The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1907-06-11
FIGHTING BOIL WEEVILS
By Destroying the Infested Squares,
Article by Mr. Newell

VSTely handicapped by TIC Ddu SCdoolf-
against the attacks of the boil weeyil.
Paris green has not proved to be the
panacea that some anticipated, for what
little good it might have done has been
prevented by the heavy rains, which
washed off applications as fast as they
could be made Those who pinned their
faith to it are now more tina never dis
couraged, having added the cost Of the
poison and of the labor involved to their
already too heavy load
The present article is intended to call
the farmers attention to a method OF
fighting the boil weevil which was quite
extensively practiced in Texas a few
years ago, and which, under the present
peculiar seasonal conditions in Louis
lana, we believe to be OF value.
This plan consists in gathering up the
fallen infested squares in the cotton
fields once every seven or eight days and
burning them, or combining them SO the
weevils that hatch from them can not
escape. Many Texas farmers reported
increased yields by using this method,
but in the past we have hesitated about
recommending it to the Louisiana plant
ers because of its expense on account of
plantation labor in this State being SO
scarce and high. We have preferred, in
the normal season, to pin our faith eN-
clusively to the cultural methods and to
the making of a crop ahead of the
weevils. An early crop the present sea-
son is out of the question; the farmer
already has his money invested all the
seed, fertilizer and first cultivation, and
if his crop be abandoned now or turned
over to the weeyils, which is about the
same thing, everything invested will be
lost. On the other hand, if he can go to
a little more trouble in protecting his
crop against the weevils, the partial crop
made will lessen his loss by that much
Hence we believe the present circum-
stances are such as to justify the plant
ers in adopting the plan OF picking tip
the infested squares.
The adult weevils which hibernated
through the winter are now dying off
very rapidly and in the latter part of
this month and early in July adult boil
weevils will be much scarcer than they
are now. The planter should not let
this lull him into false sense of secur-
ity or into the belief that the boil weevils
are disappearing. 1t will be nothing more
than the period during which hundreds
of thousands of young weevils will be
developing in the fallen squares, to re-
suit in the first summer brood of adult
boil weevils about the middle of July. /
1t is this summer brood of which the
planter is in greatest danger, for if this
brood be abundant enough to destroy all
squares as fast as forme1 all chance Of
making a crop will be gone.
Our advice to the planters is to begin
as soon as most of tn plants are squar
ing picking up the fallen squares each
week and either burning them or en-
closing them in tight wire cloth acge,
preferably the latter We have found
that there are good many wasp-like
parasites attacking the weevils in diff
ferent parts of the State and the farmer
should do everything he can to encour-
age the increase of these parasites as
hey are most important and valuable
allies in the fight. If the gathered
squares be buried UP, the parasites
which are developing within them will
also be destroyed What we want to do
S to destroy the boil weeVils which
will hatch from the squares, and at
he same time allow the parasites that
ire in along with them to mature and
get back to the cotton fields where their
progeny will destroy more boil weevils. |
f the gathered squares, insteal of being
burned, are placed in tight outdoor
age, made of ordinary wire cloth or
the boil weevils that emerge
will be confined and will finally die of
The little parasites that es-
ape from the same squares can escape
through the meshes of the wire cloth /
md will return to the cotton fields. This |
S a very important item and the farm
RS now have an opportunity to aid the |
and the bureau of entomol- /
,gy in their efforts to increase the nat |
lral enemies of the boil weevil. There
ore put up the gathered squares in
Green cages if you can possibly take the
ime to do so, and burn them only as a
asst resort Of course it is better to
urn them than to allow the weevils to
scape.
The price and availability of labor are
wo important things to be taken into
in deciding whether this
Ian of gathering the infested squares
will be profitable on any particular farm.
)ne to two dollars a day for adult la
,orers to do this work is most too high,
nj if either white or negro children can