THE ALFALFA CATEEPILLAR. 
ECONOMIC HISTORY OUTSIDE THE BORDERS OF ARIZONA AND 
CALIFORNIA. 
In regions outside of Arizona and California this species has at 
various times been suspected, both by agents of the Bureau of Ento- 
mology and others, of doing more or less injury to alfalfa. In 1906 
a correspondent of the Department of Agriculture reported the cater- 
pillars as infesting lucerne fields in Brigham County, Wyo. In 
the same year another correspondent, writing from Dell, Oreg., 
reported the butterflies in " countless thousands playing on the 
alfalfa blossoms." 
In 1909 Mr. C. N. Ainslie found eggs and larvae on alfalfa at 
Springer, N. Mex., but not in sufficient numbers to be doing any ap- 
parent damage. In July, 1913, on nearly the same ground, the writer 
found larvae quite abundant. It is apparent that the reason Mr. 
Ainslie did not find 
them in numbers 
was the lateness of 
the season. In the 
same year, 1909, Mr. 
E. O. G. Kelly, at 
Wellington, Kans., 
reported the larvse as 
rather numerous on 
alfalfa plants and 
feeding freely; and 
the following year, 
at the same place, 
Messrs. T. H. Parks 
and H. T. Osborn observed the larva? feeding upon alfalfa, and reared 
parasites therefrom. 
In 1910 Mr. E. A. Vickery, at Brownsville, Tex., reported the 
species as being abundant in the alfalfa fields as late as November. 
He states: " These larva? are the most numerous and injurious of the 
several species of caterpillars that are injuring alfalfa now." 
In the summer of 1911 the species was found in a number of locali- 
ties, and reported by different members of the Bureau of Entomology 
as injuring alfalfa at the following places: Cokeville, Wyo., Idaho 
Falls and Blackfoot, Idaho (T. H. Parks); Ely, Nev. (C. N. 
Ainslie). In July, 1911, Prof. S. B. Doten, of the Nevada Agricul- 
tural College, received from The H. F. Dangberg Land & Live 
Stock Co., Minden, Nev., a letter reporting damage from this worm, 
an extract of which follows: "We are this day mailing you under 
separate cover a species of worm which at the present time is doing 
a great deal of damage in our alfalfa fields. They seem to congre- 
Fig. 3.- 
-Map showing distribution of the alfalfa caterpillar. 
(Original.) 
