CHRONOLOGICAL ACCOUNT OF COTTON WORM IN;JURY. 31 



the States which were injured the most the previous year, while in 

 Louisiana, which almost escaped in 187G, the caterpillars this year were 

 abundant and destructive. The September returns say: "The cater- 

 pillar is present in all of the Gulf States, and in South Carolina, but 

 has done little damage as yet, except in Texas. In several of the par- 

 ishes of Louisiana the loss is considerable from this cause." 



The special feature of the year was the injury in Texas. Early in 

 July the caterpillars were proving destructive in Hardin, Jasper, Bra- 

 zoria, Atascosa, Victoria, and Uvalde. In August one-half of the 

 counties sending in returns were infested more or less seriously. In 

 Lavaca County the crop was almost completely destroyed, and Gonzales 

 County reported a loss of 75 per cent. Before the close of the season 

 Austin had lost 50 per cent., Hardin 75 per cent., Polk 75 per cent., 

 and Waller, Colorado, Walker, and Fayette were all damaged to some 

 extents* Among the Louisiana parishes injured we may mention Eich- 

 land, Claiborne, East Feliciana, and Jackson. In Mississippi, the 

 southern part of the State, including Wilkinson, Jefferson, and Coving- 

 ton Counties, was overrun, but the crop was not seriously damaged. 

 Alabama and Georgia were comparatively unharmed, while in Florida 

 the worms were numerous, but not particularly destructive. In the 

 annual report of this Department for 1877 the loss from caterpillars for 

 this year is estimated in round numbers at $15,000,000. 



Concerning the occurrence of caterpillars in 1378, we are unable to 

 get very full statistics, since the prevalence of yellow fever in parts of 

 the South rendered correspondence difficult and drew the attention of 

 the planters from their crops to their personal safety. The worms ap- 

 peared early in Texas, and were reported soon after the 1st of June 

 from Uvalde, Atascosa, Matagorda, Brazoria, Yictoria, Lavaca, Fort 

 Bend, Austin, Hardin, Polk, and Jasper Counties. In spite of this 

 early appearance they seem to have spread but little, and in none of 

 the counties mentioned did the loss exceed one-fifth of the crop. All 

 through the cotton belt the season was a very fine one, and the crop 

 raised largely exceeded that of 1877. In South Carolina, the worms 

 were reported from Eichland and Clarendon Counties late in the fall. 

 In Georgia they were not noticed until late in August, and then only in 

 the more southern j^ortion of the State. Baker, Thomas, Dodge, Lee, 

 and Early reported them in September, and later, Dooly, Laurens, 

 and Worth. In Alabama and Louisiana the worms were, as in the pre- 

 ceding States, not reported until late, and their injuries were not 

 severe. Coffee, Bullock, Covington, Dallas, Barbour, Macon, Baldwin, 

 Crenshaw, Monroe, Conecuh, Dale, Wilcox, Lowndes, Autauga, Jeffer- 

 son, Hale, Montgomery, Perry, Greene, Sumter, and Pickens Counties, 

 Alabama; and Concordia, Caddo, Franklin, Lafayette, Madison, Bos- 

 sier, and Bienville Parishes, Louisiana, all returned more or less 

 damage. In two Arkansas Counties — Pope and Crawford — the crop 

 was also damaged. In Florida nearly all of the counties belonging to 



