The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-09-09
BOIL WEEv|L IS
 RAVAG|NG COTTON.
Infection Will Increase Unless
 Action Is Taken
HINDS MAKES REPORT
Urges Tint Means Be Taken at Coun- ty Fairs to Educate Farmers How to Fight the
 Pest

montgomery, september S.-(SpeciaI) )
 In that region of southwest Alabama
 in the near vicinity of Mobile, under
 the line south of Citronelle, a notice able degree of boil weevil ravage has
 been discovered. Much of the terri
 tory south of Wilmer is also infected
 with chances that the infection will in-
 crease during the next two months un- less rapid strides are taken by the
 state for rapid eradication of the pest. The above synopsis of the boil wee veil situation in Alabama, taken from the report of Dr. w. E. Kinds, state entomologist, tells In a nutshell the
 extent of the spread of the disease in Alabama. Last week Dr. Hinds, ac-
 companied by MT. Turner, also of Au-
 burn, went to the section reported to
 be infected with the disease and his
 official report, as submitted today to
 the state department of agriculture,
 confirms the reports of the weevil
 spread which have been in circulation
 in Ala bama during the past several
 weeks.
 The entomologlst ventures the opin-
 ion that the weevil stepped over the Alabama line about August IS, coming
 from Mississippi. A careful examina-
 ton made at Ocean Springs, Miss. showed that the weevils entered that vicinity last fall, though the fact was
 not substantiated until the visit of Dr.
 Hinds to that section last week. pr. Hinds' visit to Mobile was prompted by Commissioner of Agricul- ture J. A. Wilkinson, who requested that careful examination of the en- tire infected district be reported. Report In Full
 The report, which follows, urges that | means be taken at all state fairs to educate the people as to the best means
 of fighting the pest.
 Hon. J. A. Wilkinson, Montgomery Ala:
 Dear Sir--I have the following re. port to make of the trip just finish ed by MT. Turner and myself In search of the boil weevil In Alabama.
 We first visited Ocean Springs, Miss, in order to find known infested territory. We found the boil weevi at that place
 working commonly upon sea island cotton, | which was about all that was being grown, and that was in an experimental way. Undoubtedly weevils reached this | locality last fall, although they were not
 known to occur there until our visit We then went to Citronelle and saw
 MT George A. Maloney, in charge of the demonstration farm work in that section
 MT. Maloney kindly took us to a num- Der of cotton fields and we made thor | ough examination but without finding any traces of boil weevils.
 "On Saturday, September 8, we went to Wilmer, Ala, and during about two hours | examination found IA immature stages of | boil weevil in field of cotton belonging to MT. Henry Brannan. Most of these
 were still larvae, although several were l pupae. The age of the stages indicated | that the migrated weevils reached thu
 field about August IS or 20. No adul | weevils were found. no egg puncture and | only one square showing feeding pune l lures. It seems probable that the mi | grated weevils died within a few days | after reaching the field, and that we SC
 cured most of the progeny of each, al | though in all probability other stages
 are left In the field and other migrated
 weevils will reach 1t later. l was sorry
 not to be able to see MT. Grammar. who
 was then in Mobile, but left a written re- | port of the results of our examination. | We then made close connection witf | a train back to Semmes, seven miles | southwest of Winner. A number of cot
 ton fields are growing in this vicinity and we examined three or four of them with
 out finding any trace of the boil weevil. l IL SeeIlS, tHereloTe, tHdl lHe hHS ol
 infestation at the end of last week, or l September 8, may be drawn south of Cit
 ronelle, including Winner, and very likely much of the territory south of Wilmei | growing cotton, although we did not have
 time to investigate that section. Other
 examinations should be made from time | to time to follow the spread which may
 continue for the next two months.
 1 "On account of the newspaper reports I T <xl .-t.N N,,t ture was to make a complete boil weeyi exhibit at the Montgomery fair, INhave written MT. Hunter of the United States
 department of agriculture to learn what | he proposes to do. It seems to me thai
 we should all cooperate in disseminating | information in regard to the boil weevil
 and particularly to the practices advisable | in its control through the state and coun- | ty fairs this year."