New-York tribune., 1922-12-17

for extending into n new territory. IL
is this instinct that has caused the
extension Of the infested area In the
United States year by year. The weevi
Is governed In fight by the wind. II
there is no wind, or only a light one,
a weevil Is as likely 10 fly In one d.
reetion as another.
"The fact that the woevil moves
about very little except az one season
Ia OF great benefit 20 the planter. The
movement referred to Is Of little i'm
portance after a region has become
infested, because it does not begin
until after the time when a crop nor
mally is made. The limited movement
during the rest OF the year makes u
possible for any individual farmer 20
obtain the best results from his own
efforts in sighting the pest. The danger
that his efforts will be thwarted By the
arrival of weevils from fields where
no precautions have been taken is not
important enough 10 warrant any
farmer in deferring action on account
Of the indifference Of his neighbors."
Many Varieties
Although the habits Of the boil wee
vii have been closely studied for many
years. the pest is constantly present
ing contradictory traits. In the fore
going account Of the diffusion Of the
weevll, which was prepared BY the De-
partment Of Agriculture. il is described
as "a weak flyer" On the other hand.
there is no evidence OF weakness Of
wing In the following excerpt from
letter written 70 Cotton and Cotton
oil News" from Augusta, Ca, fort
night ago:
zone Of our cotton factorieS early
last June planted row OF cotton for
experimental purposes. This cotton
was planted in the middle Of a space
about go by so feet. entirely surround
ed on all sides by brick walls forty
feet high. Every morning the cotton
was inspected for weeyils; up 10 re-
Gently not a boil weeyil could be found,
but one morning the cotton was COW
cred. / counted two OF three weevils
on every stalk Of cotton. The closest
cotton field TO these plants is one and
one-half miles away. How did the
weeyils discover this eotton?"
Perhaps the question In the forego-
ing letter was answered in my article
in The Tribune Of year ago, In which
II was pointed out that, "in fact, there
are hundreds Of species Of weevils in
this country that resemble the boil
weevil more or less closely and may
easily be mistaken for the arch enemy
Of cotton. Many mistaken reports
about the occurrence OF boil weevils
far outside the infested areas have
been due TO mistakes that have arisen
on account Of this similarity"
II may be mentioned incidentally
that IL has been demonstrated that the
cotton plant normally sheds about 60
per cent Of its fruit during the grow
ing season, and that a report has
reached me from Bermuda, La, 10 the
effect that a citizen Of that state has
developed a variety Of cotton that re-
duces tho normal shedding Of fruitage
from so per cent 10 per cent.
When the damage and loss, both d.
rect and indirect, which originate with
the boil weevil are being examined Il
should always be borne in mind that
II Is the consumer Of manufactured
cottons who must In the end pay for
the loss incurred by the planter. When
the more fortunate, who can afford 20
do 80, resist the impost, and the teem.
ing millions who. cannot are compelled
to cease buying the products Of the
worlds cotton factories from sheer in
ability 10 pay the added price imposed
by boil wecvil ravaRea, then, unless
the weevil Is effectively controlled AZ
a reasonable expense, the puryeying Of
the two-thirds or 80 OF the world re-
quirements Of raw cotton viii pass
from the hands Of the farmers Of the
United States, for there are un-
doubtedly many regions outside this
country having climate and soil well
adapted 10 cotton growing. These
lands lack only experience and an ade-
quate supply Of the right kind Of labor,
and, In some instances, modern trans
portation facilities.
with this Account Of the habits Of
the modern curse Of the cotton indus
try digested, the next article, which
will deal with control methods and
the results 50 far obtained BY the more
promising iof them, viii be the more
easily understood.