APPEl^DIX I 



EEPOET OF H. G. HUBBARD. 



Detroit, Mich, Jugusi, 1881. 



Sir : I liave tlie honor to submit herewith my report of observations made during 

 the past season upon Aletia and other insect enemies of cotton, in the State of Florida. 

 These observations, begun in Putnam County in the early spring, were extended during 

 the month of June over portions of Alachua County, as far as Gainesville, in the 

 heart of the long-staple district, and terminated in September at Centreville, in Leon 

 County, near the Georgia line. During March and April I made an expedition along 

 the east coast, from Daytona (latitude 29° 15') to Jupiter at the southern end of Indian 

 Biver (latitude 27^). In this thinly settled portion of the State, however, cotton is 

 only exceptionally grown, but as it is in this region perennial, occasional plants are 

 met with, which have escaped from cultivation, and still persist in the neighborhood 

 of habitations deserted during the time of the Indian wars. Only one cultivated field 

 was seen near Daytona, in which the plants, being in the second year of their growth, 

 had attained a more than average height, and were at this date (March 27) in full 

 bloom. They appeared to be free from the attacks of insect enemies. Regarding 

 the latter, the information obtained from the settlers along the coast was too meager 

 and unreliable to furnish a basis for speculation. Aletia appears to be unknown to 

 them, and they complain only of the depredations of a ^'red spider,^' probably the 

 rust mite. 



In Putnam County, cotton has been raised for many years, but the acreage has never 

 been large. The plants are killed outright only in exceptionally severe winters. 

 The winter of 1879-80 having been very mild, cotton remained in leaf and continued 

 to bloom during the entire season. Notwithstanding these favorable conditions Aletia 

 does not appear to hibernate here. The worms make their appearance every year, 

 but always very late, and are not noticed by the planters Until September or October. 



At Crescent City, in the southern part of Putnam County, my observations, begun in 

 February, were continued during the months of March, May, June, and the first half 

 of July. During this time I made almost daily search for Aletia, but failed to find it 

 in any of its stages. Only two fields of cotton were planted the previous season, in 

 both of which the caterpillars were first seen in September, shortly after a severe 

 easterly storm. After stripping the plants of their leaves, they " webbed up " in great 

 numbers upon surrounding objects. In one of the fields young orange trees were 

 growing between the rows of cotton, and to these they did some injury by completely 

 occupying the leaves with their chrysalids. The cotton stalks put forth new leaves, 

 and as there was no frost, continued to nfake a straggling growth during the winter. 

 The later broods of Aletia appear to have been entirely destroyed by parasites. These 

 in turn disclosed and disappeared, so that at the time of my examination none of the 

 many pupaB examined were found to contain life of any sort. A small proportion had 

 died from unknown causes. 



A much larger acreage of cotton wa« planted the following year (1880) in the same 

 and adjoining fields as well as in other parts of the county. I therefore confidently 

 expected to find the first Cotton Worms in May or June. None were seen, however, 

 until my return on September 12, when a single full grown caterpillar of Aletia was 

 discovered, a prolonged search failing to reveal another. During the first half of 

 June I made a trip to Gainesville, journeying overland, through unsettled portions 

 of Putnam and into Alachua County, on the southeastern borders of which I found 

 the first cotton-fields. Dr. F. M. McMeekin (Hawthorne), a large cotton planter, and 

 very intelligent observer, furnished valuable information, a portion of which I quote 

 from my notes : 



"Aletia comes every year. The first worms are all green, slower in their devel- 

 opment, and less voracious than later on. The planters all notice this, and some 

 believe the early broods to be distinct from the later. They sometimes, when asked 

 if they have the worm, reply that they have ' the green icormJ By the middle of 



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