The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1904-06-17
THE BOIL WEEvIL ANT.
What He Is Expected to Do for tho
Texas Cotton Crop.

W nat he ls expected to Do FOR the
Texas Cotton Crop.
Prof. Cook of the chronological de-
partment is on his way from Guate-
mala to Texas with large colony OF
the red ant that is expected to de.
stroy the boil weeyil. Great hope is
placed in the ant by those who have
seen him at work In Guatemala,
where 1t Is said he keeps the cotton
free from the pests; but there are
many skeptics. 1t is hardly probable
that the ants, however etlicacious
they may be, can be spread over the
infested belt enough to affect mate
rally the growing crop. The weather
bureau at Washington, in Its report
on Tuesday, says: boil weevils are
increasing rapidly and doing consider
able damage in number OF south
western and south central counties OF
Texas" The Newberry Observer says
a friend has handed us a Texas paper
OF recent date which contains some
account Of a red ant in the infested
district that promises to do great
things for the cotton crop. The ac-
count Is given by q writer in San An
tonic. 1t says:
"BeXar county possesses an ant
that has the Guatemala weevil-eating
variety beaten to standstill, with
the advantages Of being right on the
spot now and in need of no transplant.
ing. They are in the field by the
millions ana waging relentless wal
upon the weevil. This little red ant
lis routing the boil weevil In BexaI
county. According to reports from
the county it will not be necessary to
send to Guatemala to rid Bexar coun-
| ty fields Of the cotton pest, and 1t
may be that this county can furnish
all the ants necessary to eradicate the
weevii all over Texas.
Jose Cassiano, eX county collector,
who has several hundred acres Of cot
ton in this county, is the bearer OF the
good tidings concerning the work OF
the ant. Mr.. Cassiano's fields less
than month ago were live with wee.
vii and he looked forward to discourag-
ing prospects of losing the greater
part Of his cotton through ravages OF
the insects. Today he said that there
was not live weevil ia his field. The
rows are streRn. with dead. -weeyil
which the busy little red ants are car
rying away by the thousands. Mr.
Cassiano says II close inspection failed
to show a single live weevil Oh cot.
ton plant or anywhere else in hi.
fields.
! The ants are on the plants and il
the rows between in countless thouS
ands. They seem to have completed
the slaughter Of the weevl and ar,
now engaged in carrying the corpse
away, probably to be stored away 70
food. Mr.. Cassiano says that even th,
roads in the vicinity OF his ranches arr
lined with ants marching in colum
bearing the dead weevils from th
fields. The Importance Of this discov
cry to the cotton growers OF Bexa
county and probably of the whole stat
of Texas is incstimable. If the ant
that have cleaned Mr.. CasSiano's field
can be introduced into all the cottol
fields Of the state, 1t means gain o
millions OF dollars to the farmers O
the state"
Dr.. l.. O. Howard, the chief ento
mologist OF the department., has re
ceived report from his experts II
Texas regarding the reported diScov
cry in Bexar county OF an ant tha
destroys the wcevl. The report say
that the ant mentioned is the commo
Texas ant and that nothing unusua
has been developed bv the inveStiga
tion into the matter. 1t suggests tina
the weevils had been feeding and dc
posting eggs on the plants left owe
from last season and that many OF tn
females which had died and falle
were eaten by the ants, and adds tina
that as the extreme dry weather ha
reduced the number Of plant lice o
the cotton, the ants, thus deprived {
their natural food, merely took advar
tage of the opportunity to feed on tn
weevil.