The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-05-07
THE BOIL WEEvIL EVIL
CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE cor
 TON PEST.
Dr. Howard in Mexico Seeking an Insect Which Will Prey Upon
 the Weevil-Experi-
 ments in Texas.
Advertiser Bureau, Colorado Building.
 Washington, May 6.

Colorado Building,
 Washington, May 6. The campaign against the boil wee- vii is being waged according to the most approved tactics of the Depart
 ment of Agriculture. carrying out the provisions of the recent act of Con- gress appropriating s500.000 for the war against the pestiferous insect.
 Dr. l. O.. Howard, chief of the Divis- ion of Entomology, is in Mexico, mak- ing careful study of the births place of the weevil with particular design of ascertaining whether there exists in Mexico any natural enemy of the in- sect that can be introduced for the purpose of exterminating the weevil in the cotton belt of the United States. There are now in the infected region of Texas several of the field agents of the division of entomology and the bu- reau of plant industry. Throughout the season these representatives of the De- pertinent will remain in the field study ing the ravages of the insect and ad- vising the planters interested as to the best methods of combating the evil. r w. D. Hunter. who is in charge of the field work for the Bureau of En- tomology, has selected fifteen localities in Texas where cotton will be planted and cultivated throughout the season under the immediate supervision of the representatives of the department.
 The division of entomology now has in press a special bulletin of 116 pages, prepared by W. D. Hunter and w. E. Hinds. special field agents of the division. This publication will present in one document practically all that is known regarding the boil weevfl. In his letter of transmittal to Secretary Wilson, Dr. Howard says 1t Is as com plete treatise of the life history. of a single specie as has ever been publish ed. Of special interest is that part of the bulletin referring to the prospects of the spread of the weevil, as follows: '"rhe investigation of the life history of the weevil have indicated that the most important clements in limiting the spread of the insect-namely tempera- lures and parasites=in this case offer no assurance that the pest will soon be checked. For the past ten years. ex- cept where local unfavorable conditions have interfered, 1t has advanced annu- ally a distance of about fifty miles. The insect is undoubtedly changing it's ha- bits and adapting itself to climatic con- ditions in new regions that 1t is in- vading. It Is undoubtedly true that it has acquired an ability to withstand more severe frosts than occurred in the vicinity of San Antonio in 1895. Except in a few particular regions, however, 1t does not seem that the continued spread will be as rapid as it has been. The country between Gonzales county and the Red river is practically a con- tinuous cotton field. and the prevailing | winds have undoubtedly favored the northward spread of the insect.
 Similar conditions will now favor a
 rapid extension in 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 throughout
 the belt the cotton fields are smaller
 and more isolated than is the case in Texas. Consequently it Is to be sup posed that the spread of the pest will be somewhat retarded.
 Easing estimates on a careful study
 of the distances the boil weeyil has
 travelled each year, as well as upon
 some attention that has been paid to
 the means whereby 1t reaches new ter ritory, referred to more in detail (page 94) it seems safe to predict that ir from fifteen to eighteen years the pest
 will be found throughout the cotton belt.
 During the time 1t has been in Tex. as, there has been no tendency to- ward dying out, and in South Texas the pest is practically as troublesome, ex. cept in so far as it Is affected by changes in managing che crop. as Il was in 1895. In Mexico, where 1t ha:
 existed for a much longer period, 1t i: as plentiful apparently as ever. Care full attention that has been paid to thu
 study of parasites and diseases, a:
 well as temperatures unfavorable tC the insect, has failed to reveal any prospect. that 1t will ever be much les! Troublesome than now. There will
 nevertheless, be seasons from time tC time in which the damage will be les' Ethan normal. Climatic conditions will undoubtedly cause temporary diminu ton of the numbers of the pest in cer
 tain localities.
 "In Texas these conditions have giv'
 en rise almost every year to the sup position on the part of the planters that the insects have died out. Thi! was especially the case in the regior between San Antonio and Beeville. il 1900, and in the vicinity of Corpus Christi in 1903. Both these years fol lowed a series of seasons in whict
 there was much less than a norma
 rainfall; consequently not only haC a great many weevils been killed. bu the numbers had diminished by reason of the very limited extent to which | was possible to raise cotton. Both 190t and 1903, however, were exceedingly favorable for cotton. Early planting was possible and there was an abun dance of rain throughout the season The crop was far advanced by tht time the weevils became numerous, st that a fair yield was had, although II neither of the cases was any top croI whatever produced. Wherever se
 ries of years of scanty rainfall Is fol lowed by one of normal precipitation the weevil will temporarily be com paratively unimportant. The most dis astrous seasons will be those in whicl the rainfall is excessive and planting | unavoidably thrown late.
 'In this connection, it becomes O
 some interest to speculate as to thu
 possibility that the weevil may event ually be carried outside of the United States and gain a foothold in other cot ton producing countries. The fact tha the insect Is rapidly adapting itself u
 conditions in the United States tha
 are quite diverse from those of it's ma l k< hu