The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-11-08
study OF A TINY BUG
Something of Boil WeeviI
Which Is Running Cotton.
BROWN MADE A MILLION
On the Exchange Just Because
of This Worm.

Io"h III 1eAdS lnere is small SreenlSn
gray bug only a quarter of an inch in
length and which has caused this country
a loss of ,000, says a writer in the
New. York World.
1t is creeping northward through the
great cotton belt Of Texas at the rate II
seventy-1ive miles a year. 1t is the cot
ton boil weerl whose presence means de-
struction to the plantation.
The shadow of it's millions is more l,or-
tentous than that of storm cloud. 10
cause in this shadow there lies ia alb
: solute ruin of this country's second great
est export crop.
Within the next decade, accorIng 10
the scientists. the cotton boil weevil viii
unless its power for ravage Is decreased,
cost the country more than $1,000 go 4
year The cotton crop will be blighte1.
The price of clothes and OF al cotton
manufactures throughout the world viii
soar skyward and we viii have to fol
back again upon fabrics OF wool.
I The shadow of the weevil nevee stops
1T spreads with almost manthematicl reg
uiarity, and is even now lowering over
the northern and eastern boundaries OF
Texas preparing to invade the great east
ern belt Of cotton states
The very name OF the boil weevI strikes
terror to the soul of the Southern cotton
planter. \ man who returned to his
home in Georgia from Texas with spell
men of the boil weevil in his possession
was threatened with tar and feathers.
The fear with which the boil weeviI is
RETARDED in the South was recently cx-
emplified by the visit of a delegation OF
cotton planters of the states east Of the
Mississippi river, which are still free from
the ravages of the boil weevil. to the
managers of railroads and TO cotton plan
tiers of the infected Texas district to de-
wise means to ship the cotton grown in
Texas to the North without carrying it
through the cotton fields east of the Mis-
sissippi river. The danger of the infec-
ton Of these fields is so great, if the Tex
as cotton is shipped through the territory.
carrying with it millions of the boil Wee
vii, that the planters are making every
effort 20 devise ways to have the Texas
cotton shipped by other routes.
The most desirable route is by sea,
through the Gulf of Mexico and Ip along
the coast to New York and other parts
outside the cotton growing territory. Bat
the Planters are also urging the necessity
of rail routes that will bring the cotton
far enough North before it crosses the
Mississippi to insure its being kept en-
tirely out Of the great fields of Missis-
sipyi, Alabama, Georgia and the Carroll
mas
kmong other exploits the bon weevil
has made millions Of dollars Tor Cotton
Dealer Brown Of New Orleans, ana f1r
suily. the big broker OF the Cotton tx
change, and their associates.
The eyes of both Sully and Brown were
fixed on Texas and its portentous storm
cloua of insects long before other deal
srs had given the insect any thought
They saw vision of the futare in which
the country's cotton crop would be ruined
and they acted accordingly.
The wisdom of their judg nent has been
borne out in almost every respect.
In the cotton spinning states Of The
East fifteen mills have oeen smut down.
Five thousand three hundred and
eighty-six spinsters have been thrown out
of employment.
Tee price of cotton goods has gone Cp
elarmingiy.
The entire financial condition OF the
country has been affected.
Exports have been materially decreased,
and further decreases are yet TO come.
The shadow OF the boil weevil extends
TO Europe In England two score Of big
miles have beer closed by reason of the
scarcity of cotton, and twenty-five thou
sand men, women and children are ont of
employment. Some o fthem are starving.
Oothers have been reduced TO beggary.
No man could do greater evil TO this
country or to the world at large than TO
release few hundred of the Mexican
boil weevils in each of the Southern cot
ton states
The crop Of Egypt is utterly Inadequate
TO relive the situation.
The total cotton crop of the world
amounts to about Is. 100000 bales. OF which
this country furnishes about 1loM.0lJ
bales and all other countries 20o0,eo9 bales.
The product has grown up to this mag
nificent total from S7o,f5 bales in 1879. In
the opinion Of many planters it has reach
ed its crescendo and win now begin 10
dxindle as the dreaded boil weevil adj
vances until it is practically ruined
So far nothing has availed against the
boil weevil.
Burn it. beat it. soak it with poisonous
spray. thresh it with revolving brushes,
curse it as only Texas planters can curse,
and it still creeps slowly forward at the
rate of seventy-five miles a year. All the
science and wisdom Of the national de-
nartment of agriculture has been Of no
avail to stop it.
What will the end be? As Yet the dread
ed curculio is confined TO Texas. where il
cost the state S5300o.o09 last year. There
will stiu remain the wide and splendid
cotton plantations Of Mississippi. Ala
bama. Georgia and the CRrolinas for its
invasion.
The curculio or cotton boil weeVh mace
its first appearance in the cotton fields
of Texas in 1873
Somewhere. away down in the tropical
regions Of Mexico ii erept into light yea1s
ago. 1t preenod its wings, rubbed It's
stuvsv legs. and SCI about finding its
mate. =. his accomplished the family he
gan to lock for some place 10 go 70 house
keeping.
Here we're the Adam and Eve Of all
the billions Of boil weevils which have
since devastated Texas. They slowly
snr4ad from Mexico 10 the Rio Grande,
halted for time and then crossed into
Texas. Us ives in Bee County. near
Brownsville.
REPORTS came up TO Austin Of the paw
axes of a queer gray bug with lonS
nse. The agricultural department NJ
Washington proposed to the Texas lesis-
nature TO stop growing cotton along the
river for two years and staTve the as
.asssn out. The legislature refused.
Each year since then the firms line 81
che c,,rculio has slowly extended seventy