24 



BULLETIN 1103, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE- 



SORGHUM WEBWORM. 



(Celama sorghieUa Riley.) 



A very unusual outbreak of the sorghum webworm occurred in 

 southern Missouri, southeastern Kansas, and western Arkansas. Xo 

 reports were received from northwestern Oklahoma, but the pest 

 undoubtedly occurred at least in the northwestern corner. 



Celama sorghieUa was described by Riley, from Citronelle T Mobile 

 County, Ala., in 1882. Records of its occurrence have been made 

 from south-central Texas, northward and eastward through south- 

 eastern Kansas, central Missouri, southern Indiana, northern Vir- 

 ginia, and central Maryland, thence southward to and including 

 Florida. 



In Arkansas the sorghum webworm outbreak was the outstanding 

 entomological feature of the year, and the grain sorghums were 

 damaged to the extent of from 25 to 100 per cent of the crop. 

 Sixteen counties in the central and western part were infested. 



In Missouri the outbreak was most serious in the strip of territory 

 extending from the vicinity of Clinton south to Neosho or the 

 Arkansas and Oklahoma State lines. Kafir corn was reported as 

 being damaged to the extent of 50 per cent of the crop in some cases. 

 Sixteen counties in the southern half of the State were reported as 

 infested. 



In Kansas this insect was reported for the first time attacking 

 kafir corn. The outbreak was confined to five counties in the south- 

 eastern part. In some instances plantings were a total loss. 



Table 6. — Amount of sorghum and ka fir-corn, forage harvested in 1919 in five 

 counties in Kansas infested irith the sorghum webworm, and the amount and 

 value of sorghum seed and kafir seed harvested. 



County. 



Sorghum, 



kafir, etc., 



forage. 1 



Sorghum 



>eed, 1919. 



Kafir seed, 1919. 



Quant ity. 



Value. 



Quantity. 



Value. 



Bourbon 



Tans. 

 15,016 

 12, 795 

 21, 999 



64,742 

 7,109 



Bushels. 

 6,698 

 5, 552 

 54, 726 

 6,448 

 1,640 



$10, 181 



7,772 



75,521 



8,704 



2,460 



Bushels. 

 146, 412 

 81, 054 

 194,005 

 355, 878 

 110,325 



$187, 407 



Cherokee 



102,938 



Chautauqua 



Greenwood 



248, 390 

 480, 335 



Labette 



165, 487 







Total 



121,661 



75,064 



104,638 



887, 674 



1, 184, 557 







1 From 1920 census. 



* From report of Kansas State Board of Agriculture. 



Bushels of seed. 



Missouri 405 , 000 



Arkansas 302, 000 



Kansas 963,000 



Total. 



1,670,000 



The relative importance of this pest can be estimated approxi- 

 mately from the available data on the quantity and value of this 



