PRELIMINARY REPORT OF OBSERVATIONS UPON INSECTS INJU- 

 RIOUS TO COTTON, ORANGE, AND SUGAR CANE IN BRAZIL.* 



By John C. Branner. 



Sir: On the 20th of November, 1882, I was, upon your recommenda- 

 tion, and under your direction, commissioned by the Commissioner of. 

 Agriculture to visit Brazil for the purpose of investigating the subject 

 of insects injurious to cotton, cane, and oranges; and to collect such 

 other information as would be useful to you in your capacity of United 

 States Entomologist. 



On the 30th of the same month I left Washington, D. C, accompanied 

 by one assistant, Mr. Albert Soebele, and left Xewport News, Va., <>n 

 the 2d of December, on board the British steamer Borghese. Landing 

 at St. Thomas, in the West Indies, on the 9th of December, we took 

 advantage of the few hours' delay of the steamer in that port to exam- 

 ine what cotton and other industrial plants we could find for injurious 

 insects. We collected some scale insects on the "sapadilla" tree and 

 sent them to the Department. We found no injurious insects on the 

 few cotton plants examined. 



We left St. Thomas on the same day and reached Para on the 18th 

 of December. Ht^re we improved the opportunity to examine orange 

 trees for scale insects, and in the few hours we were able to spend on 

 shore we made a small collection of insects from these trees. Fortu- 

 nately we were able to visit the Natural History Museum of this prov- 

 ince, which we did in hope of finding something interesting in the way 

 of insects injurious to vegetation, especially of those attacking cotton, 

 cane, and orange plants. No such insects, however, were found in tin 1 

 collection. 



I made inquiries of the officers of the Brazilian navy station at the 

 marine arsenal at Para concerning the winds prevailing along the north- 

 ern coast of Brazil, and along the Amazon Valley. I made similar in- 

 quiries of the commanders of the steamers plying on the Amazon and 



*The principal objects of Mr. Branner'a trip to Brazil, as detailed in his letter of instructions, vera 



as follows: 



1. The gathering of historical information upon the culture of cotton in Brazil, including the deter, 

 mination of the speoiee of insects known to affect the crop there, ami the collecting of bote relating to 



their habits. 

 '2. To ascertain whether or not Aletia .rijlimi is found in the vicinity of Kaliia. ami to collet specimens 

 n all stages of this ami allied insects. 



3. To obtain as complete memoranda as possible of the prevailing course oi v, bads at different seasons 

 of the year. 



4. To obtain specimens ami information relative to the insect enemies oi' the orange ami the cultiva- 

 tion of the crop. 



5. To obtain specimens in all stages of the destructive locusts of Brazil, together with publication,)! 

 on the subject. 



6;* 



