CHRONOLOGICAL ACCOUNT OF COTTON WORM INJURY. 29 



which counties suffered the most. In Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, 

 Georgia, and Florida the greatest damage was done. Texas did not 

 suffer so much proportionately, although it experienced a great loss. In 

 Arkansas, South and North Carolina more damage was done than had 

 ever before been known ; while in Tennessee and even in Virginia the 

 worms were found in great numbers towards the close of the season. 



The following extract from the Monthly Rei)ort of the Department of 

 Agriculture for February, 1874, shows well the relative causes of injury 

 to the crop of 1873, and the prominence which should be given to the 

 caterpillar : 



The relative influence of each cause in damaging the crop of 1873, as indicated by 

 our correepondents, may be stated in the following order in the different States: 



North Carolina. — Rains, frost, worms. 



South Carolina. — Rains, frost, worms. 



Georgia. — Worms, more than all other causes combined ; rains, frost, drought, high 

 winds. 



Florida. — Storms of rain, worms. 



Alabama. — Worms, rains, frost. 



Mississippi. — Worms, spring rains, drought, frost. 



Louisiana. — Worms, rains, high winds. 



Texas. — Worms, rains, drought, frost, bad gins and inexperienced ginners. 



Arkansas. — Rains, worms, drought, frost. 



Tennessee. — Drought, frost, rains, plant-lice, a cold and wet spring. 



In the Gulf States the greatest injury thus appears to have been wrought by worms, 

 excepting only Florida, where the devastating storms in September and October, par- 

 ticularly that of September 19, proved more destructive than the caterpillar, which 

 "was abundant and sufficiently injurious. 



The prevalence of rains will be noticed throughout the whole cotton 

 belt in the above extract, and should be borne in mind as bearing upon 

 the influence of rain and drought upon the abundance of the caterpillar j 

 1871, the succeeding year, will be seen to have been very dry and the 

 worms were comparatively innoxious. 



In 1874 the worms appeared rather early, but owing to the severe 

 and long-continued drought did but little damage except in a few limited 

 localities. The crop was poor, but this was entirely owing to the pro- 

 tracted dry spell. As one correspondent of the Department aptly ex- 

 pressed it, " the drought killed the cotton, and the worms too." Appear- 

 ing in early June in noticeable numbers in Texas, Louisiana, and the 

 other Gulf States, the increase in numbers was remarkably slow until 

 it was too late for the crop to be greatly damaged. In some counties, 

 notably Beaufort and Eichland, South Carolina; Murray, Georgia; 

 Lowndes and Wilkinson, Mississippi ; and Burnet and Hardin, Texas, 

 the leaves were well stripped, which served to render the plant more 

 Busceptible to the drought. Altogether 1874 may be considered a year 

 of remarkable immunity. 



The growing season of 1875 up to the month of August was also dry, 

 while that month was marked by heavy storms. Both these causes 



