The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1903-12-21

| color. about one-fourth inch long, and
! while 1t resembles to some extent the
pea weeviI. It is in way related to
this or the acorn weevil and is easily
distinguished from any OF the various
kinds Of weevils. and the one great pecu-
larty about it Is 1t never has been
known TO puncture any other plant ex-
cept cotton. and really only feeds while
in the worm stage,
How the Weevil Operates.
When winter sets IN and there are no
squares on the cotton stalks to pune
ture the weevil hybernates, or in other
words goes to sleep and remains DOR
mant, until early in the spring when the
cotton begins to put on squares, when
the insect energies from It's winter quar-
tiers, from under bark, and decayed vege-
tatioD, etc, and Immediately begins its
destructive work. the female deposlting
| from 100 to $50 eggs in the squares dur
| ing IT'S working life, which IS about ff-
| teen days. when it dies. The eggs are
sometimes laid in very young and ten
der bolls, but never in the stalks or
! foliage. From the egg a small white
! grub is Matched. which feeds entirely
in the square or boil. until it IS fun
| grown, which requires about two weeks
from the laying of the egg When this
worm is fully grown it transforms into
the pupa. remaining in q partially dor
! mant stage during this most wonderful
development Of the adult weevil. When
the transformation Is complete the IN
sect eats a hole In the square or boil
and emerges from It ready for punctur-
ing From the time the egg Is laid until
the adult weevil appears is from 25 to
so days.
The life Of the wcevi is only nfteen days
| during which time they do not eat any
thing. but simply devote their entire
life 10 puncturing and depositing eggs
! in squares and bolls. making a con
| tinuous and enormous increase every
thirty days One hundred weevils will
produce from 100000 to 80 900 weevils
in thirty days. hence the rapid increase
can readily be understood during the cot
! ton maturing season OF three or four
months.
Methods of Destroying Weevil
So far the methods ana means Of de-
stroying the weevils or even checking IT
in it's work Of devastation, are SO numer-
Gus that It is almost an utter impossi-
I bility for planters to agree upon any
/ particular method of fighting the pest.
However, the plan which appears the
most logical so far suggested by those
who have experienced the terrible raw
ages of the weevn, IS that cotton must be
ALLOW ed further distance apart both in
the row and drill which will allow the
rays OF The sun to strike with greater
force among the foliage and to admit
| of more intense cultivation than usual
Also to permit the picking of the fallen
! squares by hand.
The greatest objection to this most feas-
| able plan is that it viii necessarily de-
! crease the acreage per hand 1T least one
! half and at the same time require double
| the usual amount OF work. as the weevl
| will have to be continually fought from
| the plant until the hollis have so hald-
| ened until they cannot be punctured by
| them. 1t is claimed and confidently be-
! lieved by many farmers, some Of whom
! have experimental with it. that the
burning OF sulphur in the cotton fields
! at night will cncctually drive the weevl
from the cotton. This plan is TO place tin
cans containing a quarter Of pound of
sulphur each on every thirteenth row
/ ana about 80 feet apart on the row. The
sulphur to be lighted only at night 50
! that the fumes will settle IN the foliage
/ and squares where the insect IS al work
I II is not claimed that the burning OF
sulphur will kill the weeyil. but that It
will cause them to fly for fresher air and
/ hence will return after a short time and
consequently the burning should be re
peated every two weeks.
The weevil does not feed upon the fol-
iage. hence 1t cannot be poisoned and
! neither is it attracted by lights, as in the
/ case Of pea weevils, moth flies, etc
! Now this crisis, which must be met by
/ the cotton planter. is not a question of
passing fancy but a serious problem. and
! one in which the interest of every citi-
/ zen not only Of Texas but OF every cot
! ton growing state Is at stake as to the
| general welfare OF the whole country. 1t
! is of vital Importance to every state In
the south that the boil weevil be ex-
! terminated, or checked in its ravageous
course as the time is not far distant
/ when the weevil Will cover the whole
| cotton growing region and the planters
! in every state will find themselves in the
same distressed condition of Texas far
mers That the boil weevil travels there
is no question. but how and the various
ways In which they travel is a nlooted
question further than that they can be
transported in anything shipped l>y rail,
or water They have even been found
| alive in cotton bales, having passed
the cotton bale. from whence they have
| been taken out alive and uninjured. In
this way the whole of Europe could cas-
| ily be stocked with them. Although they
are short lived they are hard to kill.
| W. /. 7.