The Savannah morning news., 1903-11-07
WAR ON THE BOIL wEEvIL.

Louisiana cotton growers want
quarantine declared against Texas cot
ton. They are afraid that if the cot
ton is permitted to come into their
state it will bring the boil weevil with
st.
A delegation of Louisiana planters
visited Dallas, Tex, on Thursday, and
asked Mr.. Wilson, Secretary of Agri-
culture, who was there to address the
boil weevil convention, to declare such
a quarantine. His answer was that
he did not think the progress of the
weevil towards the Louisiana cotton
fields could be stopped in that way
and it is probable he was right.
The Louisiana cotton planters, how
ever, are so alarmed by the steady
movement of the weevil in their direc-
ton that they are anxious to try every
means to check it, however unreason-
able such means may appear to be.
1t is not clear what a convention,
such as that which met at Dallas,
can do to prevent the spread of the
boil weevil. Perhaps the purpose of
the convention was simply to get to-
gether planters from all parts of the
state. so that they might compare
notes as to the means employed in
fighting the evil, and to discover if
any of these means had been in the
least effective. 1t was also the pur-
pose probably of those who were in
strumental in calling the convention to
devise ways for making a more vigor-
Gus fight against the pest that is do
ing so much harm to Texas, and which
threatens to ruin the cotton crop in all
parts of the South.
1t is only few years since the Wee
vii appeared in Texas. coming, it is be-
lieved, from Mexico, but in that short
time it has done in that state damage
amounting to many millions of dol
lars. The damage that it has done
in Texas this year is estimated to be
more that $40 100000. Cotton in whole
area covered by the weevil is being
steadily and rapidly increased
1t has been stated that the Secre-
tary of Agriculture of Texas recently
expressed the opinion that the pest
would spread over the entire cotton
belt, and that cotton as crop in the
South was doomed. OF course he has
a right to that opinion, and doubtless
it is worthy of very careful considera-
ton, because he has given the boil
weevil evil a great deal of attention.
1t is not too much to say that he
knows more about it than any other
man in the country.
That Louisiana is greatly alarmed
by the progress of the weevil toward
her borders is shown by the request
of her planters. 1t is evident that
they believe that if a way isn't found
to fight the evil successfully cotton
will cease to be crop in their state,
as it has in a very considerable part
of Texas.
1t does seem as if scientists would
be able to cope with the evil A large
reward has been offered by Texas for
remedy for it and the govern
ment at Washington is doing all 1t
can to relieve the cotton fields of the
pest. Thus far, however, nothing that
has been tried seems to meet the re-
quirements of the situation and farm
ers in great areas of Texas have been
compelled to abandon the cultivation
of cotton.
There have been reports that the
boil weevil has been found in fields in
this state and in Alabama, but there
is reason for doubling the reports. 1t
Is not all improbable, however, that
before many years the pest will APP
pear in those states. The whole South,
in fact the whole world, is profoundly
interested in this matter for the whole
world would suffer If the South were
to cease to be a cotton producer.