REPORT OF H. G. HUBBARD. 
The experience of many otber planters does not differ materially from that which 
has been already given. 
Tli. -nil of eastern Florida is. with few exceptions, light and sandy. Totbisisvery 
generally attributed the prevalence of Cut-worms (various Noctuids, including EeVio- 
Udi <inni(jera), which do much injury to cotton as soon as it comes up, cutting or! the 
young plants at the surface of the ground. A black cricket, which I have not been 
able to capture, has tin reputation of doing injury in the same manner. Like the 
( ut -worms it is nocturnal, and lives by day in long burrows under the sand. To the 
poverty, or some otherquality of the sandy soil, is often laid the ruin caused by "rust," 
than which no greater pest of the ( <»tton plant exists. I am. however, of the opinion 
that "rust." a fungus which attacks the parenchyma of the leaves, cartsingthem toturn 
red and fall, and ultimately blasting the entire plant, is a direct sequence to the at- 
tacks of a mite, always found more or less infesting cotton. It will be referred to in 
this repoi t as I he • i list mite," and is, perhaps, identical with the " red spider" of the 
planters. Some other insects depredating on cotton in East Florida will be treated 
of later on. 
On July 11. Aletia not ha\ iug made its appearance at Crescent City, at Professor 
Rile\ "s direct ion I removed to Leon County, and took up my iesi deuce at ( entreville, 
t wel re miles north of Tallahassee, with Mr. T. J. Roberts, who kindly received me 
upon his plantation, and during my seven weeks" stay was most assiduous in offering 
me every assistance within his power. Mr. K. is widely-known as a keen observer, 
and is invariably (he first to report the appearance of the caterpillar in this State. 
Two full-grown worms were found by him this year on the 5th of .June. In former 
years he has found them as early as May 
At the time of my arrival Aletia had evidently passed through several broods. The 
caterpillar^, although by no means abundant, were found in all parts of the planta- 
tion. This Mr. Roberts considers unusual, and attributes to the remarkably even 
growth of the cotton this year, which is not ranker in one part than in another. Other 
planters in the neighborhood had begun to report the caterpillar as occasionally seen, 
especially on low ground. The moths were also seen in small numbers. About the 
lirst of August there w as every indication that unless a vigorous light was made, by 
the applicat ion of poisons, a clean sweep would be made by the caterpillars during the 
mont li. Not only were tiieir " webs" (pupa') scattered over the entire acreage, but also 
in several places patches ol five or six acres were entirely denuded of leaves, and the 
moths had there appeared in great numbers. By the 6th of the month the moths were 
seen everywhere about the plantation, and eggs were laid by millions in every part 
of the cotton lields. The worms of the next brood, however, failed to appear in 
great numbers, as about [H) per cent, of the eggs were destroyed by the Trichogramma 
6gg parasite (T. pretiosa Riley). During the remainder of August this and other para- 
sites, which made their appearance in greater abundance as the season advanced, 
successfully held the worms in check. By thetirst of September the caterpillars wcto 
so nearly exterminated that it became difficult to obtain them in sutlieient quantities 
for experimenting w ith poisons. On the 5th of September I left (Yntreville, and, after 
paying a Hying visit to Crescent City, where, as before related, I found Aletia just 
making its appearance, I returned to Washington. On the return I made an excursion 
to Seliua, Ala., and there for a few days assisted other observers in making experi- 
ments with poisons, the details of which will be given elsewhere in their reports. 
After leaving ( entreville I had the misfortune to lose, with a portion of my baggage, 
a large part of my held notes and a number of microscopic slides with parasites and 
other minute insects infesting cotton, a loss which will, I fear, seriously impair my 
report upon a large and important part of my summer's work. 
AI.KTIA.— SUOGV0SIO2I Of BROODS. 
An examination of all the data obtainable gives the following as most probably 
correct for the succession of the different broods of Aletia at Centreville during tbo 
season of Is.-l). First appearance of the caterpillar (first brood ), early (?) in April. 
Second brood, from the middle of May to the middle of June. (On June 5 two full- 
grown caterpillars were taken by Mr. Koberts: they "webbed up'' on the following 
day). Third brood, from June 15 to July 15. Fourth brood, from July 15 to August 
9. Fifth brood, from August 9 to September 3. 
On my arrival (July 10) a few full-grown worms and pupa* were found in different 
parts of the cotton lields. These are presumed to have been lagging individuals of 
the third brood, and were soon re-enforced by numerous young worms and eggs of the 
fourth brood. July ~(i, the following entry occurs in my note book: 
In the main field of 200 acres the worms are still very much scattered, but their 
number is increasing over its whole extent — that is, they are working up from below, 
and appearing in sight open the upper and outer leaves of the plants as they increase 
in size. A portion, about 5 or 6 acres, of this field was planted at least twenty 
days later than the rest. I shall hereafter designate it as the young cotton. It is now 
