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BEE CULTURE INVESTIGATIONS 
E. F, Phillips, . Apiculturist in Charge 
Four members of the staff of the Bee Culture Office attended the Fifth 
Annual Conference of the Wisconsin State Beekeepers! Association at the Uni+ 
versity of Wisconsin, Madison, Wis., August-13 to 17. . They were Dr. F, F. 
Phillips, Dr, A, P, Sturtevant, EB, L. Sechrist, and W, J, Nolan, Harold J. 
Clay, of the Bureau of Agricultural Economics, was present and issued the Honey 
Market News Report for August 15 from Madison, Dr, S. A. Jones, also of the 
Bureau of Agricultural Economics, was present during part of the meetings. 
Several men associated with State work in beekeeping were also present, includ- 
ing R, B. Willson, agent of the Bee Culture Laboratory in New York State, Dr, 
M. C, Tanquary, State Entomologist of Texas, Prof. J. J. Davis, State Entomolo- 
gist of Indiana, E.-C, Davis, State Beekeeping Specialist of Louisiana, and 
Chas. A. Reese, State Apiary Inspector of Ohio. Prof, H. F, Wilson, of the 
University of Wisconsin, presided at all the meetings. 
The series of meetings including the dedication of the Miller Memorial 
Apicultural Library at the University of Wisconsin and the dedication of the 
Memorial tablet at Marengo, Ill., on August 18 was one of the most successful 
and interesting ever held in the United States, There was a registration of 
about 300, which would make a total actual attendance of more nearly 500, 
a L, M, Bertholf, assistant bacteriologist, has resigned to resume his 
position as instructor of biology at the North Carolina College for Women, 
Greensboro, N, C, 

SOUTHERN FIELD-CROP INSECT INVESTIGATIONS 
J. L, Webb, Entomologist Acting in Charge 
The cotton caterpillar appeared in large numbers soon after the middle 
of August in the various isolated cotton regions in western Texas and New 
Mexico, These include Presidio, Zl Paso, Hudspeth, Pecos, Ward, and Reeves 
Counties in Texas, and Dona Ana and Eddy Counties in Nerv Mexico, The invae 
sion seems to have been the strongest which has ever reached that part of the 
country. 

For the last two or three years there have teen increasing compleints from 
southern Texas about the damage to cotton by the so-called cotton flea, The 
insect to which this name is applied is Psallus seriatus. The injury attributed 
to it is the blasting of the very young squares at the terminal bud of the pliant. 
_ Some preliminary observations made this season throw strong doubt on whether this 
insect is responsible fot the damage attributed to it. 4 number of plants caged 
in such a manner as to exclude the insect developed typical injury. The vlants 
_ showing the excessive shedding of the very small squares also show an abnormal 
habit of growth, They become very tall and have few or no lateral branches and 
practically no fruit. All varietal characteristics are masked by this abnormal 

