Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1902-10-22
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CAN'T KILL COTTON WEEVIL.

Texas EntOmOlOEist and Farmers
Despnir-Last Year 1t Ate 2O,OOO,-
600.
Prof. Mally, the state entomologist OF
Texas, upon whom the cotton farmers
have depended to save them from the
ravages Of the Mexican boil weevil, af-
ter two years careful study Of that
destructive insect, has reported that
neither he nor the government, state or
national, can do anything for the farm
ers. Their only hope lies in themselves,
in years of hard work and heavy ex-
pense If they keep up the fight they
will in time get control Of the weevil,
and possibly eradicate it. Such Is the
slender hope that Prof. Mally holds
out to them.
For the three or four years since the
weeviL crossed the Rio Grande from
Mexico, it has been the object of close
study and relentless war, in the hope
that it would be crushed out. The
United States chronological bureau,
the department Of agriculture, the
state entomologist and the farmers
themselves have all tried to get rid of
the weevil. One by one their hopes
have resulted in failure.
The department Of agriculture pro-
posed to get rid of the weevils by cul-
tivating Egyptian or some other varie-
ty of cotton that the Mexican visitors
would not eat The idea, based upon
the experience of the French vine grow
ers, in substituting American for
French vines when the latter were at
tackled by the phylexera, was excellent
in theory, but proved a failure in prac-
tice, as the Egyptian cotton did not
prosper in Texas.
Then came the idea Of getting rid of
the weevil by finding some other in
sect that would devour it. A fungus
growth was reported very damaging to
the insect, and a strange new butter
fly devoured 1t in large quantities.
There has been no trouble in finding
phagocytes for the weevils; but un-
fortunately their appetites were not
sufficiently voracious. They ate the
weevils, but not enough Of them, only
the superf1ous insects which wandered
off from the main hordes. Not only
the new butterflies devour them, but
so does the common everyday ant, all
| in vexatious moderation. The only in
sect that preys on the weevils voraci-
ously enough to have any influence on
their numbers Is the cotton caterpillar,
and there is nothing to be gained by
using one enemy of the cotton to kill
another.
For a time the Texas farmers were
delighted at the news that the weevil
had completely disappeared from Rio
Grande county, where it first appeared,
and the hope arose that in time 1t
would desert the rest of the district
which it has ravaged. An investigation
left no ground for this hope. The wee
wills have left Rio Grande county, 1t Is
true, but they have left there only be-
cause they completely destroyed the
cotton crop Of the county. There was
no cotton left for them, and as they
will eat nothing else, they got out to
more inviting fields. They will leave
the other counties in time, but not until
they have annihilated the cotton.
In the meantime, they have eaten,
this year, 100000 bales of cotton, worth
$50, 900 900, and have crossed Red River
into the Indian Territory. By next
year there will not be a single cotton
growing county in Texas free from the
weevil, unless the farmers of the state
take energetic steps to check 1t prog
ress.
There is but one way, Prof. Mally
says, to fight the insect, and that Is by
removing the insects by hand. He sug-
gests various other plans that will help
along with the work. Thus he suggests
the idea of planting trap crops or trap
rows of variety of early cotton. Tne
idea is to make an attractive spot about
the farm for the earliest weevils where
they may be colonized and more sue
cessfully controlled. These trap rows
should also be placed around gins and
along woodland sides Of farms. as the
insects hibernate in cotton seed and
in the woods. When the weevils are
thus attracted to these traps, they can
be more successfully treated by hand
picking, spraying, etc, and the sum-
mer brood will be materially diminish
ed.
But this is merely an incident. The
fight must be kept up vigorously all the
time. Prof. Mally would have the far-
mers plant early cotton, for the wee
wills get worse late in the fall; and
plant the rows far apart, for the wee
vii does not like sunlight. Then ne
would have the farmer apply his en-
tire force to hand picking the weevi
from the plants and to constantly
spraying them. This will keep down
their numbers. Early in the fall he
would turn the cattle loose in the cot
ton fields, for he finds that nothing Is
so effective in getting rid of weevils as
grazing. He would burn off the land
utterly destroying grass and cotton
plants and keep it ploughed all winter
Even if all these many precautions
are followed, Prof. Mally does not as
sert that it will get rid Of the weevil
but only that it will mitigate the III
Jury done by them. II kept up con-
stantly for years, the pest will be final
ly got under control.
1t is recognized by all that while the
more prudent and industrious farmers
will follow this advice, that the lazy