APPENDIX IV. 
REPORTS OF DR. E. H. ANDERSON. 
REPORT FOR 1880. 
Canton, Miss., October 20, 1880. 
Sir: As yonr appointee, I have the honor to make the follow ing report. 
Alter diligent search, < •< . 1 1 1 n i < ■ 1 1 <• ii 1 as early as the middle of June, I saw no sign of 
Aleiia until the first week in August, and t'nen in my locality, Kirkwood, Miss., found 
hut one larva, that full grown and on the top of the plant. On the other hand, from 
the 1st of July, the visitation of the Boll Worm was made manifest, and from then until 
the present time it has continued its destructive operations, doing ahout the usual 
amount of damage, and prohaldy shortening the crop P» per cent. During my inves- 
tigation In July I found several worms upon the cotton leaf, one among which, while 
I had it in my hand on the leaf upon which I found it. commenced to weh up, ami 
while engaged iti this would apparently stop to gather liber from the under surface 
of the leaf with its maud i hies, throwing its body from side \>, side as it spun its weh, 
and would occasionally stop and eat a circular hole through the leaf, such as we fre- 
quently find early in the season, and might suppose to he the work of the Cotton 
Worm, hut the circular form should distinguish it from the Cotton Worm, as Aletia 
always eats along a line. I found other small worms also webbed up in terminal 
shoots, hut t he injury to cot ton so slight as to he inapprcciahle. Finding that Ale- 
tia had not visited my locality hy the'Joth of August, and judging from the low tem- 
perature of t he sea -on that w e w ould ha ve t hem, t lie worms, in t oo small numhers for 
experimental purposes, I went to Canton, where I had heard of them, and w here they 
are almost annual visitors, though this season coining too late to do much damage. 
They were first discovered, as I learned through correspondence with the proprietor 
where they were found, on June and he informs me that the\ have heen annual 
visitors for years past. His place is elevated and undulating, having a red clay 
suhst ratum, and consequent ly retains moist ure well, and his system id" cull ure is Mat. 
in order to prevent w ashing. It is hounded on i he nort h and nort Invest by woodland 
and has an orchard aud grove on the south, elsewhere open and hare. The worms 
ti ist made their appearance on one of the most elevated spots in the field, the first 
brood eating to a limited extent. At a later period they were discovered at another 
point on a slight declination, and extended their area . and still later on the top of the 
ridge, widening their area, and finally were to be found all over the cotton, hut too 
late to do act mil damage. Let it he borne in mind that t his field, or rather this planta- 
tion. had heen diligently worked and annually fertilized to some extent both with 
cotton seed and compost, and although the corn land received the fresh manure, the 
system of rotation of crops gave the cotton the benefit of the previous year's manuring, 
and hy leaching all received a proportion of the benefit. Those who advocate the 
theory that the succulent and luxuriant condition of the plant such as is ofteuest found 
in low and wet spots, and where an exuberance of nectar might be found, is more 
inviting to the moths, would find it difficult to explain why tin y were found on these 
elevated spots referred to and similar spots referred to by Mr. Trelease in his report 
of 1879. Thoso who favor the ant theory could not so well see or explain why the 
ants did not prevent the increase of the worm on these elevated ridges where there 
was nothing to prevent their building hills and pursuing their predatory habits. 
I admit that the worms are oftener found in wet spots than elsewhere, and I think 
for an obvious reason, but I cannot assent to the proposition that they first appear 
naturally in such spots. Early in the season, I think they would be found where the 
sun had freest access to the cotton, and where fertilizers had stimulated its growth, 
and this would more likely be upon elevations. Upon such cotton have I found the 
first worms the past two seasons. Though the question of hibernation is still unset- 
tled, Professor Riley's investigations have rendered it almost certain that it appears 
much earlier in the season here than had been previousljLffljpposed, and as full-grown 
