Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-02-16
COTTON BOIL WEEvIL
AZ
Has Caused Tremendous Loss
EsE
to Growers.
EXPERTS STUDYING IT
WHAT THE adYnzanrnr rs DO
ING 10 STAMP IT OUT.
A Quarter Of Million Dollars Will Be
Spent in Fighting the
Pest.

OF the cotton Doll Weevi. SO fearSOme has
this tiny insect become that it threatens
the stability of one of Americas greatest
Industries and presages commercial revo-
luton. 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
I Cotton will have passed from American
ownership and the supremacy Of this ceun-
try in the cotton markets of the world have
becoHe but the bitter memory of growing
quarter of an inch in length.
This little beast has deyoured millions of
dollars worth of cotton during the past few
years. and all the energies of the cotton
growers, assisted by the arm of science
have thus far utterly failed to find a rem
edy which will drive the pests from the
country. Driven to the point Of desperation
by their growing losses, the cotton growers
sought the aid of the Department of Arrf-
culture and from there went to the Con-
gress of the United States The first-named
pranch OF the government service sent its
expert entomologistS into the pest ridden
nelds. and the result was reported to Com
gress. That body at last took action and
appropriated 2J0,6G0, to be used in experi-
nents looking toward the determination OF
the unWeicome interloper
Ouiy AnOWn, to Sufferers
To the average reader of the intentions
of the great department of the government
| that devotes it's energies for the benefit of
the farmers of the country the name boil
weevil signifies little. Many of these read
ers do not know whether this means an in
sect, bird or disease. They simply be-
iieVe that there must be something pecu-
Harry obnoxious about the monster. what
ever his family history may be, that calls
TOT such drastic action on the part of the
whole people or admit the defeat of great
national enterprise at the hands of an nm
known enemy go
Inc Doll weevil is a beetle varying in
length from threessixteenths to three
e Ign OF an INCH He Dis born hungry and
With an hereditary appetite for cotton hollis
only that would drive, despair to the heart
oi the most cheerful agriculturist. In q
siEgie night one of the baby weeyIs will
e ca an amount OF young cotton bolls, or
the tenderest parts, btlrat, if permitted to
reach maturity. would make a bale weigh
ing twenty-seven million times his own
weight. He is not an insect of the highest
bis ee , 9I snteingen9 ind when he flies with
ms rather under-pevEhped wings does so
IN an aimless manner and in n Straight
lne ailshting on any suther plant that his
ifgs happen to touch 9flsst. One of the pro-
WIS; OF nature that has been noted in
food he has had during, his confinement IN
the larva of his mother lack of food never
iEJuring him in the least beyond a retardng
q ms growth entirely Sdisproportionate to
quite as much as his larger brother, or at
least will destroy asor1rci1 cotton for they
all select the tender Squares" or unde-
veioped boils. and never descend to the ma
ture boil unless driven to this course by
desperate straits for foodansf.r iget.-
Habits of the Weevil.
A newly born weevil is whitish in Color
growing tofchecolate with age. while some
even are almost black. this difference max
ing it almost impossible for the average
agriculturist to properly classify their
various neighbors. of the insect wo.ld
when they manage to get them in custody
for that purpose. The active feeding period
of the adult weevils is during the day. Al
night they travel and fly but very. little
During the vigorous growing season of cot
ton the weevils move from plant to plant
by short sluggish flights. They wander to
the top of plant and hop off into the air,
dropping down on the first cotton boil they
hit. They feed for the most part by GEL
ting up among the developing leaf buds be-
tween the seed leaves. into which they eat
Just as they do the young squares late-.
IL spring, before the squares form on the
cotton plants. they often eat small holes
into the tender growing portions OF the
plants, thus killing, or stunning them and
making them unfit, for the production OF
the cotton of commerce They do not bore
holes in the plants they attack, but eat
into Them The end of the snout of 1lie
weevil is provided with small. claw-like
jaws. with which it actually eats hole
rather than bores it. as is the popular
notion. When preparing to feed on any
exposed portions OF the plant the weeril
nearly always uses its sharp malidibleS at
the end of the snout to rasp the outer bark
so as to enable it to. get. hold of the ragged
sal, l1ls <a1x- H. .,FP
and lays to one side. 1t then eats the ten
der portions benea tn. a process which may
be compared to the peeling of an apple be-
fore eating it They. are not at loss fer
food IL all the young squares are gone, Tor
the full-grown boil Is by no means de-
spised, by them when they feel the need
of food. 1t is practically certain that this
variety of weevil VIII not eat anything but
abnormal.
She Eats the Hole.
When ready to deposit an egg the female
weeyil eats the customary hole into a
square, form or boil as the same thing is
called at the different stages OF Its develop
ment, and hollows 1t out somewhat larger
at the inner end to fit the egg. She then
turns round. protrudes her oviposftor. or
egg guide into this hole and lays the egg.
She then seals the hole with a drop of glue
and goes about her business. This sealing
process prevents the entrance of any insect
and excludes the rain and dew. In two or
three days the weevil grub Is Matched, and
at once opens up hiss campaign b. eating
everything In hisifpeaSaI Only one egg is
even purpeseiy LAID in q square. Observa-
tioEs thus far made by, the scientists of TO
Department of Agriculture are NOT yet CON-
elusive. but 1t is generally believed that
distinct alternating brood is produced later
in the season in those sections where frost
kills the cotton. EARLY in the spring, when
the weevils come ffOnf their winter quarters,
they are voracious- eaters, and feed readily
on any young cotton, they cai find. KS
soon as cold weather begins the adult vice.
wills seek winter, squarters. crawling Into
cracks Ct fences, under, tie barks OF trees
and In the cotton gins, among trash. in
fact. everywhere and anywhere that they
can find comf0ftable place in which to
pass the time until TIE new cotton crop is
ready for theirs appHtites. From early
spring until fall they are busy at their ne
farious work. and-kssfA the cotton grower
ina a state of perennial anxiety over his
Frost Kills Them.
Up to this time It. has been found that
frost is the most eff1cacious agent that
could be used against them, but this as
wholly unfeasible. and the experiments ns
the Department of agriculture with the
$3.50 600 that have been plaesd at its dig