The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1904-01-27
COTTON BOIL WEEv|L
Special Appropriations $3.50,
900 Will Be Used.
WILL TRY EXPERIMENTS
Every Known Method of Work
viii Be Utilized.

Washington, Jan. 26.-The. secretary OF
agriculture has approved the plans for
the cotton boil weevil investigation in the
southwest, for which a special appropria-
ton Of $4,000 has been made available
Secretary Wilson believes that the best
methods for meeting the ravages caused
by the boil weevil viii be to put into
actual practice the facts which have been
accumulated by the department during
the past two years in the matter of i'm
proving cultural conditions, the planting
of early maturing varieties Of cotton,
substitution of other crops, etc. The
plans approved, which were submitted by
DR.. b. T. Galloway, the chief of the
bureau of plant industry, and DR.. How
ard, the chief of the division of Chronology,
embody the following lines of investiga-
ton:
Farmers Cooperative Demonstration
Work.-This will involve the organization
of farmers in Texas and adjacent states
in such way as to secure the cultiva-
ton of tracts of cotton under specific
, Instructions from the department of ag-
ricuiture. Thus, definite working plan
viii be given to each farmer, the farmer
himself to furnish the seed and fertilizers
If such are required These areas of cot
ton win serve as object lessons. and will
be planned to show the practicablity OF
growing cotton despite the presence of
the weevil. Similar work will be carried
on In Louisiana, where the weevil has not
yet advanced. It is planned to have 5000
or 10000 farmers engaged in this work.
III
This work will have for its object the
improvement of varieties Of cotton. with
a view to making them more prolific and
earlier. so as TO prevent the ravages of
the weeviI The work will be conducted
on the experimental farms, which will
be selected with due respect to climatic,
soil and other conditions
The bill making the appropriation d.
reefs the secretary to investigate other in
sects and disease and one serious malady
which will receive attention, is the So
called cotton root rot This work will
be in the direction of security immune
varieties by selection and breeding and
the testing Of types that already have
been selected.
Diversifying of Crops.-This is con-
sidered one of the most important lines
of work and will have for its obpect
demonstration work in the direction OF
growing crops other than cotton, and of
forage crops with cotton Divers.fication
farms will be secured by ,co-operation
with the farmers themselves Thirteen of
these farms will be located in Texas, five
In Louisiana, three in Mississippi and sew
erel in other cotton growing states. The
foraging work viii be looked after by the |
bureau Of plant industry. The division of !
entomology viii continue its investiga-
tions on experimental farms. Thirteen
farms for the growing of cotton will be
located in Texas, and the Investigations |
conducted will have for their object the |
determination of numerous questions rela-
tive to combating the boil weevil which |
have not been definitely settled. The /
question of the effect of fertilizers on the |
early maturing Of cotton win be con-
sidered 1t is planned that these farms |
shall embrace about 100 acres each
Investigation of Parasites.-In the orig |
inal home of the weevil will be made
the object being to introduce the parasites |
into Texas with the hops of securing the I
destruction, through them of the boil I
weevil
Inspection Of Cotton Products, Their
Fumigaticn and General Expenses.-At-
tending the certification required by state
laws will be another line of work con-
Quoted by the entomologist.
Investigations into the Life, History and
Habits of the Weevil and for the General
Testing of Persons ard Machines-This
work Will be carried on necessarily in
the boil weeNil infested district
Investigations of other diseases than the
cotton boil worm, which is one of the
worst pests in d number of southern cot
ton growing states.
The organization of the work on the
cooperative demonstration farms has be-
gun under the charge of Dr. S. A. Knapp.
who is now in Texas