30 REPORT, 4, UNITED STATES ENTOMOLOGICAL COMMISSION. 
operated to still farther reduce the numbers of the worms; heuce, 1875 
is to be ranked as a year of even greater immunity than 1874. The 
worms were not noticed at all early in the season, and in the few locali- 
ties where they did injure the crop, their late coming was all the more 
unexpected and seemingly disastrous. These localities were confined 
almost entirely to northern Florida, although some damage was reported 
from Austin and Polk Counties, Texas; Lowndes County, Alabama, 
and a few other counties. 1875 ranks as a good cotton year, the gen- 
eral average, according to the monthly statistical reports, slightly ex- 
ceeding 100, the unit of comparison being normal growth and unimpaired 
vitality. 
During the earlier part of the season of 187G rains were very abun- 
dant over the larger part of the cotton-belt. Later, in September and 
October, the crop suffered from drought in Louisiana and parts of 
Texas, but in general the wet weather continued throughout the sea- 
son. In consequence of this disposition of the weather in their favor, 
there was a most marked increase in the number of the caterpillars 
throughout the entire southern portion of the belt. In Georgia, Florida, 
Alabama, Mississippi, and Texas, the damage was considerable; but 
Louisiana escaped material injury. Owing, probably, to a small hiber- 
nation, the worms were not noticed particularly until late in July and 
August ; but then the extremely favorable weather caused such a rapid 
development and great increase that they became destructive some 
time before the top crop could be saved. The State suffering the most 
was Alabama. The worms were more or less injurious in Marengo, 
Coffee, Clark, Bullock, Lauderdale, Crenshaw, Monroe, Lowndes, and 
Hale, and especially so in Dallas, Greene, Conecuh, and Perry. In 
Texas, Bastrop, Burnet, Fayette, Austin, Matagorda, and Waller were 
damaged, while, strange to say, both south and north of this group of 
counties the worms were reported as coming too late to do much dam- 
age. In this connection we may quote from an interesting letter from 
an Austin County correspondent, published in the Monthly lieport of 
this Department for September: 
As predicted in my last, the Cotton "Worm reached us last week, and devoured 
every particle that was eatable, leaves, blossoms, and small bolls. Never since my 
knowledge have these worms appeared in such a multitude. After having laid waste 
our fields, they thronged and blackened our lanes, roads, and highways; they pene- 
trated lawns, yards, and even dwelling-houses, lying in the pathway, requiring the 
constant use of the broom to repel our loathsome guests. liens, turkeys, and geebe 
had a feast and grew fat. In this portion of the county the loss was not so severe 
as the gathering had already begun, and most of the bolls were fully grown ; but the 
southern part, bordering upon an extensive prairie t hat reaches to the Gulf of Mexico, 
200 miles distant, was attacked four weeks earlier, and the loss is a very severe one. 
In Florida the damage was very unequal, the crops of Jackson, Jef- 
ferson, and Madison Counties suffering severely, while other adjoining 
counties were exempt. 
In 1877 there was a falling off in the numbers of the caterpillars in 
