The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1902-10-07
BOIL WORM AND WEEVIL
They Have Cost Texas This Year.
100000 Bales Of Cotton.
ESTIMATE OF PROF. F W. MALLY.
Need for Organization and Enlightenment
% FIGHT the Pests-colonel Peters
Mere Than Confirms Estimate.

me Following letters explain themselves:
Agricultural and Mechanical College OF
IeNas. David L. Houston. President
behr sir; Herewith attach a tabulated
form OF the various counties seriously
oamaEed by the two great cotton pests
tue DOLL worm and the boil weevil In
both Instances the estimates are extreme
" conservative. as these lists are as they
VIII appear In nv official report about to
ue submitted. and II Is not intended TO
represent the actual loss any moro than TO
ue an Intelligent anprox lmatlon 10 give an
lhalcation OF the tremendous losses the
leAas planters are experiencing each year.
ana which might be materially reduced by
p4opef organization aud education of the
p.4htefs M tne ucst cultured methods car
fuiatta 10 overcome tncse pcsts and pro
~ tHtif cropS from serious rayages You
VIII teaully concedc FROM an inspection o.
tnls uata mat the loss Is great enongn to
present lorciOle argument even though
IL must also be conceded that the ,sti.
mates shown are extremely ,oiisrrvatlvp
Lhis IS plainly indicated bV the following
example. Take the Following counties
from the boil worm list Fannin. hin Ma
Natfo, Hopkins, Hunt. Lamar. Kaufman
and Dallas
The CORRESPONDENCE Of this department
tue naht month shows that tor these eigut
-"NtNANo tAt AhMdGt seems 10 Ne - per
cent 10 rs l-3 per cent But to be on the
SAFE side suppose IL be cut down TO 70
per gent OF the CROP This makes the loss
70 tnese eight counties alone at least l34.-
V51 bales Deductmg the amount OF cotton
produced by these eight counties from the
entire amount of the boil worm district
siNty,siN counties. as listed herewith. Ell
as. Williamson. Fannin. Hunt, Hill. Nc
Lehman Navarro. Lamar, Collin, Kaufman,
Travis, Graysou. Falls. Dallas. Bell, Lime
S.ohe' Guadalupe, Milam Hopkins, ReA
River Comanche. Johnson. Caldwell,
Erath Smith. Fayette. Bastrop. Denton.
Burleson, Lee Freestone. Robertson Up.
shur, Henderson Wood Van Zandt. Delta,
Rains Titus. Franklin, Bowie Camp.
Klsk' Cherokee, Cass. NacoSdoches. Ilar-
rison. Marion. Bosdue. Burnett, Hamilton.
Coyell. Palo Pinto. Eastland- Hood Park
or, Torrant Somervell, Wise, Jack,
Rockwell, Cook Gregg. Layaca, Lampasas
and Washington. and remembering the fur
ther tact that the boil worm is more or
less distributed in every cotton producing
county IN the State, we have a total loss
from boil worms Of 23sS56 bales In other
words. the loss from boil worms this year
Will be fully equal to. N not greater, than
the loss from boil weevii.
This Is the factor IN the shortage OF the
cotton crop Of Texas which has not been
given due consideration by those reporting
upon the crop Of Texas and particularly
explains why there seems to have been
such sudden changes SO sudden IN fact
that they have been discredted by those
not familiar with the facts. However. you
are aware that as early as June ! sounded
a warning to the cotton planters and urged
them to take proper precautions all along
the line. and the result is not surprising
70 me IN the least; as matter of fact II
the seasonal developments had not been
so unfayorable for insect development the
Injury and loss would have been much
grenter, and my fears earlier In the sea
son would have been more extensively Vim
dictated
The boil weevil district, embracing sixty
eight counties rs follows, has been divided
Those which / have listed as suffering II
loss of 8 per cent Of the crop. namely;
Nueces, Refugio San Patricio. Arkansas,
Coryell. Bosdue, HILL Navarro. Freestone,
Anderson, Houston Trinity, Polk, Tyler,
Hardin, Liberty Galveston.
List of counties suffering 10 per cent
damage Calhoun, Victoria, Goliad, Karnes
Wilson, BeXar McLennan Leon. Madison
Walker. San Jacinto Matagorda, Jackson
damage, De witt, Gonzales. Guadalupe,
Coma,. Hays Caldwell. Bastrop. Travis,
Wllliamson, Bell, Falls, Limestone Robert
cite, Lavaca, Wharton, Colorado. Austin,
Washington Grimes Montgomery. Waller,
Harris Fort Bend, Brazoria
In each case ] am very sure the esti-
mates are conservative The total loss from
the three districts is not less than 229 O64
bales. Adding the total amount estimated
lost through boil worm injuries this sea
son We have grand total OF at least 4oI.
40 bales There are ravnges from insect
pests IN most OF the other counties not
listed In either schedule. and careful
consideration Of the whole field leads me
to make the statement that the loss to the
crop Of cotton in Texas this year VIII be
at least a full half million bales due to
the ravages OF insect pests alone. and not
including the reduction from rain, food
drouth and other similar causes.
7 hope this statement Is so plain and
unequivocal this time thet even inter
csted trade or commercial journals can
not either tacitiy or Intentionally mlsrep-
resent the facts or their Interpretation,
The loss Of half a million bates IN Texas
this year from insect ravages Is ENOUGH
TO stagger even the bravest and simply
intelligent organization and education
rible loss. II Is not for the lack Of in
formation, or OF WAYS and means for pro-
tectIng the crop with reasonable certainty.
that this loss must be sustained. III the
cotton planters Of Texas could be induced
to apply all that Is known of ways and
means Of protecting the cotton crop from
holl worm. boil weeyil and several other
important insects not yet given much at
tentiOn. the same acreage cultivated to the
crop wuuld give Texas anywhere from four
10 FIVE million hales annually Cou'd there
be a stronger argument for having cnuBty
and precinct meetings 10 properly educate.
instruct and organize the planters and
farmers, 10 the end that a united fight
may be inaugurated all along the line next
wear. from fhc beginning 20 the end OF the
season Very respectfully submitted.
Fred W Maly