ANSWERS TO CIRCULAR NO. 7. 
[79] 
Parish or Concordia, Louisiana, 
Lake Concordia, August 8, 1879. 
1. About the year 1810 the planters of this parish and the adjoining comity of Adams, 
most of whom owned property in both localities, commented abandoning the culture 
of indigo, and substituted that of the cotton plant. 
2. The first Cotton "Worms or Caterpillars were noticed in 1^40, both in this parish 
and in Adams County. They were noticed in August cutting the cotton in rank 
spots. The second crop stripped the rank cotton in September. The appearance of 
an heretofore unknown insect caused a meeting of all the leading planters, and it was 
generally agreed that, owing to the luxuriant rank growth of the cotton stripped by 
the worms, they wi re rather a benefit than otherwise, leaving tlx' liolls exposed to 
the sun, and thus insuring their ripening. The worms ;igain appeared in greater 
numbers in 1-4 1 and 1 -Mb, doing considerable damage both years, especially in the lat- 
ter year, as t lay stripped every field in the county before maturity. They continued to 
appear in numbers at intervals up to the breaking out of the war, but, as the culture 
of the cotton plant was pushed forward very early under the then existing system 
of labor, the yield was not much shortened by the stripping of the leaves in Septem- 
ber, and many planters continued to think that the large cotton in new grounds, of 
which then- was a considerable quantit y, was benefited by the loss of foliage. 
The charactei of the winter seems to have very little influence upon the propa- 
gation of the Cotton Worm J its development in greater or less numbers seems to 
depend pri in i pally upon the character of the summer season. A wet, rainy summer, 
causing a t ank, succulent, growth of the plant, is peculiarly adapted to their propaga- 
tion in countless number*, even apparently shortening the period bet w een their reap- 
pearance from twenty-om to eighteen days, and causing them to appear in such num- 
bers in what is commonly called the second crop (in August) as to almost destroy the 
leaves on the cotton, and not leave sutlicient foliage to sustain the next generation 
in September lot more than half their allot ted seven days. For instance, the winter 
of 1872-^73 was one of the coldest known in this latitude for years. Worms were 
noticed in the latter part of May, ami by the last of August the cotton fields of 
this parish were perfectly bale, and ,\et si HI another crop of worms hatched in lat- 
ter part of September, and destroyed crops saved by application of Paris green. 
4. Wet summers are almost essential to the reproduction in any great numbers of 
the worm. Many of the eggs do not hatch in dry weather, and then the many enemies 
of the worm have I bet tcrehai.ee to destroy them. 
.">. In 1868. the first year of my experience as a planter, I noticed a few in spots 
about July 1~>. August 7 they were quite numerous in spots. August 2"> they reap- 
peared, and injured t he crop considerably ; w onus green, with t wo rows of yellow, with 
black spots dow n back. September - a mole numerous crop stripped portions of the 
field. September "Jo the green, with black stripes down hack, appeared, and soon 
stripped the plan; - < 1" e\ cry leaf and small boll. In IriVJ I found a few worms as early 
as June 24, lull grown, pale green, marked with white and yellow spots. July lf> a 
tew were noticed in rank cot ion. August 7 the\ were quite numerous in spots of aftHM 
character ol COtton. August "J 7 the green and black spotted worm "chopped" the 
leaves badly 01 61 w hole < -rop. and Bnccessive crops appeared each w eek, September2, 
Septembers; and then on September 20 the green and black striped worm com- 
menced stripping the crop. This was a ven wet seasou, cotton growing very large, 
and despite the loss of leaves, the yield per acre was about one bale of 400 pounds 
weight. 
In 1870 the seas.-n was one of the driest ever know n. I did not find worms until 
September 1."). and t hen the green and black striped. They were not in suflicient num- 
bers to do any harm. In 1871, the first worms noticed from 1st to 15th July, green; 
reappeared AngBSf 15, green, wit h black spots ; September 10 appeared in considerable 
numbers, green, black striped, but did not entirely strip the plant: extremely wet 
spring, but dry summer. In 1672 the first noticed were on September I), green, yellow 
stripes, black spots : reappeared July 15, all sizes and stages; August 2u to 2f>, heavy 
crop of green, black striped, stripping the cotton early in September. In ls>7:i found 
tirst worms latter part of May : had seen dies around buildings on warm days in Feb- 
ruary : did not pay much attent ion to their reproduction until July '2">, when the green 
and black spotted ones appeared in considerable quantities. August lf> the green and 
black striped worms came in myriads, and made short work of the rank, succulent 
cotton, the growth of a rainy summer. I saved 900 acres by applying Paris green: 
(>00 acres in one part of the parish was destroyed by October 1, the Hies haying been 
blown into my fields from adjoining plantations by a heavy Vind the week previous; 
300 acres on another plantation, being isolated, was not again molested. 
In 1674 the tirst and second appearances were noticed latter part of July aud Au- 
gust ; September 4, considerable numbers of all sizes and grades ; September 14, num- 
bers sufficient to strip the cotton crop, as it was mostly planted after an overllow. 
Applied Paris green in places, but the worms disappeared, probably destroyed by birds 
and insects. In 1875, although not an unusually dry year, no worms were noticed. 
