The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-06-18
FIGHTING BOIL WEEVILS.
How the Government Is to Make
war on the Pests.

How the Government Is to Make
war on the Pests.
/ Washington, June 17.-Dr. L. o.
Howard, chief of the Division of Ento-
/ mology in the Agricultural Department,
/ has just returned from Texas where
/ he has been making a personal inves-
/ tigatiOn of conditions in the cotton
| area of that state infested by the Mex
/ lean boil weevil. DR.. Howard said
! that the planters with whom he talked
| are practically unanimous in the opin-
| ion that the conditions are unfaVora BILE
| for a good crop of cotton this year. He
! is disposed to think that their view of
| the outlook is rather too pessimistic,
and that if weather conditions from this
! time on arc reasonably favorable a
! fairly good crop may be gathered.
| Planting was very late in Texas this
| season as in other sections of the cot
! ton belt, and as a consequence the
| plants are not nearly so well developed
| as is usual at this season of the year.
Though Dr. Howard contends that
/ early planting is one of the best means
! Of combating the boil weevil. he does
! not believe that it's ravages win be
| much more extensive in Texas this year
! on account of the late planting, for the
| reason that the late season has re-
! tarded the development of the weeVil
as well as the planting of cotton. BY
! advising early planting he means that
! the cotton seed should be got into the
| ground each year as early as the sea
| son will admit, so that it may be de-
| veloped as far as possible before the
weevils, which have hibernated, have
| had a chance to multiply and attack
| the squares and bolls.
| DR.. Howard is disposed to believe
! that the thorough cleaning of the land
| each fall after the crop is gathered is
| of even more Importance than early
| planting or any of the other measures
| that are advised for combating the
weevil. If all the cotton plants, weeds,
and other vegetable growths are thor
| oughly cleaned from the land and burn
| ed each fall, comparatively few of the
| insects escape and live through the
winter. DR.. Howard found that on
| some plantations, where the land was
| thoroughly cleaned last fall the Wee
! wills have not appeared this season,
| though they are abundant on adjoining
! plantations. These plantations, free of
the pests, will probably raise good
| crops this year for the reason that the
| insect does not spread much until late
| in the season.
The agents of the Agricultural De-
| partment find it very difficult to IN
| lanQS
| in the fall. 1t necessitates destroying
the cotton plants before the last of the
| top crop has been gathered in most IN
stances, and many planters prefer to
| take the chance of having short crops
! the next year, rather than lose the
small amount of cotton they can gath
er by allowing the plants to stand.
! The Agricultural Department is con-
| tinuing the systematic study of the
/ WanNil M &c inv ffcro
cd that is proposed for its eradication.
! though without much hope of success.
| The entOmolOgists have practically
concluded that the weevil has come
to stay, and that in the course of
comparatively few years it will spread
over the entire cotton belt. This be-
| ing the case, the department is deYot-
ing its energies principally to devising
| methods OF raising cotton in spite of
| the Weevil and to instructing the
| planters in these methods. This year
| the Secretary of Agriculture has $780,
600 at his disposal for this work The
department has entered into contracts
| with the owners of eight planta lions
Tor the cultivation of cotton under the
direction and immediate supervision of
| agents of the department. The own
| ers of these plantations are guaranteed
! a crop of at least one-half a bale TO
| the acre. These plantations take in all
the different kinds of soil in Texas,
| including bottoms and uplands, sandy
soil and black soil. They are located
near the following towns: Victoria.
San Antonio, Austin, Calvert, Afford,
Hetty and Houston
| DIR. Howard reiterated the assurance
heretofore given by other officials of
the department that the weevil has
not yet spread beyond the borders of
Texas The agents of the department
have not yet discovered a case in
| which the insect has been carried in
bales of cotton. 1t was originally in
PRODUCED in Texas in seed cotton sent
across the river at Brownsville, and
| thence to cotton gins in the Texas cot
ton belt, thus crossing an area of
grazing land across which it could
not have naturally made its way.
| Since then it has spread each year at
a rate varying from seventy-five to
eighty miles, its movement to the
northward being accelerated by the
winds from the South. which have aid
ed the insects in their flight.