The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1910-02-15
{NeW York Times.)

A little brown beetle, less than a
fcrrtt Of an i~ch long. is gradually
changing a whole system of agricul-
IL. RE is ulsturplng the balance
of trade. He Is causing the North to
lose money.
This bug. the cotton boil weevii,
viewed at first as a calamity Of stup-
endous proportions, is beginning to
be appreciated as a blessing in the
South.
abiding prosperity for the cotton
States. 1t means q revolution first,
and revolutions ruin those who IN the
face of the coming storm doggedly ad-
here to the established system.
Incidentally. the present situation
IN the South Is an illustration Of the
jmmutable forces of nature and the
futilty Of mans feeble efforts against
a force OF the sort.
The cotton plant originated in the
plateau region Of Central America
and South Mexico. For a hundred
the United States. Also. in the ORR
ginai home Of the cotton plant origin
ated the cotton boil weevil
He began to push northward. a
few miles a year, hunting cotton TO
eat It was long journey. but in
Central Mexico fields Of the cultivated
plant became more plentiful. The
Weevii there waved fat and gave the
lie to race suicide statistics as applied
to him. BY 1890 practically ali Mex
ico was infested. So voracious were
the weevils that In many sections OF
Mexico cotton planting was a0an-
doned in it's entirety.
The Rio Grande river. between
Texas and Mexico, held the weevils
in check for about three years. IN
1892 they effected iodg1nent IN
Texas. near Brownsville. BY 1894, at
ass3 md sN10
progress Of from forty to seventy
miles a year half dozen counties In
Southern Texas were infected.
Sometimes severe winter conditions
restrict the crop of hibernation=
weevils, or the prevailing winds al
She migratory period. IN August. are
unfavora BILE, but a minimum advance
of forty miles northward and forty
eastward each season is certain
IN the first ten years in the United
States this annual spread OF the boil
weeVii was $40 square miles. Since
1901 the annual increase Of infesta-
ton has averaged 28,88O miles III
1904, s 500 square miles were infest-
ed These figures do not refer to
a cas- planted In cotton. but include
them.
At present the boil weevii has a
lo6enent in FIVE States--Texas, Louis
lana Mississippi. Arkansas and Okla
ffo1na Alabama and West Tennessee
will be reached in 1911. Georgia and
South Carolina ami East Tennessee
will be invaded in 1912. Py 1915 tn
infestation Of every nook and Granny
of the entire cotton producing area
OF the United States will be com
pete.
At first it might as we'll be under
stood that where the weevil comes, he
stays
rison has no effect upon him. for
he bores into the immature cotton
bolis (pods holding the lint and SEED
in emhryo) and sucks the fuice and
sap from the interior. Traps. such
as lights n-pans OF water, placed IN
the fields at night do not catch him
He gees to bed early and stays there
and rises early and gets at his work
Of destruction.
of the weevil are known. Twenty
three Of them are parasites. which by
YreanS Of their OVipOSitors place eggs
on the immature staees OF the WeeVll
within the young cotton boil. The
parasite develops by feeding upon
the Vorn" hoIl Weevil. which it ulti-
mately kills, and a parasite instead OF
NeeVil emerges from the boll.
This process, however. reminds one
Of the story of the doctor who per-
formed a highly successful operation
but the patient died The cotton boil
dies also. As pair Of weevils my
have 12,755.100 progeny IN a single
season, the parasites must work rap
edly to keep up with the new popula-
ton.
Twelve species Of ants also atfaoI
the Young weevils. and some var'ties
Of birds do also but in spite Of thesc
deterrents as we'll as excessive heat
have never yet been exierminatd.
What the weevil gets he holds.
The Cn'y remedy is to stop ulantine
cotton. for the Weevil feeds upon