prior to the first of 
June it seems to prefer the young growth and foliage of poplars and 
other trees which may grow in the immediate vicinity. Where sharp- 
shooter work is prevalent in the cotton field, year after year, and the 
trees which harbor the insects can be found in the early part of the 
season, a Single application of kerosene emulsion to the lower parts of 
such trees or scrub growth might be made to advantage in the month 
of May. 
An insect which at one time did very considerable damage to cotton 
bolls, particularly those which were far advanced or had burst, is the 
red bug or cotton stainer, Dysdercus suturellus. This insect was never 

Fia. 18.—The red bug, or cotton stainer (Dysdercus suturellus): a, pupa; b, adult—enlarged (from 
Insect Life). 
prevalent except in Florida, Georgia, and neighboring portions of 
South Carolina and Alabama. It is probably a West Indian species. 
Of late years, and more especially since cotton culture in Florida has 
given place to extensive orange culture, it has largely transferred its 
attention to the orange fruit. Earlier generations of this insect dam- 
aged the bolls by puncturing them and sucking the sap, causing them 
to become diminutive or abortive. Later, however, they entered open 
bolls, puncturing the seed and damaging the fiber by their yellowish 
excrement. These stains were indelible and greatly depreciated the 
value of the cotton in the market. The indelibility and beautiful color 
of the stains atone time suggested the use of the insects in making dyes. 
Experiments showed that the entire substance of the insect could be 
