New-York tribune., 1911-02-13
Saws Scheme Would Be Easy.

~ have often wondered W by some scoun-
.drel had not done this with the boil veeN'
before anyway" the speaker added III
would be so easy--tlte task of a hfteen-
vear-old boy-and il would DESTROY the
financial prosperity OF half a nation some
one might do Il in a spirit Of devilment'
and some one might do II with malice.
"If any one wishes. this TO ccIne about
However" he added. ne need not he IN
such has,e. The boil weevfl will be there
soon enough. anyway He j. in Alabama
nov. and in two or tnree years ne will b.
right across Ia ;ha se25oard, ard then
where cotton will GO no one can tell In
lcc4 Texas mado rror Of ll~,0" bales
last wear she made 25D.C0o bales not more
than one-duarter OF the maximum crop
lust farcy the conditions that viii exist
when the boil waevil mas eaten his way
70 the ccean on the same basis as the
decrease in Texas YOU could aot count IN
more than 50p. 4" bales in Mississippi zee"
in Alabama. 5vcOGD in GeoTeia. 10000 IN
South Caroline and 10000 IN North Care
lima. Arkansas would not nave more than
25ooco bales
The weevil has lcnc 60 much in Texas
and Oklahoma" he Continued, that they
have not raised i,09C,Ot9 bales between them
in twenty wears Texas is in a had way
Some of tho best informed persons IN cot
ton circles said yesterday thst Texas needs
al least eighteen 10 twentS inches Of rain
In the next forty DAYS in order ia put the
ground In good shape 10 make the crop
IT, however. Texas sot that much rain,
sai. the cotton brokers, IL would AFFECT the
planting season very much and make II eN-
trelneiy late.
with the drouth and the boil weeyil
working together" said the bull opera tor
already quoted, the prospects Of Texas
and Oklahoma for a full crop look very
unpromsing in both states
The weovil has been ravaenG the south
ern cotton fields for almost twelve years
he originated with cotton itself in Central
and South America one hundred years ago
and ny 1879 had ruined all the cotton IN
Mexico. In 1892 he crossed tho border n
Brownsville. where . celebrated raid once
occurred. and started 10 est M Texas and
the South He did this ~ the rate Of 5.6it
square miles in zen years and total of
Il 500 SQUARE miles since l9ot He has spread
through Texas. Louisiana. Mississippi, Ar
kansas and Oklahoma. has been n year IN
Alabama and even penetrated West Ten.
nesses Government specialists who have
been working against him since 1905 give
him two or three years 10 invade East
Tennessee. Georgia and South Carolina "a
the sea islands.
The fight with the wecvil has. 10 take
tho most optimistic view. been unsuccess-
ful. Hc iS proof against poison and traps
and has conquered the insects imported and
uittcd against him. And part of the odds
on the side Of the boil Weavl IS his ability
.o surpass the rabbit IN multiplication.
Two waevils can raise a fam1ly OF l2,15i, Ia
i'm a season There are fcrt.y-five species,
t,venty-three Of which are parasites killing
the weevil itself. But tho full white cotton
bloom 0;eS just the same.
Tho government says that the Neevil
means an annual loss Of 20 per cent in cot
ton Figuring on an l1.0C0Go-baic crop at
the low price Of 10 cents pound. so "A
hale. this means s55O.Co0r for the crop.
with $50 100000 additional for the cotton
seed. total OF s6o5,eO0,0Oo Cutting this in
half means 5000 OUp.Gj0 annual loss, and a.
cotton spells gold 10 the planter the situa-
ton Is tense.