The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1909-08-12
COTTON PLANTING
How to Increase the Death Rate of the
Boil Weevils During Winter so as to
Protect the Following Years Crop.
(Bv Wilmon Newell. }


ing the hibernating habits of the boil
weevil. The results of these. expert
ments are really startling in their inn
portance, for they point the way to sue
cessful warfare against the weevil with
unerring accuracy.
One of the objects of the expert
mental work at Mansura was to ind
out how many of the weevils could be
gotten rid of by destroying the cotton
plants at different times in the fall.
To secure this information cages were
made of wire cloth, each cage, being 8x8
feet and 6 feet high. In these cages
were placed piles of trash, leaves, moss,
sturnps, etc, to form winter quarters
for the weevils such as they would find
out doors.
On September 28, 1908, lot of live
and active adult weevis were gathered
in nearby cotton field and placed IN
one of these cages and the cage securely
locked No growing cotton was IN any
of the cages. Thus these weevils were
deprived of all food from then on. Had
the cotton plants in the field been de-
stroyed on September % the weevis
there would likewise have been de-
prived of food. Therefore the number
of weevils living through the winter IN
the cage must have been the same as
the number living through. the winter
in the fields where the cotton plants
were destroyed on September 28. 1t
anything, conditions would favor a
slightly larger number surviving in the
cage than in the field, for in the cage
the weevils were protected from birds,
mice, "punkies," etc. A cage OF this
kind was started once a week from
September 28 to December 2I, 1908,
with freshly collected weevils from the
cotton field. The past spring (Iooo) the
cages were watched every day and as
the weevils came out of the trash they
were counted, recorded and then re-
moved from the cages. In this way
complete record was obtained of the
number of weevils living through the
winter in each of the cages. Follow
ing are the results:
Out of 1897 adult weeyils collected III
the fields on September 28, 1908, 20
lived through the winter. Of 1905 gath
cred in the field on October 5, IS lived
until spring. OF 1882 weevils collect
ed October II, 62 lived through the win
ter. Adding together these figures we
see that out of the total of 1904 weevils
collected in the cotton fields between
September 28 and October II only los
Tor 3.I per cent succeeded in living
through the winter This simply meant
that on the plantations where, the cot
ton plants were destroyed before Oc-
tober IS, 1908, only per cent OF the
weevils survived the winter to infest
the present years crop.
On October 10 cage was started
containing o22 adult weevils, and on
October 26 similar cage was started
with 1894 weevils. Out of the 22Io
weevils placed in these two cages $40
or 1853 per cent, survived the winter
We may therefore safely conclude that
on farme where the cotton plants were
destroyed between October IS ard Oc-
tober ~, last fall, an average of about
II5 per cent of the weevils passed the
winter successfully.
i Additional cages were started IN tht
same manner on November 2, 9, 10 ane
23 containing respectively 1926, 1926
| 1920 and I342 weevils Out of this tota
of 54I4 weevils 1871, or 2I.8 per cent
st.eeeedea. IN living until spring. show
| ing that where the cotton plants were
i destroyed beween November and 2.
an average of approximately ~ per cen
!. of the weevils survived the winter
i Cages started on November 80 an;
| December z containing total of "a,
weevils, showed winter survival o
/ 10 of them. or 28.3 per cent There
fore destruction of the cotton plants a
late as November rs to Dectlnber re
stlted in 28 per cent of the weey,ls liv
ling through the winter.
Out of 1850 weevils collected in tn
fields on December ID and FL an
placed in cages on those dates, 545. 0
43.6 per cent, survived the winter
Postponing fall destruction of the col
J ton plants until the middle of Decen
Der or later permitted over 43 per cen
of last seasons weevils to survive tn
winter and attack the crop of 1909.
II These figures are SO convincing til;
.. lit is beyond comprehension that an
. farmer should continue trying to gro
cotton without picking out his ero
early and destroying the cotton plants
stalks, leaves, bolls and roots-long b
). fore the frstt autumn frost.
II Destruction of the cotton plants b
n fore October IS in this instance a
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