The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1912-07-24
Kinds DEFENDS HIS
POSITION ON WEEV|L
States Action Monday Was
Very Dangerous
HE FINDS NO FAULT
State Entomologist States He Wishes
to Explain His Own Position
and Not to Criticise the
Boards Action
HE FINDS NO FAULT

State Entomologist w. r. Kinds has
issued a statement in defense of his
action at the meeting of the state
board of horticulture in Birmingham
Monday afternoon at which time he
objected to extending the boil Wee
vii line" an extra SO miles. The board
overruled the objection of Mr.. Kinds,
though, and the weevil quarantine line
was extended an extra so miles or a
total of 100 miles beyond the line OF
1911.
The extension was made by 2-to-1
vote after several hours of heated de-
bate. BY the action of the board some
20 cotton seed oil mills will be able
to draw cotton seed from weevil In
tested districts. Birmingham and Mont
gomery mills were placed within the
quarantine line and can draw seed
from any part of the state. In his
defense of his attitude on the matter
Mr.. Kinds says:
Boil Weevil Quarantine
Alabama has had a boil weevil
quarantine in effect since 1908. The
Etdlt VI was inth
established and charged with the for
mutation of rules and regulations for
the application Of this law, with the
administration of which the writer has
been charged during the past four
years. The entomologist of the board
Is not voting member. but all of the
new rules and the notifications of the
old rules adopted since his connection
with the board have been made upon
his advice and recommendation. The
aim of the board has heretofore been
constantly to keep its rules based upon
the very best, we'll scien-
tiic information.
THE first object in a boil weevil
quarantine should always be to give
the cotton planters of the state the
best possible protection against the
preventable advancement of the Wee
vii by any such means as the shipment
of infested cotton seed or seed cotton.
or any other materials that may har-
Dor or aid In the dissemination of them.
All cotton seed from weevil infested
areas is certain to contain living wee
wills as 1t comes from the gin These
is frequently blown into the cars in
which 1t is shipped to the oil mills.
Living weevils in considerable numbers
may be found at oil mills drawing such
seed, particularly in the trash removed
by the boil and sand reels and this
trash Is usually simply dumped in the
open near the mill, thus giving the
weevils every chance to escape to cot
4an al ax-t, 6-1~
have several times been established
near oil mills at points which other
wise might have remained for some
time longer In uninfested territory.
This definite danger is one of the most
important that our quarantine has been
designed to prevent. The removal of
the restriction upon the movement of
infested seed to points that may be
from so to 100 miles beyond the area
of general infestation therefore prac-
tically nullihes an important part of
the Alabama law as 1t is not done by
the provision for a 50-mile zone as was
previously established in this state.
Natural Advance of Weevil
"The general advance of the weevll
which occurs by flight during the fall
months cannot be checked by any
quarantine. This advance has averaged
30 miles each year during the 20
years since the weevils entered south
Texas and we have therefore good rea-
son to expect that 1t will continue TO
advance ~ about that rate durin 6
years to come. This fact should be
clearly borne in mind as 1t is the real
basis for one of the important modi-
fications of the Alabama regulations
recommended by the entomologist and
adopted June 4. 1912. Previously to
that time no state having any active
To- 1D.. L.. ,r.NI -
ment of any infested seed whatever to
oil mills located outside of the actu-
ally infested area. By that modifica-
ton known as Alabama rule IL Q),
any Alabama oil mill located within
30 miles outside of the weevil line,
as determined at the close of any sea-
son (the actual distance through which
we may expect the weevils to advance
during the next year,, may draw seed
during the succeeding season from any
territory, even including that in which
the weevils are known to occur. Col
onies of weevils that might be estab-
lished in the vicinity of these mills
would be so covered up by the general
advance of the weevil, IL 1t should be
of it's average extent, that they would
become practically lost and therefore
would work no injury to cotton plant
ers whose fields might be near the In
tested mill. Furthermore. 1t would al
low about 80 miles to compete for the
seed in this territory with resulting ad-
vantage to the planters in better
price being offered for their seed ano
TO the oil mills in that they could draw
seed without restriction in the very
season that has elsewhere proven to b,
the most difficult year for the mills
TO do profitable business on account
of quarantine inconvenience to theii
business AS the weevil line advances
each year other mills would in TURF
come within this 50-mile zone and be
enabled to take advantage of this pro
vision, but at no time would the dan
ger of artificially advancing the Dol
weevl be materially increased. This
arrangement had, therefore, a safe ane
sound basis such as cannot be claimed
for the arrangement to extend the same
privilege to mills located at distances
Of from SO TO 100 miles as was adopted
by the board on July 22 and reported
in The Birmingham Age-Herald o.
July %.
by the action of this date the dis
lance that infested seed may be drawn
by oil mills beyond the weevil line II
uninfested territory is extended from