S2 



sonal facts wliich may enable the reader to judge of the 

 writer's competency in this subject. From July 1. 1902, 

 until September 30, 1907, he was engaged constantly and ex- 

 clusively under the U. S. Bureau of EntomologT in the in- 

 vestigation of the Mexican cotton boll weevil in Texas. The 

 seasons of 1902, 1903 and 1904 were spent principally in 

 'V)uth Texas where the weevil had been abundant for several 

 ,,ears and where it was doing great damage. The seasons of 

 1905, 1906 and 1907 were spent in north Texas, in a region 

 which was then but recently infested. In this work he was 

 associated with Mr. W. D. Hunter who has been in direct 

 charge of the boll weevil investigation from 1901 to the 

 present time. The most important of the boll weevil publi- 

 cations are referred to in the Bibliography, see page 100. 



Within the limits of this brief paper it is impossible to 

 touch upon many of the important and interesting points in 

 the discovery, introduction, life history and control of this 

 insect. 



It spread into the Southern part of Texas from Mexico 

 about 1892 and from that time to this nothing has occurred 

 to more than temporarily check its annual advance into 

 new cotton growing country. Its annual spread is mainly 

 by flight and cannot be prevented by human effort. The best 

 that can be done is to guard against assisting in the spread 

 of the pest and to do everything possible to avoid and to 

 minimize the injury which its very presence involves. As 

 soon as the weevil entered Texas it became apparent that 

 the investigation of methods for its control constituted a 

 ^National, rather than a State problem. Since 1901 Congress 

 has been making special appropriations for the investiga- 

 tion of the boll weevil and from one to twenty trained men 

 have been giving their time coustantlv to the studv of this 

 most serious problem., The writer was personally engaged in 

 this VvOrk for more than five ^-ears. "Naturally the 

 \image which it has done has increased fi-om year 

 CO year with the increase in the area infested. 

 ]t is safe to say that the loss which it now oc- 

 casions cannot be less than .<f!2.i,000,000 each vear. 



