Los Angeles herald., 1907-08-17
FINDS EXTERMINATOR
FOR BOIL WEEVIL PEST
WOMAN ANNOUNCES VALUABLE
DISCOVERY
Recent Experiments Made in the Taft
Cotton Fields in Texas Seem
to Vindicate Her
Claims

ST. LOUIS, Aug. 16-The fate of the
boil weevil has at last been sealed. No
longer will we be compelled to. witness
the devastation which has been wrought
yearly in the cotton elds of the south. At
least so thinks Mrs. A. Ideline Bentz of
2S10 Eads avenue, who for two months
has been in Texas experimenting with an
exterminating composition which she has
discovered.
Mrs. Bentz reports that her experiments
have been highly successful All that re-
mains to be done is to interest the cotton
growers in the discovery, then '23'' for
the weevil
Mrs Bentz has been for the last eight
years interested in the boil weevil and the
havoc yearly wrought She was formerly
a woman's garment designer, travelling
much through the south, where she be-
came interested in the weevil and its evil
work.
/ She set about devising a means of ex-
terminating the insect. Works on cot
ton and the weevil were carefully read
by her. She found them interesting, and
began series of experiments with vary
ing results. The last composition has
proved the most successful. The ingre-
clients she has not even revealed to
members of her own family.
Secretary Taft Encourages Her
A public demonstration of the exter.
minating powder of the last composition
was deemed advisable by Mrs. Bentz.
She had experimental in private at diff
ferent points in the south, but never pub
licly She wrote to several persons own
ing cotton plantations.
Among others she wrote to Secretary
of War William Taft and his brother,
Charles P. Taft of Cincinnati, explain
ing what discoveries she had made and
fcSfn Ira
.periments on the Taft estate at Taft,
Tex, a short distance from Corpus
Christi.
The secretary replied favorably and
at the same time directed the superin-
tendent of the plantation to render all
assistance possible.
Delighted at the opportunity, thus
afforded for a thorough test of her
composition, Mrs Bentz departed for
the south in the latter part of May.
She has been there ever since.
Shortly after her arrival she set to
work Marking off a plot of ground 1Sx
"a feet, on which the seasons cotton had
commenced to grow, she fenced 1t in and
covered 1t over with wire netting six feet
high.
Heads of Alien Weevlls
She desired to keep the inclosed weevils
from escaping and more from entering.
Here she has carried on ner experiments
most successfully. according to letters re-
ceived from her by Lewis M. Bentz.
a son.
Besides the composition, which is
sprayed over the cotton. she has one with
which the soil Is treated before the cot
ton commences to grow.
She writes enthusiastically of her ex-
periments. They surpassed expectation.
She states that invitations have been ex-
tended to the cotton growers of Missis-
sippi. Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas and
to the members of the Farmers Cotton
and Warehouse association to come and
witness the experiment.
She feels sure that when they see the
wonders wrought, and are convinced that
her method of determination would be
practicable on a large scale, they will
assist her in forming a Boil Weevil Ex-
terminating company.