The Lexington advertiser., 1913-06-20
ROLL WEEyIL NO NOVELTY.

BOIL WEENlL NJ hONELld.
That the bill weevil is no novelty is
evidenced by reference to WALES
Agriculture and Geology of Mississip-
pi, 4" issued fifty.nine years ago. In
this work some space is given to the
diseases and the enemies of cotton;
and here is a piece of information that
will be found extremely intereting to
every man who is engaged in the culti-
walton, the sale or the manufacture of
cotton. Every one knows how the
Mexican holl weevil invaded the United
Sttaes, crossing the border about 1893,
and what destruction it has caused
since that time. There are very few
perhaps who are acquainted with fact
set forth in this old book: that there
was a boil weevil which destroyed the
cotton in Mississippi more than a hun
dred years ago. The illustration given
in the book shows that there are some
differences between the two insects,
but its work is done in about the same
way. Wales says the "disease" was
called the rot" and that it made its
first appearance in an almost lmper-
ceptible puncture on the side of the
boil, near the base. producing a small
discoloration or change of tint present
ing the semblance of minute spot of
grease The most received opinion
is, he says, that it is occasioned by
the larvae of small beetle or bug.
which Is hatched from the egg depo-
sited in it in some unknown manner at
an early stage of its growth. and which
feeding upon the succulent and pulpy
seed in their early stage of formation,
produces the disease without immedi-
ately destroying the boil, which not in
frequently is only partly damaged, and
continues to grow nearly to its1mature
size, but in the end becoming exter-
ually black and hard. 1t is certain that
the diseased and blackened boil, when
broken open, often reveals variety of
small insects, sometimes in the differ
ent stages or conditions..of their meta
morphoses.
This disease, he adds. first made
its appearance in 1910, and prevailed
more or less for more than ten years,
occasionally to such an extent as al
most tn cause the abandonment of cot
ton culture. The salvation of the
business was effected, he thinks, by
the introduction of a new variety of
cotton, the Tennessee green-seed vari-
ETY., which was either exempt from the
ravages of the beetle or less affected
by them than the naked black-seed va
riety first cultivated.
After this first outbreak of the trou-
BILE the weevil disappeared. and for
many years there were only occasional
visitationv of it; but in 1852 it came
again in great force, and at the time
this book was written it was causing
enormous losses in the cotton districts.
The bulletins issued within the last
few years by the United States De-
partment of Agriculture show that
when the Mexican boil weevil lays it's
eggs in the boil it does not drop, hut
gradually becomes discolored, and that
it results in the destruction of the boil.
The likeness of the two weevils to one
another. of their method of attack and
of destruction of the boil. shows that
more than a century ago Mississippi
had her cotton fields devasted by the
equivalent of the Mexican boil weevil
of today.
It is curious to note that Wales as
cribes the destruction of the cotton by
weevis and worms to the widespread
killing of the birds, If men will de-
stroy the birds. he says. they must ex-
pect to have their crops destroyed in
their turn by those enemies which the
birds once kept down.