The Bulletin. 43 



General Account. — The Cotton Boll-weevil is not known to be in 

 North Carolina at the present time, but it is well that our growers 

 should be thoroughly informed regarding it in advance of its coming. 

 It is impossible to say with certainty whether it will ever reach 

 North Carolina, and it is also impossible to tell whether it would 

 thrive in our climate. But it seems probable, judging from the rate 

 with which it spreads and the hardiness of other species which are 

 closely related to it, that it will eventually reach this State, and 

 that it will prove to be a serious, permanent pest of our cotton. 



All talk of "exterminating" or "getting rid of" the Boll-weevil 

 is unsound, in the light of all the evidence at hand. No insect pest 

 has ever been "exterminated" or "gotten rid of," so far as the writer 

 is aware. Some will escape even the most painstaking application of 

 remedies and their offspring make it again necessary to repeat the 

 work after a few years at most. In regard to the Cotton Boll-weevil 

 no direct means of applying remedies seems feasible at the present 

 time, hence there is no probability that it will ever be wiped out of 

 existence by any treatment which man may devise. Its habits and 

 life-history are such that it is not much exposed to the attacks of birds 

 or other natural enemies. 



But we want it distinctly understood that we do not believe that 

 the Boll-weevil will "ruin the cotton industry" or do many of the 

 other alarming things that the newspaper reports declare. There are 

 many farmers in Texas in the very heart of the Boll-weevil district, 

 who are making from one-half to three-fourths of a bale of cotton to 

 the acre, and this is far more than this State produces on an average. 

 No agricultural industry in any enlightened country has ever suc- 

 cumbed to any insect pest. Like the Potato Beetle, the Chinch Bug, 

 the San Jose Scale and the Hessian Fly, the Cotton Boll-weevil will 

 probably always continue as a serious pest, and perhaps, worse than 

 any of these, but when the people get better acquainted with it, it 

 will probably find its level. 



Description of the Insect. — The accompanying illustrations (Figs. 

 19 and 22) give an idea of the general appearance of the adult 

 weevil. It is about as large as a house fly, but the hard wing-covers 

 fit down closely over the back in the same manner as those of the com- 

 mon potato beetle. Note the snout or beak which projects from the 

 head and which is about half as long as the body of the insect. At 

 the end of this snout are the small but strong jaws, for it is truly a 

 biting, and not a sucking, insect. 



A much enlarged picture of the weevil is shown in Fig. 19. Here 

 it may be seen the body is covered'with a fine (yellowish-brown) fuzz. 

 Note also the antennae (feelers) which are attached to the snout. 

 Hundreds of our native beetles have the antennae attached to the snout 

 in this same way. Now notice carefully the upper part (the part 

 nearest the body) of the front leg. It is much thickened, as is the 



