The Scranton chronicle. (Scranton, Miss.) 1897-19??, 1904-05-21
Tho Boil Weevil Fight.

Work has already begun, under the
direction Of the field agents OF the di
vision OF Entomology of the bureau OF
plant Industry of the department OF
agriculture, seeking means for fight
ing the cotton boil weevil. Congress
realized the danger TO the cotton in
dustry in this pest when the appropria.
ton of $500 900 was made for the pur-
pose of fighting it.
Fifteen stations have been selected
in Texas, where cotton will be cult.
waited under the direction of the spe.
cial men in the employ of the depart.
ment. and the work of the weeyil with
the growth of the cotton plant will be
closely watched and recorded. In the
meantime Investigation Is being made
into the origin of the insect in Mex
leo to ascertain. If possible, whether
it has a natural enemy which may be
introduced into Texas The discover.
les of the Investigation so far ad.
vance little hope for its ultimate de.
Istruction.
There is in press now, however,
bulletin of 116 pages. dealing entirely
with the weevil. IL will be issued
soon and distributed to the growers
and planters in the infested area 1t
Is prepared under the direction OF
Field Agents w E. Hunter and w. d.
Kinds, and is said to be Almost com.
plete treatise The following extract
from the bulletin relating to the pros
poets of the spread of the insect Is
believed to be of special interest at
this time
That the great cotton growing sec
tion of Mississippi may not escape in
yasion Is serious question to contem
plate. The extract referred to reads
as follows:
"The Investigations of the life his
tory of the weevil have indicated that
the most important elements in limit
ing the spread of the insect-namely,
winter temperatures-in this case of
| fer no assurance that the pest will
soon be checked For the past ten
years. except where local unfavorable
conditions have interfered, it has ad-
vanced annually distance OF about
| fifty miles. The insect is undoubtedly
changing its habits and adapting itself
to climate conditions in new regions
that it is invading 1t is undoubted'
Iy true that it has acquired an ability
occurred in the vicinity of San An.
tonic in 1895. Except in a few partic'
ular regions, however. it does not
seem that the continued spread will
be as rapid as it has been. The coun.
try between Gonzales county and the
Red river is practically continuous
cotton field, and the prevailing winds
have undoubtedly favored the north.
ward spread of the insect. Similar
conditions will now favor rapid ex
tension into the Red river valley in
Louisiana, and likewise there seems
no doubt that the spread will be rapid
in the Yazoo valley In Mississippi
but In most other situations through
out the belt the cotton fields ARE
smaller and more isolated than Is the
case in Texas; consequently 1t ds to be
supposed that the spread of the pest
will be retarded somewhat.
/ "Basing estimates on a careful study
of the distance the boil weeyil has
| travelled each year, as well as upon
some attention that has been paid to
| the means whereby it reaches new ter
ritory, it seems safe TO predict that In
from fifteen to eighteen years the pest
will be found throughout the cotton
belt During the time it has been in
Texas there has been no tendency
| toward dying out, and in South Texas
| the pest is practically as troublesome,
except in so far as 1t is affected by
changes in managing the crop. as IL
was in 1895 In Mexico, where 1t has
existed for much longer period, it is
apparently as plentiful as ever. Care
/ full attention which has been paid to the
study of PARASITES and diseases. as
we'll as temperatures unfayorable to
the insect, has failed to reveal any
prospect that it will ever be much less
troublesome than now. There will
nevertheless, be seasons from time
to time in which the damage will be
much less than normal. Climatic con
ditions will undoubtedly cause tenn
porary diminution of the numbers ol
rhe pest in certain localities. In Texas
these conditions have given rise al
most every year to the supposition on
the part of the planters that the in
sects have died out Whenever a Sc
i ries of years of scanty rainf is fol
! lowed by one of normal precipitation
the weevil will temporarily be com
paratively uninportant. The most
disastrous seasons will be those in
which the rainfall is excessive and
planting unavoidably thrown late.
"The fact that>the insect is rather
rapidly adapting itself to conditions
in the United States that are quite
diverse from those of its native home
leads to the snpposition that 1t would
experience but little difficulty in
adapting itself to climate conditions
wherever cotton may be grown. Thi;
probability of the spread of the weeyi
outside Of the United States is in
creased by the fact that cotton SEED
for planting purposes is frequentl,
shipped from the United States to va
rious parts of the globe. There is
nothing whatever to prevent weevil.
that may happen to be sacked Will
cotton seed from being carried Ions
distances on shipboard.
Fine Peach Crop.