The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1898-10-20

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III vi, on the plants, or into paniallv 80
~, "s, Many pupae are killed in tho hoii
~ the frost and never devotion inc WI
,fs, ana many OF the adult wesyi,s ~.
hiiled by the cold and fail to surviyc ~
winter The weevii Is therefore n, ~
hniniihum or extreme ebb In point o, rnm
Yer, ueis at the first opening OF spring and
.nls u most imp,rtant tact. for a, This
, ,,,ne " can be most easily DESTROYED. Wa
subject Of remedies ~ Jug
mere are nine principal remedies an,
preventive measures that can be emn,orat
asalhst the weevil any one of which yin
no great deal OF good. and all of which
.aken together, II carefully carried All,
through the season In the order In witt
'ney come. will insure an abindan, cfon
oi eotlpn, provided the meteorological aud
SOL conditions are favorable to The ,rowinc
anu development OF the crop and the usual
immunity from other pests continues
Inese nine remedies and measures. whicn
| assure you will secure freedom from IN :
cotton weevil. are as follows. taken in Their
usuai order from early spring till frost:
Ihe FIRST consists of poisoning, or tran
ping and Manipulating, the over-wIn. cred
weevils on volunteer or very early plantod
cotton plants. | would recommend IN /,
poisoning as being easter and doubtless
quite as effective. For this purpose nut a
quantity OF cheap niolasses. undiluted into
pail, and mix into ii ne-tourth It's VOL
ume oil white arsenic keeping the whole
constantly stirred with stick. and apply
ing 1t with the stick TO stalks. stems and
leaves OF volunteer plants at the onaninr
OF spring. as soon as the volunteer begins
10 bud and sent out shoots Exper mont :
nave demonstrated that the weeyils will h,
attracted to this poisoned molasses. will
cat 1t and will die in from twenty.f four Il,
forty-eight hours thereafter. This ono
measure WILL therefore. do more good proh.
AMY man any other single measure, be-
cause the weevils are az this time the least
numerous and will all flc~k to the first
tot'on pants mat appear to satisfy Their
munger caused by their fast during The ,a-
riod OF cold weather and Information Tbov
VIII thus eat the poisoned molnsses M
squares being yet formed and Will
ule beDr.e they have the chance
10 deposit any eggs In localities
"here no volunteer appears. or where the
WINTER has been so severe as to kin nv,
all cotton roots. some early cotton. TO no
used for this purpose. will have TO be
planted at intervals in the field. as early az
possible before the planting of the regular
crop All volunteer plants not so poisoned
must he destroyed. unless they are CON
a
able method outside of cheap labor dis
trlets Moreover the volunteer plants must
De rsroisonef with the molassas and arsenic
whenever 1t Is noticed that the mixture ha a
completely run off or dVippeared and he
more poisoned volunteer or early plants
there are to the acre the better will be the
results. Bear in mind than every female
weevil killed before egg-laylng begins. or
before squares appear on the volunteer or
early cotton, represents thousands or even
tens OF thousands killed in the fall.
The second measure is TO destroy all vol
unteer plants in corn fields. abandoned
fields or fields other than cotton fields, un-
less these are kept hSisoned with the mo-
lasses and arsenic II would probably not
be advisable to continue poisoning the
volunteer plants outside of cotton fields
after the PAINTED cotton Is in square but
such plants, unless constantly poisoned or
handpicked, must be kept down through
out the season, else the weevil will breed
and increase in them in great numbers.
The third measure consists in poisoning
the planted cotton with the diluted mo-
lasses and arsenic solution before the
squares are formed. or just as they begin
10 appear, but before they are large enough
for the weevil to feed upon them If any
weevils, and they will be few. have escaped
the poisoned volunteer plants, or any have
come from neighbo-ing fields, containing
untreated volunteers, this application VIII
kill all or nearly all Of Slem before they
lay their eggs. The solution should be
made as follows: Boil one and threef fourth
ounces OF white arsenic tarsenious acid
IN a gallon OF water until entirely dissolved,
then stir Ii into barrel Of water (forty or
forty-five gallons). In which a gallon and
half or two gallons of cheap molasses
have been dissolved 1t should be applied
with a mounted horse spray machine aud
spray nozzle. This solution can also be
applied with good effect through the sum
mer. but its efficiency decreases as the sea-
son advances and the plants increase In
growth.
The fourth measure consists in the use
Of the Strouhal machine on the young
planted cotton, from the time squares are
formed until the plants become two feat
or so in height. when they are TOO large To
be treated In this way. This machine col
lects the weevils and stung squares from
the plants by means OF two series Of
brushes revolving in opposite directions,
and destroys them. Ii is an undoubted
success FOR young cotton in squares.
The fifth measure is TO pick up, II pos.
sible all fallen squares in spring ana
early summer and destroy them rms is
nossi5le in cheap labor districts, But let
ma point out that II the preceding meas
,,res are carefully carried out there VIII be
no fallen squares h, be pe.ed up. lt Is
well known. | should remark here mat
most of the stung squares ran 10 ,he
GROUND. the contained grubs developing
therein into weevils.
Tho .iyth nreas sure consists IN the con-
slant and thorough cultivation OF the grow
ing cron through June and July, or from
the time the plants are two feet high unt'l
The fret crop is ready for picking, using
crogs-bsr on the culivator, placed az
such a height as 10 brush the plants MS
viii cause the weevils and stung squares
IN dpop 70 the ground, where they VIII d,
covered with earth by the cultivator ana
many will die or rot before they can escape
This means clean cultivation. freedom from
weeds a greater yield OF cotton. les; dal-
ger from droutb. no protection TO the we.
vils from shade afforded by weeds ana 'hs
destruction Of many weevils and other
insects by covering them UP with esrth n
The rows II should be pracilcei by an
nlarte-s. even where no weevil Is presehl
THE seventh measure is one o. the ms
imn9rtar. OF all, probably ranking heAt
N noisoning the volunteer In early spT'ns'
I, consists in cutting and burning nv
cettc,a plants. or Otherwise eempletely ue-
stroving them. in September. Oeioper o.
ex,sn as late as November. But II do'e "
srnrember or Oct1bsr t. Is ten times a a.
effic;ant as II done in November
s,so,,,d he done as soor as the crop appear
,o Ne Giving out. The point is TO cut snor
~ ,,oI sunpIy OF the wesvil as early IN