Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1904-05-21
The Boil WeevlI Fiqht.
A late WASHINGTON dispatcb. 4

/
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 approprla.
ton OF 100000 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.
clal men in the employ OF the depart.
ment, and the work of the weevi 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, II possible, whether
1t has natural enemy which may be
introduced into Texas The discover
les of the investigation so far ad,
vance little hope for its ultimate de,
struction.
There Is in press now, however, a
bulletin of ll6 pages, dealing entirely
with the weeyil. 1t 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. f. Hunter and w. d.
Kinds, and Is said to be most 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.
vasion is a 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, 1t 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.
y true that it has acquired an ability
to Withstand more severe frosts than
occurred in the vicinity of San An.
| tonic in 1895. Except in few partic-
ular regions, however, It does not
seem that the continued spread will
be as rapid as II 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 ara
smaller and more Isolated than Is the
case in Texas consequently it is to be
supposed that the spread of the pest
will be retarded somewhat.
'Basng estimates on careful study
Of the distance the boil weevil has
travelled each year, as well as upon
some attention that has been paid to
the means whereby it reaches new ter.
ritory. 1t seems safe to predict that in
will be- Ss'lG% found td ftiEhteen years the pest
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 It Is affected by
changes in managing the crop. as 1t
In. xryIA n
existed for much longer period, 1t is
apparently as plentiful as ever. Care
full attention which has been paid to the
study of parasites and diseases, as
well as temperatures unfavorable 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.
dtions will undoubtedly cause TEN.
porary dlminution of the numbers OF
the 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 Sc.
ries of years of scanty rainfall is fol-
lowed by one of normal precipitation
the weevil will temporarily be com
paratively unimportant. 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 supposition that 1t would
experience but little difficulty In
adapting itself to climate conditions
wherever cotton may be grown. This
probability Of the spread of the weevil
outside of the United States Is in.
creased by the fact that cotton seed
for planting purposes is frequently
shipped from the United States to va.
rious parts Of the globe. There Is
nothing whatever to prevent weevils
that may happen to be sacked with
cotton seed from being carried long
distances on shipboard.