The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1904-03-01
THE BOIL WEEV1L.
The Ways Of the Pest That Ravages
The South's Great Staple
Crop.

TO be considered synonym tor dis
aster is that of the cotton boil weevll.
So fearsome has this tiny insect be-
come that it theatens the stability OF
one of Americas greatest industries
and presages commercial revolutlon'
If the inroads OF the pest that has
marched steadily onward from the
fields of Old Mexico by stages INTO
Louisiana and Texas are not soon
checked the name, King Cotton,
will have passed from American own
ership and the supremacy OF this co''n-
try in the cotton markets OF the world
have become but the bitter memory OF
a growing nation vanqulshed by all
insect less than quarter OF an inch in
length.
This little beast. says The Wash
ineton Star. has devoured millions OF
dollars worth OF cotton during the
pas, few wears. and all the energies OF
the cotton growers. assisted by the
arm ii science, have thus far utterly
failed 10 find remedy which Will
drive the pests from the country.
Driven to the point OF desperation by
their growing losses. the cotton grow
ers sought the aid OF the Department
of Agriculture, and from there went
to the Congress OF the United States.
The tirst named branch of the gov
e1nrent service sent its experts and
entomologists into the pest ridden
fields, and the result was reported to
Congress. That body at last took &C
ton and appropriated So5oooo TO be
used in experiments looking toward
the examination O.; the unwelcomed
inte-loper.
To the average reader of the inten-
tons Of the great department OF the
government that devotes its energies
for the benefit of the farmers OF the
country the name boil weevil signihes
iittle. Many OF these readers do not
know whether this means an insect.
a bird or disease. They simply be-
lieve that there must be something pc
culiarly obnoxious about the monster,
whatever his family history may be,
that calls for such drastic action on
.the part of the whole people or ad-
nit the defeat OF a great national en-
:terprise at the hands Of an unknown
enemy.
The boil weevil is beetle, varying
in length from three-SiNteenths to
three -eights OF an inch. He Is born
hungry and with an hereditary appe-
tite Tor cotton bolls only that would
drive despair to the heart OF the most
cheerful agriculturist. In a single
night one OF the baby weevils will eat
AN amount OF voting cotton boll>. or
the tenderst parts. that II permitted
Ito reach maturity. would make a bale
weighing twenty-seven million times
his own weight. He is not an insect
OF the highest order OF intelligence,
and when he flies with his rather TN
developed wings does so in all alm-
less manner and in a straight line.
alighting on any other plant that his
legs happen to touch hrSt. One OF
the provisions OF nature that has been
noted in this pest is that he grows &C
cordine to the food he has had dur
ing his confinement in the larva of
his mother. lack OF food never lnJur-
ing him in the least beyond retard-
ing OF his growth entirely dispropor-
tiona,e to his appetite. 4 half sized
weevil will eat quite as much as his
larger brother. or at least will destroy
as much cotton. for they all select the
tender squares, or undeve!oped
bolls, and never descend to the ma
tu1e box unless driven to the course
BY desperate straits for food.
A newly born weevil is whitish in
~color, growing to chocolate with age,
while some even are almost black,
this difference making it almost i'm
possible for the average agricrlturlst
70 Drc,Derly classify their various