REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE. LXXXV 



the preliminary experiment this year, it will have the effect of influ- 

 encing planters generally, in Texas and elsewhere, to adopt the same 

 methods, and thus avoid much of the loss which this insect threatens. 



In this connection, reference may be made to the Egyptian cot- 

 ton which, by newspaper report and otherwise, has been somewhat 

 exploited as immune to the boll weevil. This misconception is capable 

 of doing harm, inasmuch as the Egyptian cotton is rather more subject 

 to weevil damage than the variety of cotton ordinarily grown in Texas. 

 In a tield of Egj^ptian cotton near San Antonio practically every 

 square was punctured by December 12, and the weevils had begun 

 to attack the bolls, half of which had at that date been destroyed. 

 The fact that Egyptian cotton seems to be later in maturing than the 

 smaller American plant causes it to be much more liable to damage 

 b}^ the lioU weevil. The same conditions with Egyptian cotton were 

 also noted on another plantation. 



In the fall of 1902, after the close of the active field work of the 

 season, the agent in charge made some very desirable explorations in 

 Mexico, more especially to investigate the subject of natural enemies. 

 Important biological and life history studies have been prosecuted in 

 Texas and the present range of- the insect has been carefully mapped. 



Work on the Codling Moth in the Northwest. 



The work done on the codling moth in the Northwest has been con- 

 tinued with very satisfactory results. A detailed report of this work 

 has been published. The work the present year has been of a very 

 practical character, a successful orchard demonstration having* been 

 conducted which showed that it is possible to prevent nmch of the 

 damage which is now annualh^ suffered from the codling moth. 



Work on Insects Damaging Forests. 



During the first half of the year several important investigations 

 were made of forest insect depredations by Dr. A. D. Hopkins, of the 

 West Virginia experiment station, who was emplo^^ed at the request 

 of Mr. Giff'ord Pinchot, of the Bureau of Forestry, as a temporary agent 

 of the Division of Entomology for the purpose. Great loss of pine tim- 

 ber, to the amount of more than 600,000,000 feet (board measure) in 

 the Black Hills Forest Reserve, has resulted from the work of a bark- 

 beetle mining under the bark of living trees. Numerous facts have 

 been determined relative to the life history of this insect, and it has 

 been possible to detail practical methods, the adoption of which will 

 largely decrease future losses. A report of this investigation has been 

 published. 



Another investigation was of hickory and other forest trees near 

 Geneseo, N. Y. The hickories had been killed by a bark beetle, the 

 damage having alread}^ gone beyond repair for most of the region 



