The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1910-11-22

spring. the females lay eggs in young
squares. With n these the young wee
wills, white grubs, develop. They eat
out the heart Of the squares and IN
the course of seven to twelve lays
change into pupae. The latter under
go a quiescent period Of about i've
days, during which time the organs
Of the adult are forming. At the end
Of that period the adult WeeVlls
emerge. Only II to Il days are thus
required for a single generation, but
the generations overlap. That is to
saw. there is cont nual egg-laying in
progress and III division into distant
broods.
AS long as the plants bear plenty
of squares, the bolIs will not be at
tackled by the WeeVils. AS soon as
egg-laying commences in the spr hs,
there begins a race between the COT
ton plant in eating fruit and the Wee
vii in multiplying to such an extent as
to infest all the quare and prevent
fruit production. In the fall the adult
WeeViIS leave the cotton and Seek cOn-
cealed situations in rubbish, cracks
in the grounds, Spanish moss, under
boards, in bu ldings or elsewhed in
which to spend h winter. Some
may not leave the cotton fields, while
others may travel many miles. IN
the main it is during this m grafton
each year that the limits of the in
tested territory are chleny
in the directions of prevailing winds
In the winter season the number OF
the W6evilS are enormously depleted,
not more han 3 per cent surviving
an average winter.
Methods of Control.
Anything that Will help to further
deplete the number at this season is
of vital Importance. The most inn
portant single measure that is used IN
~deducing the damage consists in ploW-
ing up and burning the cotton in the
fall before the WeeV Is leave it to seek
winter quarters. The production Of a
top crop is impossible in infested dis
tricts. The mex most important meas
ures are those VIII ch will aid the cot
ton in the races it starts with the Wee
vii in the spring which Will secure
the production of a profitable crop
before the Weevil has had t me to null
tiply to very destructive numbers. 1t
has been oun that in TeXaS certain
methods of cultivation will permit OF
earlier plant ng. and the Federal Blu
reau Of Plant Industry has developed
a method Of seed selection by the in
telligent application of which any
planter may materially hasten his
crop without sacr fcing, indeed, even
thereby increasing other advantage
Gus qualities Of the cotton. Jnfor-
tunately in south Georgia the preVa-
lence of a fungus disease, black
root or cotton Wit" attacking the
early cotton with highly destructive
results makes the production of an
early crop in that region a far more
difficult problem, and interferes with
the appIicat on of what has been
found in the Weevil district of Texas
one of the tW essential measures IN
producing a profitable crop of cotton
y-I- ~ l. 100 III - E ntn orr &c on.
deavoring to develop a type of early
cotton that W IL be resistant to black
There are other minor methods
of controlling, all or many OF which
must be practiccd in infested districts.
Unfortunately, the hope that some
have held off developing a system OF
poison ng the weevil, seems little des-
tined to bear fruit, owing to the fact
that the insecest feed where poison
cannot reach. After long experiments
some degree of success seems to have
been reached along this line by the
crop pest comIniss on of Louisiana
but it is still far from being
cjally practicable for the average
farmer.
Studies Of the food contents of birds
have shown that in Texas
certa,n species of birds destroy enor-
nous numbers of weeVlls. The swal-
lows catch great numbers when mi
grating in the fall or returning to the
cotton fields in the spring. thus help
inc the farmer at the most critical
period. Blackbirds hunt out the
-. 1906. 1907. 1908. 1909.
48o ss7,77s s75,42s 41o,1se 100000
10 PIP 21O las 1876
1861 2o2.5 1888 1919 1868