THE RED SPIDER OX COTTON. 7 



to be found through the winter months the tender dormant buds 

 which give rise to the stalks of the following season. Upon Xovem- 

 ber 23, 1912, following several severe frosts at Batesburg, S. C. a 

 few of the mites Avere seen, apparently feeding on these winter buds. 



OTHER HOSTS. 



As a result of the investigations at I)atesburg, together with the 

 earlier observations of the red spider on cotton, this mite has been 

 seen upon over 00 species of plants, including weeds, ornamental 

 ])lants, and garden and field crops. Upon most of these the pest has 

 only occasionally been seen, but it has been found commonlv throuoh- 



Fig. o. — Typical vioh.'t liordns and p.-iiches m-cwinu in iIimh y:i i-il. I'l'lirsi' p.-irticiiiar 

 plants constituted the source of dispersion which resulted in the severe infestation of a 

 small cotton field directly aci'oss the road.) (Original.) 



out the active season upon the following plants: Beans, cowpeas, 

 dahlia, ironweed, Jerusalem-oak weed, Jamestown weed, okra, tomato, 

 wild blackberry, Avild geranium, pokew^eed, and English violet. At 

 Brownsville, S. C, August 8, 1912, a case w^as seen Avhere a field of 

 corn was immediately adjacent to a badly infested cotton patch. The 

 infestation had spread into the corn and the cow^peas growing be- 

 tween the corn rows. One-fourth of the corn had been pulled up 

 and the balance was very severely infested. Many of the cornstalks 

 exhibited large rusty-yellow blotches on their blades and, in fact, 

 had the pest appeared when the corn Avas younger it probably Avould 

 have ruined the crop., On the cowpeas the infestation was heavy, 

 many of the leaves had dropped, and those remaining Avere discolored 

 and distorted. 



78403°— Cir. 172—13 2 



