The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1904-06-17
THE BOIL wEEvIL ANT.
What He Is 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 weevil. Great hope Is
placed in the ant by those who have
seen him at work in Guatemala,
where It Is said he keeps the cotton
free from the pests; but there are
many skeptics. 1t is hardly probable
that the ants, however ef1icacous
thev 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
friend has handed us Texas paper
OF recent date which contains some
account OF red ant in the infested
district that promises to dc great
things for the cotton crop. The ac-
count Is given by writer in. San An
tonic. 1t says:
| A'S<Nbi Sooo'y PoSoSooSo OIL ohU
that has the Guatemala eevil.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 and waging relentless war
upon the weevil. This little red ant
tis routing the boil weevil in Bexar
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 it
may be that this county can furnish
all the ants necessary to eradicate the
weevil 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
,trows are streWnAlwith dead -Weevil,
which the busy little red ants are car
rying away by the thousands. Mr.
Cassiano says close inspection failed
to show single live weevll on cot
ton plant or anywhere else in his
fields.
The ants are on the plants and ir
the rows between in countless thous.
ands. They seem to have completed
the slaughter OF the weevl and are
now engaged in carrying the corpses
away, probably to be stored away fol
food. MI Cassiano says that even the
roads in the vicinity OF his ranches are
lined with ants marching in cOlums
bearing the dead weevils from the
fields. The Importance Of this discov
cry to the cotton growers of Bcxal
county and probably of the whole state
OF Texas Is ineStimable. II the ant!
that have cleaned Mr.. CasSiano's field!
can be introduced into all the cottor
fields Of the state, it 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 tina
destroys the wceyil. The report say
that the ant mentioned is the common
Texas ant and that nothing unusua
has been developed by the investiga
tion into the matter. 1t suggests tina
the weevils had been feeding and de
posting eggs on the plants left owe
from last season and that many OF tn,
females which had died and falleI
were eaten by the ants, and adds tina
that as the extreme dry weather hat
reduced the number OF plant lice OF
the cotton, the ants, thus deprived o
their natural food, merely took advan
tage of the opportunity to feed on TIL
Weevil.