The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1909-07-29
MANSURA
EXPERIMENT
LARGEST OF THE KIND EVER
UNDERTAKEN.
BOIL WEEVILS' 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.
Baton Rouge, La, July 2o,-An-
nouncement was made today by the
State Crop Pest Commission OF the fna'
outcome of the boil weeyil shibernation
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
hibernating quarters i'll 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 the
central part of Louisiana. In the six
teen cages mentioned total of I6,28I
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 1860 or 2o63 per cent lived
through the winter and emerged from
the trash the past spring and summer.
The second remarkable feature of the
weevil's habits was found TO lie in the
slow rate at which they left their win
ter quarters. Commencing on February
lis, 1000, the commissioned stationed As
sistant Entomolegist 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 weevils left Information on
February Fl and the last on June 20.
The period through which they were
emerging from Information was there
fore I2o days, or more than four
months. Following is the rate at which
the 5000 surviving weevils left their
winter quarters:
February 2I to February 28. ....... $40
March ! to March IS. ............. $40
March 10 to March 28. 8.............3 325
March 20 oApril 10. .............. 500
April II to April 20. ia
April 2I TO April 3o...........,.3 1913
May to May 10. 1o............... .23e
May II to May o...................4 4o5
May 2I to May 3I..,....,.........3 33o
June l to June 10. o.....................2 .255
June II to June 20. 2o................ 46
| June Fl to June 20. o.......s....... IS
Il
/ Observations were also made to de
termine the effect of destroying the
cotton plants at different dates in the
fall, in determining the number oi
weevils living through the winter. The
length of time which the hibernated
weevils lived after leaving their hiber-
mating quarters the past spring was
also determined. This information. to-
gether with a chart showing the daily
rate of emergence from Information vii
be published in bulletin form by tht
commission as soon os possible. Tht
records made in the Mansura expert
ment are very voluminous and severa
weeks time will be required for putting
them in shape for the printer.