The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1911-05-24
COTTON AND CORN IN SOUTHERN MEXICO
Representatives of United States Make Investigation
A Cotton That Protects Itself Against Boil Weev1

fore the beans make much CROWN
land as soon as the corn is harvested
the stalks serve as poles for tn
beans.
From Rosario we proceeded II
Tuxtla, sepnding several days Ell
route. Here we were introduced II
the governor of Chiapas, who gave
US letters of introduction to the va
rious alcades and leading men OF the
towns which we were to visit. He
also sent telegraphic orders to these
officials that they prepare quarters
for US and aid us in every way pos
sible. There is so little travel in this
| part of the country that without such
aid it is often difficult to secure men
or animals. We also met a number
of influential people who were inter
ested in agriculture and who gave
us much valuable information and
data from which we could plan our
further movements.
I'm the market at Tuxtla we found
a quantity of cotton said to have
come from Acala. The bolls were
exceptionally large, running thirty
eight to the pound.
Inquiry about the town also led
to the discovery Of very interesting
small-bOlled cotton, known as 'cul-
luche.' The variety is without eco
nomiC Importance, but it shows such
weeyil resistance that it seemed
worthy of careful study. The plants
are a perennial, those seen being
about ten feet high with trunks
about three inches in diameter. They
were heavily loaded with very small
bolls and still Towering, the line be-
ing short and brown in color.
''WeevilS were present in very
large numbers, but were doing COM
paratiVely little damage. The hollis
were protected by proliferation much
more completely than in any cotton
thus far studied Hardly a single
boil could be found which had not
been punctured, but in all the bolls
opened we could not find a single
live larva. In fact, the proliferation
was so complete that the bolls were
hardly defOrmed, although as many
as seven or eight eggs had been laid
in single boil. Proliferation tissue
had formed to such an extent that it
was forced out through the opening
and dried as coiled mass on the
outside of the boil In many cases
these cOiled masses. if Strengthened
out, would be at least two inches
long.
Cautiously enough the buds of
this cotton showed no prolferation
whatever. They were protected,
however, in very interesting man
ner. The bracts were tightly closed
at the base, where there was a small
and in nearly every case
examined this opening was closed by
the web of a small jumping spider
(Aysha minutas) The protection
thus afforded, though by no means
so complete as in the case of the
bolls, is still very effective. Practi-
cally the only time that the weevils
can gain access to the bud is just
as the flower is opening the bracts.
The only use that is made of this
cotton here is in the decoration of
the affairs which every house con-
tains at Christmas time.
Cotton is grown both by the In
dams and MeXicans, and is planted
only in alternate years. This custom
is probably an aboriginal one, and
the Mexicans copy it from the In
dams. No one could be found who
had the faintest idea as to why the
cotton failed to do we'll if planted
every year. 1t is another instance
of primitive people being right in
practice without knowing the reason
why. Unfortunately this was the
year in which no cotton was planted,
and the only place at which cotton
was being grown at the time was
at San Sebastian, finca located
about three leagues southeast of San
Bartolome
Here the corn is planted about
the middle Of May, the cotton in Au-
gust, and the beans in September
all in the same field. The corn is
doubled in November or early De-
cember, and remains in this condi-
ton until after the cotton is picked,
so that the harvesting of the corn
may not injure the cotton.
Our visit was well timed for the
study of this cotton, as the bolls
were just beginning to open. Wee
wills were present in great abundance
on all the cotton bushes, which were
five or six feet high, but it was never
theless apparent that a good crop
would be secured. The bulk of the
crop is set on the long basal branches
close to the ground, where the bolls
are practically exempt from the at
lacks Of the weevils.
There could be little doubt that
the plant protected itself from the