The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-02-23
IN FIGHTING THE BOIL WEEVIL
 COTTON CULTURE IS IMPROVED
BY WALTER HARPER.

i Mr. Bennett and his associates made
 new and wonderful discovery. It was
 found that early maturing cotton Is prac-
 tically immune from the destruction of
 the pest and to secure the propagation
 of this kind of cotton was the main ques-
 ton that confronted the experts after it
 was found that the weevil could not be
 destroyed. The native cotton of Texas
 is a large boil, slow maturing cotton,
 which seemed best suited to the long seasons in that country.
 To secure an early, rapidly maturing
 cotton, seed was imported from the north ern border of the cotton belt, but this
 proved unsatisfactory, as the adopted plant could not be adapted readily to the
 new soil and climate: Then it was that the experts began careful experiments
 with native seeds.
 It was discovered that through careful
 selection of seeds and scientific propaga-
 ton early maturity of plant and fruit
 could be readily obtained. An exhaustive
 study of these methods of seed selection
 and seed breeding has proven of great value to the cotton producer in more ways | than one. It is leading to many. improve
 ments in variety and will aid in combat
 ting other evils that may fall upon the
 crop in the future.
 The peculiar habits of the boil weevil
 make it possible to produce cotton with an
 early maturing variety. Weevils do prac-
 tically no injury to the stem or leaf. only
 injuring and destroying the young squares
 or fruit, and in normal seasons most of the adults that survive the winter are out
 of Information at about the time the cot
 ton begins to set squares. Then a race
 begins between the cotton in setting the
 squares and the weevils in multiplying
 and destroying the squares. The cotton
 nrkAr hoo
 the weevils can increase in numbers and
 destroy it.
 The insect feeds on squares and propa- gates in them but does not injure bolls of any size until the squares are nearly all destroyed. The total destruction of
 squares occurs late in the season, when the weevils are greatly increased in num- bers. When this happens the weeyils be- gin feeding upon the youngest or latest 1. bolls, but at this time the older bolls, whether open or not, are safe from in- jury.
 In his report on seed selection and seed breeding MT. Bennett says, 'The results of this work show that growers may by seed selection develop or maintain early fruiting, rapid friuting and productiveness in their cotton to escape the weevils, and that the method of seed selection for de- yeloping such qualities in the cotton plant is easy and inexpensive in practice. One selection rightly made from the proper type of plant increases earliness and pro- ductiveness to a surprising extent. The method may be employed to the greatest advantage by growers east of Texas be- fore the weevil arrives in that section and that 1t will go further east there is no doubt since it is making advances an- | nually."
 "The cotton plant in seed selection was studied with respect to it's features as an individual and not considered as variety. | Its economic features are seed and lint, ] and the production of these in the great est quantity is the desire of the grower. I Other features that affect the economic 1 characters are the size of the boil, the 1 size of the leaf. the structure of the stalk as regards the length of the joint, the 1 fruit limbs and the wood limbs All of l these features vary in degree in progeny 1 of different plants, but each plant, as | shown in these Investigations, transmits l it's features to its progeny with certainty I and uniformity, except the variation in | certain individual plants due to natural | causes and to crossing by insects. l This uniformity Is a most fortunate l fact, since it enables growers to obtain | in a marked degree by one seed selection l the qualities of early and rapid fruit l ing and maturing of plants necessary for