BULLETIN 221, TJ. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



be found. However, in the pile of rubbish and dirt at the side of the 

 gin which had been thrown from the dirt auger several fragments of 

 dead beetles were found. The manager of this gin could not give 

 any information regarding the occurrence of the beetles. He had 

 noticed, however, some large brown cases which occurred rather 

 numerously early in the fall, probably the pupal cases of the cotton 

 leaf-worm {Alabama argillacea Hiibn.) . 



CROPS DAMAGED. 



Corn is the only cultivated crop that has been known to be attacked 

 in sufficient numbers to cause serious damage. The beetles, upon 



first emerging from hi- 

 gjjf bernation in the early 



jp^^k/? s P r i n g> attack very 



young cocklebur and 

 early volunteer corn, 

 the crop not having been 

 planted at that time. 



Besides corn, the 

 beetles have been ob- 

 served by the writer to 

 attack the young leaves 

 and growing shoots of 

 cocklebur, smartweed, 

 Japan clover, and crab 

 grass. Mr. Vickery has 

 observed them feeding 

 on sorghum and alfalfa 

 — on the latter plant, 

 however, only in rearing 

 cages in the laboratory. 

 Mr. W. R. McConnell 

 has found them feeding 

 on sorghum in the field 



Fig. 6. — Young corn plant showing work of adult of the southern and also On jHoveCUVUS 

 corn leaf-beetle. (Original.) 7 p, £ 



geniculatus. oome 01 

 the agents of the branch of Southern Field Crop Insect Investigations 

 have observed them feeding on the cotton plant. 



The ragged appearance of the corn plant (fig. 6) is indicative 

 of their presence, especially the notched edges of the leaves, and where 

 the beetles appear in sufficient numbers to devastate a field these 

 notches become so numerous that the plant dies. (PI. II.) The 

 early planting seems to be the one most seriously affected, although 

 the second planting on the farm of a Mr. Baskins and on other 

 farms near Paris, Ark., was about 50 per cent damaged in 1913, the 



