THE PINK BOLLWOKlVr. t 



practically valueless by the insect. They further illustrate the rapid 

 increase of infestation of green bolls with the advance of the season, 

 and indicate the possibility of a high reduction of yield, particu- 

 larly in all late-maturing cottons where the second and third pick- 

 ings are of importance. Fortunately for Egypt, one of the principal 

 varieties of cotton grown there, the Sakellarides, matures its crop 

 early and yields most of its cotton with the first picking. In spite 

 of this favorable condition, however, and of expensive control opera- 

 tions enforced by the Government, a very conservative estimate by 

 experts indicates a loss of at least 17 per cent to the Eg}''ptian crop 

 due to this insect. In the Hawaiian Islands the pink bollworm has 

 prevented the development of the cotton industry which at one time 

 showed considerable promise. With relation to Ge^rman East Africa 

 a statement is made that the pest normally becomes so abundant in 

 two or three years after its introduction in the field as to necessitate 

 abandoning the crop (11). 



In Brazil the Minister of Agriculture recently has collected data 

 for an estimate of the damage to the cotton crop caused by the pink 

 bollworm by addressing communications to the governors of the 

 principal cotton-producing states of the Republic. The following is 

 a summary of the results of this investigation : 



Losses 011 account of ravages of pink bollworm in Brazil: Crop of 1917. 



Brazilian state. American currency. 



Maranhac $ 750,000 



Piauhy 500,000 



Ceara 10,000^000' 



Rio Grande do Norte 2,500,000 



Parahyba 5,925,000 



Pernambuco . 5,7.50,000 



Magoas 1,575,000 



The loss referred to in the table ran from 30 per cent of the crop 

 in the State of Alagoas to two-thirds of the crop, or 30,000 metric 

 tons, in the State of Ceara. 



In Mexico the actual injury caused by the pink bollworm was 

 investigated by the Joint Commission representing the Mexican and 

 American commissions. This commission visited manj' plantations 

 in the Laguna in 1917. It reported that the loss to the crop of 1917 

 chargeable to the pink bollworm was not less than 30 per cent. Mr. 

 August Busck, who was a member of the commission, personalh^ 

 estimated losses ranging from 30 to 50 per cent, with individual 

 fields showing even higher losses. 



DESCRIPTION AND LIFE HISTORY. 



The pink bollworm has four stages, namely, egg, larva, pupa, and 

 adult or moth. The moth (fig. 2) resembles somewhat the common 



