FEDERAL HORTICULTURAL BOARD. 435 



zone No. 2, whereas the cotton which was permitted to come to ma- 

 turity in this district amounted to only 1,789 acres, involving the 

 plantings of 137 individuals. Legal action has been taken by the 

 State of Texas with respect to this unlawfully planted cotton, but, 

 although the law has been sustained, the delay has been such that 

 the crop from this planting has now been matured and is being har- 

 vested. This has produced a condition in which the State is faced 

 with the necessity of safeguarding a crop of approximately 800 bales 

 of cotton illegally grown. Rather than enforce the destruction of 

 this cotton, it seemed desirable to effect a compromise, which would 

 leave it available for use and yet so safeguarded in its harvesting and 

 disposition as to reduce the risli probably as much as would its actual 

 destruction at this time. A willingness on the part of the planters 

 concerned to enter into such an arrangement has developed, and the 

 compromised plan is now being put into effect. This compromise 

 involves complete control by the State of the crop produced, and its 

 harvesting and clean-up under the same radical methods followed 

 with last year's crop. It further involves the assumption by the 

 planters of the total cost of the necessary clean-up and their entering 

 into an agreement not to plant or grow cotton in violation of any 

 quarantine on account of the pink bollworm in the State for the term 

 of such quarantine. This department has cooperated in securing this 

 action and will aid in the carrying out of these provisions. 



Throughout the summer all of the quarantined districts in Texas 

 have been under inspection, and all volunteer or seedling cotton has 

 been destroyed. The only growing cotton left is in the illegally 

 planted fields in zone No. 2. Fortunately these fields are in parts of 

 the quarantined area which were very sparsely or not at all infested 

 last year, and the clean-up of old cotton and the destruction of the 

 larvae hibernating in old bolls in these districts, as elsewhere through- 

 out the quarantined areas, was so thoroughly done during the fall 

 and winter of 1917-18 that the likelihood of infestation this year has 

 been reduced to a minimum. 



The most encouraging feature of the year's work is the fact that 

 not a single pink bollworm egg, larva, or moth has been found within 

 either of the quarantined areas during the season of 1918, or else- 

 where in Texas. This would seem to indicate the efficiency of the 

 clean-up of last year of these districts, and gives very large ground 

 of expectation for the ultimate complete extermination of the pink 

 bollworm in Texas. If this result is achieved it will be the largest 

 successful entomological experiment of the kind in history. 



Field surveys are being conducted adjacent to the quarantined dis- 

 tricts to determine any possible spread beyond the existing quar- 

 antine lines. Similar surveys are being continued also with respect 

 to all the mills in Texas, which, prior to the discovery of the pink 

 bollworm in Mexico, had received cotton seed from that country. Fur- 

 thermore, all cotton seed and lint which had been imported from 

 Mexico during 1915-16 has been traced to ultimate destination, and 

 in all southern districts where such material has gone an inspection 

 of adjacent cotton fields has been made. No infestations by the pink 

 bollworm, other than those already determined in Texas, have been 

 found anywhere in the United States as a result of these investiga- 

 tions. 



