The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1900-11-15
BOIL WEEVIL CONGRESS-.
Cotton Growers Are in Session at Brenbam
Plotting Against The Pest.
A PERMANENT ORGAN z,IlON WAS FORMED
It's Members Pledged to Gather tbe
Squares Containing the Eggs
and Burn Them.

order at III o'clock this morning at Luck &
nall convention OF farmers and BUSH
ness men pledged to the eradication OF
the Mexican boil weevl so far as this
can be accomplished by cooperative and
Uniform means. In stating the object
OF the gathering the temporary chairman
said the forces of nature are constantly
at war-one animal against another, one
plant against the other. The army of
boil weevil that had invaded this country
could be subdued and must be subdued
The meeting was then declared ready for
| business
On motion of Mr.. s. A. Morriss of Bren-
ham Colonel l.. l.. Foster OF the Agricul-
tural and Mechanical college was made
permanent chairman. Mr.. Arthur Wange-
mann VS. nominated for secretary by
Mr. ]. w. Carson of Bryan. superin-
tendent of the farm department OF the
college.
on motion of Hon. T. S. Henderson of
Milan the chairman appointed two com
| mittees:
Order of business-T. S. Henderson. 5.
A. Morriss, R. X. Fielder, George L. Wal
ton, j. A. Small.
Resoutions-J. w. Carson. College.
John Carlisle. Chappell Hill: R. S. New
some, Wellborn; William ] Foster Nava-
sofa; p. H. Barnhill Brennan.
The committee on order Of business
| submitted report, and adjournment fol.
| lowed
On reconvenng at o'clock Colonel
| d. G. Giddings gave notice that local
committee had been appointed for the
purpose of securing cotton seed from
Northern points, the idea being that tho
seed in this immediate section are in.
| fected, and that the North Texas seed
will mature earlier; that Mr.. Arthur
| Wangemann was chairman of the com.
mittee and would take orders from all
| desiring Northern seed; that MIR. joe
Routt had purchased about Twenty-Five
| carloads for distribution and for sale at
very little more than cost, there being
no profit for any one in handling the
seed, and that the committee had been
able to secure a reduction of one-halt
| in freight rates.
Chairman Foster introduced Prof n,
! W. Malley, State entomologist, and pro-
| lessor in the Agricultural and Mechanical
college. Prof. Malley began with the
| statement that he felt the great respon,
| sibility resting upon him, but what he
| had to say could not be successfully cons
| troyerted, as he had studied the question
very carefully. He stated that the solu.
| ton of the boil weevl problem lies In
| the application of scientific principles ami
| The matter is in the control of the farm,
er. The boil weevl is an insect about
one half inch in length, which has but
one plant to feed upon, cotton; the
squares, plant and bolls OF the cotton II
deposits its eggs in the squares and
bolls Through instinct the boil weevil
| first attacks the bark or outer portion
! before 1t feeds on the inside OF the form
| or square. 1t then eats a hole into the
| boil wherein it deposits its eggs after
which a glue substance is placed over
the opening for protection to the egg.
which renders it incapable Of being
! reached by any fumigatng poison. While
| the egg is in the boil it matches and
| the worm is developed. 1t requires from
/ two to three days for the egg to hatch.
! which may be called the first stage. II
requires thereafter from ten to fourteen
| days in developing into the section stage,
| from which stage in seven days ii devel-
! OPS into an adult w'Scvil, and remains
| for two DAYS in that condition. The time
| thus required in developing from an egg
! 70 an adult weevil is twenty five to thir'
ty days The egg is laid no where else
| except in a form or square. and the te'
| male period of life is about one month,
/
is absolutely imprisoned in the square
or boil of the cotton for period OF
twenty-five to thirty days, during which
! period he is at the mercy of the farmer.
| Flowing under the squares at this time
| is not the proper method The professor
| stated that he had actually tested the
matter by burying boil weevils fromstwo
( TO six inches, only to find that about
( nine-tenths of them would escape. There
~. 4
process First, it prevents the destruc-
ton of the weevil by the ants, and like,
wise protects them from the sun, which
in the heat of summer will destroy a
: great many.
+ In answer to an Inquiry, Professor Nal,
ley stated that leaving them on the
ground in the summer time would destroy
ony u small per cent He stated that
the squares drop off at least two weeks
before the weevil natures. and the only
reliable remedy is TO gather up the
squares and burn them. The weevi hunts
nm the first cotton that comes up and
will concentrate on early cotton. They
do not all come out at the same time and
n Is necessary to follow up the gathering
of the squares. This is the cheapest
me nod to follow. as from actual expert
ence 1t has been done at a cost of
Giants per acre The squares should be
DAYS and should be gathered early in the
se,son Ave or six times which can be
done at total cost OF 81 per acre The
professor recommended what he calls the
tran method. that Is to plant two rows OF
early cotton for every twenty acres, and
# will be found that the weevtl will con-
centrate On these two rows and can there
he destroyed by the process OF gathering
and burning the squares
As to the spraying process Professor
MsIley stated that the bon weeyil does
not 60 On top of the leaves, but confines
himself 10 the stem of the cotton where ne
can be caught BY spraying vertically.
Horizontal spraying would be OF no pene-
al. Tais spraying should be done wAen
The wsevIl begins TO attack the trap
rows that Is, when he comes out from
alternating Spraying must be used in
conjunction with gathering up the
squares. The solution suggested by Pro-
fessor Marey is IS follows:
zone gallon OF molasses Sorghum or
camel. two ounces OF 30 PEI cent arsenic
TO The gallon and four ounces Of arsenic
Of lead mixed. with forty-eight gallons Of
water"