The Marietta journal and courier. (Marietta, Ga.) 1909-1918, 1915-01-15

There remain but three more impor-
tant cotton states for the boil weevil
to invade-Georgla, South Carolina
and North Carolina 1t will, it is
true, get over a little bit into Ten
nessee, but in it's onward march easr
ward from the lowermost Texas bor-
der up to the Georgia line, its north
crnmost limit in Arkansas has been
but little north of the southern Ten
nessee boundary.
The Mexican cotton boil weevil,
which is its proper designation, came
into this country from Mexico, and
first made it's appearance at Browns
vile, Texas, in 1892. The first official
record of it's injury to cotton goes
back to 1885, when specimens were
sent from northern Mexico to DR.. C. ".
Riley, entomologist of the United
States department of agriculture.
Since its appearance at Brownsville
~ years ago, the weevil has advanced
steadily through the southern states.
eastward and northward at the rate Of
about sixty-five miles a year, and is
now found in Texas, Alabama, Arkan-
sas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Oklahoma
and Florida The weevil is now on
the southwestern borders of Georgia,
right at the Georgia line; next year
I9l5-1s practically certain to see it
we'll established in the southwestern
Georgia counties. It would have been
here this year, and was due according
to all calculations based on experience
and observation, but for unfavorable
weather conditions, including an ex-
tremely cold winter and an unusual
late summer drought.
Once in Georgia, it is Anticipated
from its past performances, it will
cross the state in four to FIVE years.
then jump into South Carolina.
In a remarkably well-considered and
carefully prepared bulletin just issued
by the Georgia state department of
entomology, State Entomologist E..
Lee Norsham. who has made extern
st"a study Of the boil weevil problem.
presents soma interesting facts with
record 70 its origin and progress
through TIE cotton growing states. to-
gether with the extensive damage it
has inflicted. Doctor WOrsham points
out that the extreme disaster suffered
by the farmers of the earlier states
stricken, when land values deDreciat-
ed raNidly and many were forced to
leave their homes, was due largely to
their state of unpreparedness.
It took the weevil about fifteen
years to spread over Texas. In 1901
the loss in 80 infested Texas counties
was 1OO,920 bales; in 1902 the loss in
~ infested counties was 100000 bales;
in 1903 in the same number of infest-
ed counties, the loss was 100000
bales, while in 1904, SO infested coun-
ties show loss of $4,000 bales. In
actual cash cotton sales United States
bureau of entomology figures show
Texas lost in 1903 about $15 900. 600;
in 1904, about S22 200, 900, and in 1909
when there was a slump of nearly l.
$4,000 bales over the year preceding.
the loss to that state was estimated
at 8,056, 800.
There has been some misapnrnben.
sion regarding the situation in Texas.
because the total crop in that state
has remained about the same, in most
years, at least; and many have argued
from this that the weevils do NOT do
much damage. But they overlook the
fact that there has been a large in
crease in the Texas acreage from
year to year growing from $500. 900
acres in 1899 to nearly II 900, 600 acres
IN 1911 The western and northwest.
ern sections of Texas have not been
favorable climatically to the weevil
as low winter temperatures and hot
dry summers have killed them off in
large numbers. But recently il has
oeen discovered that a slightly differ
ent type Of weevil, which can with.
stand these climatic conditions, has
lnFadNd these sections of Texas and
the threat to cotton there is as Sc
rlous as in the newly invaded sections
by the well-knOwn and more common
type Of weevil
Inc destruction in Mississippi il
well shown by this extra from a buI.
letin issued by Census Director VIM.
J. Harris:
N 1907, the year before the advent
OF the weevil into Mississippi the pro-
duction Of cotton in seven selected
counties In the southwestern part of
the state amounted to 1871, 79O bales
with value of nearly $1,000, 600 In
l9o9' when the weevil had become
Wen established in these counties. the
production had dropped to s9577
bales; In 1910, to 61.432 bales. n