HISTORY OF RAVAGES, 1873. 37 



Schley, Muscogee, Twiggs, Richmond, McDuffie, Heard, Coweta, Bald- 

 win, Wilkes, Lincoln, Jackson, Carroll all report losses varying from 

 25 to 50 per cent. Even as far north as Floyd, Franklin, and Whitfield, 

 the top crop was swept, and the sum total considerably shortened. Many 

 counties reported it the worst year ever experienced, the crop being 

 nearly ruined. It is a curious fact that the coast counties did not suffer 

 this year as greatly as. did the counties in the interior, whereas usually 

 the reverse is the case. 



In South Carolina the invasion was quite general. In many districts 

 whieh had simply known it as a late fall coiner, it appeared early enough 

 to do some little damage, but few seem to have suffered at all severely. 

 In Lexington they were bad, and in Marion all cotton on improved lands 

 was stripped. In Edgefield the growth of the plants was stopped by 

 the leaf-eating of the caterpillars, but the bolls opened finely. This 

 was also the case in Orangeburgh, but the quality of the cotton was 

 injured by the excrement of the worms. They were reported, in addi- 

 tion to these districts, from Williamsburgh, Eichland, Fairfield, New- 

 berry, Laurens, Chesterfield, and Marlborough. 



InNorth Carolina, the prevalenceof the caterpillars was utterly beyond 

 all precedent, and in some counties great, damage was done. In Bladen, 

 rust and caterpillars combined to make a loss of 50 per cent. In Carteret, 

 they were worse than ever before ; late plantings were cut down one- 

 half. In Lenoir, the crop suffered a loss from caterpillars alone of 25 

 per cent. In Stanley, they were observed in parts of the county where 

 they were never known before, but were too late to do much damage. 

 In Greene, the leaves were stripped. In Pitt, they appeared for the first 

 time and did considerable damage. The correspondent from Beaufort 

 says : " The caterpillars saved the top crop from frost." In Chowan, 

 the caterpillars made their first appearance, and in Perquimons they 

 damaged the crop to the extent of 50 per cent. Currituck suffered a 

 loss of one -third of the crop, and in Martin, where they appeared for 

 the first time, the late crop was taken entire. Many other counties 

 chronicled their appearance without further comment. 



In the latter part of September and the early part of October, the 

 chenilles did the unheard of thing of appearing in the cotton fields of 

 Virginia in sufficient numbers to do a little damage. The correspond- 

 ent from Sussex County says : "A worm heretofore unknown stripped 

 the leaves just before the cool nights of October." In Southampton, 

 the leaves were also stripped. In Prince George, all the cotton was late 

 planted and was more or less injured by the caterpillars. In Princess 

 Anne, their presence was also noted. 



The comparison between the damage done by the cotton-worm and 

 that produced by other causes this year, is well treated in the Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture Monthly Eeport for February, 1874, as follows : 



The causes of injury are various, the more prominent being the ravages of worms 

 in stopping the development, of the bolls and staining fiber ; the destruction of the 

 plant or beating out the fiber, or reducing its grade with dirt and " trash," by heavy 



ona/i tyy 



