The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1912-04-09

ia ftenry Grudy's famous apostro-
tha - cotton he exclaimed. What a !,
,,yai plant it is The treSpass Of al
little worn, upon its green leaf is /
NOR. - England than the advance
If th, Hussian army on her Asian
ontpnsts.''
VITO" the shrdiu cmfwyn ESCH
This statement was made some
years aao. before the Mexican cotton
hoi, ,wnrSil had invaded the United
states aud even before it was sus-
Urytrd by any one that such an inva-
sion would take place The state
lnent referred to the So-Called cotton
caterpillar which has existed in the
United States since the beginning Of
the cultivation Of the staple. 1T is
sn insect which dFgours the leaves
of the ,otton "laut and consequently
its destruction by the simple expe-
dent OF busting poison on the fOliaS"
IS an eaSN matter. The boil Weevil
on ths ether hand is much more in
sidtufls in its method Of attack against
tho cotton plant. 1t feds for the
greater part of it's existence within
the fruit where it cannot be reached
with poisons. There is very limit
ed usefulness for DOiSonS before the
fTui hats been set upon the plants.
ban after the season has advanced
,.ch means are of practically no val
We. This fact causes the boil weevll
tptobl"m to be much more serious
than that Of the cotton caterpillar.
Ter years the WeeNil has attracted
MT ..tt la hI.h ha
e-Ltcged largely among cotton n'ant-
"rS who were the first to suffer. state
4nd uationai conventions have been
hcld To discuss the matter and large
sums ~ money have been appropTi-
ated by State and federal agencies
tor the light against the pest OF
course. il is not the cotton planters
slOn" that are intereSted.- The prob
lena eones home to the mem bers OF
this Association for the reason mat
the Wreyii has become an important
factor in cotton production in the
United States, and this interest on the
whole will increase as the insect con
TIMES to advance into the cotton belt.
The interest of manufacturers In
the bolt weevil arises primarily from
fnN tact that it reduces the produc-
toj. but there is another cOnsidersi
tiOu Of Importance. This is that the
insect l. causing change in the dis
trihhhon Of production in the United
States. The prospects are that Ger
tain regions which have been large
producers, in some cases OF Specia
grades OF cotton, will not be able tC
continue the production upon the
same scale. The SO-Called bender
cotton and the Sea Island variety. fol
instance. will be more affected thar
ordinary upland varieties. For thes'
reasons it is evident that the Subjec
II the boil weeyil is one that is de
serving Of careful attention by thi
Association
As the name indicates. the boil
"eeyi originated in Mexico or Cen
trail America. It's history before tn
'oVusion Of the United States is oh
Scure. but II is evident that the pes
rjtusea great changes in the cuitiva
ton OF cotton in Mexico. larg
portion OF the mills in Mexico are 10
lated in Pueblo. which is situated :;
= valley once famous for the produc
hon Of large Quantities Of the staple
VOW. although the mills remain i
Pueblo. they draw their supply fro.
region nearly thousand miles
sway and practically no cotton
produced in the vicinity. That tn
raIaEcs of the boil Weevil are tv
sponsible for this condition seems {
be eEident The locality where co,
ton - produced on large scale |
Mexico and which furnishes the soc
Tor the mills in Pueblo is in tn
northern part of the republic. wher
me climatic conditions do not perm
IN" weeNil to develop. It is not
predicted that equally revo,utioi
itfJ changes will occur in the Init.
states. although there will undOtli.
td' be a rcadjustment of productiV
OF the same kind.
ih- boil weevil invaded the Tnt,,