The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1909-08-01
.MANSURA
EXPERIMENT
LARGEST OF THE KIND EVER
UNDERTAKEN
BOIL WEEYILS' HABITS
What Has Been Determined by Crit
ical Study of the Pest-A Report of
Interest to Cotton Growers-Some OF
the Remarkable Features Disclosed.

the Remarkable Features Disclosed.
Baton Rouge, La, July 2o.-An-
nouncement was made ,oday by the
State Crop Pest Commission of the fna'
outcome of the boil weevil Information
experiments at Mansura, Avoyelles par
ish, the past winter, to which reference
has heretofore been made in these dis
patches.
The experiment at Mansura was one
of the largest of the kind ever under
taken, sixteen large wire cages having
been constructed especially for securing
information as to the percentage of
boil weevils surviving the winter in
this latitude, the rate at which they left
alternating quarters in spring, and
much other information of interest to
the scientific people who are engaged
in critical study of the pest.
The first striking point brought to
light is the remarkably large number of
weevils surviving the winter in tho
central part of Louisiana. In the six
teen cages mentioned a total of I6,281
live, healthy boil weevils were placed
at different times last fall, each cage
containing pile of moss, trash, leaves,
etc, in which the weevils could seek
shelter during the winter just as they
do out of doors. Out of this 1921
weevils $500 or 2o63 per cent lived
through the winter and emerged from
the trash the past spring and summer
The second remarkable feature of the
weevils habits was found to lie in the
slow rate at which they left their win
ter quarters. Commencing on February
Is, 1000, the commissioned stationed As
sistant Entomologist M. S. Dougherty
at Mansura with instructions to watch
all cages and count and remove the
weevils as fast as they left the trash
and presented themselves to view. The
cages were examined twice each day
from February IS to July IS, and a
complete record made of the emergence
The first weeviIs left Information or
February I'll and the last on June 20,
The period through which they were
emerging from Information was there
fore 100 days, or more than fou
months. Following is the rate at which
the 5000 surviving weeyils left thei
winter quarters;
February Al to February 28. ...,,..,32t
March to March IS. ...........,.34'
| March 10 to March 28. ,...........32!
March 20 oApril 10. ........... sol
April II to April 20. ...............I7.
April 81 to April 80. go
May to May 10. ..............23 20!
May IL to May 20. ................4 40
May I'll to May 31.................33 80.
June to June 10. .............2
June II to June 20. ........... d
June III to June 20. ............ I.
June 80 Observation-Disclosures.
: Observations were also made to de
termine the effect of destroying tn
cotton plants at different dates in tn
fall, in determining the number o
weevils living through the winter TIL
length of time which the hibernate
weevils lived after leaving their hiber
mating quarters the past spring wa
also determined This information, to
gether with a chart showing the dali
rate of emergence from Information wi
be published in bulletin form by til
commission as soon os possible. TIL
records made in the Mansura experi
: ment are very volurninous and severe
weeks time viii be required for putin
them in shape for the printer.