The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-08-27
TEXAS COTTON CROP
THE HOUSTON POST ISSUES ITS
 MONTHLY REPORT.
Decided Change for the Worse Since the Issuance of the
 July Report.
'exas, Post. of August

 25 says:
 The reports on the present condition of the cotton crop of Texas go to show that there has been decided change TOT the worse since the issuance or the July report. Most of the correspondents state that this change has come about within the past two weeks. There are several causes for this. In the southern. south central and eastern sections of the State the heavy rains and the boil weevil; in the northern p6rtion of the State dry weather; in north central the boil worms. Of the causes given. the boil worms ap- pear to be doing the greatest damage, for they have wider field of operation, and in some counties in Central Texas both the worm and the weevil are at work on the crop.
 As a rule the reports state that the plant is looking fine. From the north- eastern section of the State, which raises a large percentage of the crop. there are no complaints of any of the draw backs existing in other sections, and the crop is doing well in every particular. Elsewhere 1t looks we'll. but there has been a deal of shedding, due to the heavy rains and the work of the insects. The weed is growing finely, but 1t Is not fruiting as it should in order to produce in the manner expected of it.
 In south and south central Texas there have been heavy rains, and the wetness is held to be conducive to the work of the boil weevil, which has apparently been taking full advantage of its oppor- tunities. The rains have also caused the plant to throw off small bolls to an alarming extent, and considerable of it's energy now appears to be devoted to making weed. Picking is not well under way. the plant having regained none of the three weeks loss in the early part of the season.
 On the other hand. there is a complaint of lack of rain in North Texas, and the fate of the crop depends largely upon the moisture proposition. The boil worms are also reported as doing great damage, and this is not confined to any particular sec- tion of that territory. but appears to be general. The farmers do not know ex- actly Tow to combat them, and their ravages give no appearance of an early cessation.
 It is noted by several of the correspond ents that the cotton is doing better where 1t was planted in rows that are wide apart, the sun getting a better chance at the developing bolls. There Is also mention that frequent blowing has a very good effect on the plant and that 1t seems to decrease the number of boil weevils and the amount of damage that is being done by them.
 As to the weevil, the correspondents in the following counties report that con- siderable damage is being done; in some of them the statement is made that the weevils are very likely to prove the utter ruination of the crops. though all are not so pessimistic: Anderson, Angelina, Bastrop, Bee, Bell, Bosque, Burlescn, Burnet. Caldwell, Colorado, Dewitt, Falls, Fayette, Fort Bend, Freestone, | Frio, Goliad, Gonzales. Grimes, Guada- lupe, Hardin. Harris, Hays. Henderson, To- aca, Lee, Leon, Liberty, Limestone, Live Oak. Madison. Matagorda, McLennan, McMullen, Medina, Milan. Montgomery, Navarro, Polk. Robertson, San Jacinto, Travis, Tyler. Victoria, Washington, Wharton, Williamson and Wilson-fifty- | four of them.
 From the following counties there are | reports of the presence of the weevils, | but the statement is made that the in- sects are not doing a great deal of dam age: Bandera, Cherokee, Cooke Coryell, Nacogdoches. Refugio, Rusk, San Angus tine, Walker and Waller-ten, making a | total of sixty-four counties which report the weevil. It may be that there are | other counties which actually have the pest and which do not report it, but this is to be doubted.
 l The situation as it now stands: The acreage is about the same as that of last year. The weed is generally fine, but there has been much shedding over a large portion of the belt. The boil weevil is doing damage in sixty-four counties, greater in some than in others, but there is another crop of the insects to be added a little later along. The boil worm af- fleets many of the counties which do not report the weevil and are dolng even a greater amount of damage There has been too much rain in some sections of the State and not nearly enough in oth- CTS. The season is gtill three weeks late and this renders the probability of an early frost doing damage much greater than If the picking were now well under way. as 1t should be over south and cen tral Texas. The outlook is not so flat tertng as it was a short time ago, but there are still indications that the cror will be fairly good one, and there is no reason for any cry that the whole crop will be an utter failure.