34 BULLETIN 918, XJ. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



large screen cages were constructed over heavily infested okra in the 

 fall of 1918. The entire plants with the fruits attached were left in 

 the cages during the summer of 1919. Repeated examainations were 

 made of all fruits formed during 1919 and no infestation ever devel- 

 oped from the hibernating larvae. The protection afforded by the 

 okra is not as good as the protection afforded by cotton. The seed 

 pods crack open on drying and the seeds with the larvae webbed up 

 in them drop to the ground, the larvae becoming subject to the detri- 

 mental effects of water and attacks of insect enemies. 



Under the same conditions hollyhock (Althaea rosea), a very com- 

 mon ornamental flower, was found to be subject to the attack of the 

 pink bollworm larvae, the insects being found in the buds, flowers, 

 and seed pods. 



Hibernating cages were also constructed over hollyhock plants 

 and experiments conducted in the same manner as with okra with 

 negative results. No reinf estation occurred from hibernating larvae. 



The flower buds, flowers, and seed pods of Hibiscus syriacus were 

 attacked by the pink bollworm, the manner of attack and feeding 

 habits being the same as in cotton and okra. The infestation in the 

 flower buds was light, but the seed pods were nearly all infested and 

 some contained several larvae. 



One pink bollworm larva was taken from a seed pod of the Con- 

 federate rose (Hibiscus mutabilis). 



Seeds from 25 species of malvaceous plants were collected in 

 southern Texas and planted in close proximity to cotton at Ciudad 

 Lerdo. Of this number only the following species grew: Hibiscus cocci- ' 

 neus Walt., Hibiscus militaris Cav., Hibiscus lasiocarpus Cav., Mal- 

 vastrum americanum (L.) Terr., Sida spinosa L., Wissadula lozani 

 (Rose) Fries, and Kosteletzkya virginica L. Some of these have small 

 seed pods and are not well adapted to the feeding habits of the larvae, 

 but the following species were attacked by pink bollworms. 



Only one plant of Hibiscus coccineus grew. It developed 7 seed- 

 pods and 5 of these were infested. 



Hibiscus militaris was attacked both in the flowers and seed pods. 

 The same rosette appearance takes place in the infested flower as in 

 upland cotton. 



Kosteletzkya virginica was also attacked. The plant is a very pro- 

 fuse bloomer, but the seed pods are rather small to be well adapted 

 for the larvae, though two full-grown larvae were found in seed pods. 



Malvastrum americanum was infested. One specimen was taken 

 in a seed pod. 



A species of Malva ( Malva parvifiora L. ?) grows rather abundantly 

 along the borders of the fields in the Laguna, but was never found 

 to be infested under natural conditions. The seed pods are too small 

 to be well adapted for pink bollworms, though larvae can reach ma- 

 turity in a single pod. 



