LOSSES DUE TO THE BOLL WEEVIL. 



25 



crop. For the seven years ending with 1910 the eastern Texas pro- 

 duction dropped to 17 per cent of the total crop of the State, while the 

 production in western Texas advanced to 28 per cent of the total 

 crop of the State. In other words, the portion of the Texas crop 

 produced in one area has decreased 21 per cent, and in the other it 

 has increased 53 per cent. This increase in the west, where the dry 

 climate reduces the boll-weevil injury, served to offset the loss in 

 eastern Texas and thus accounts to a great extent for the fact that 

 the total crop of the State has not fallen off. 



Mr. F. W. Gist, of the Bureau of Statistics of this department, has 

 made a very careful study to determine the center of cotton produc- 

 tion in Texas for each year from 1899 to 1908. As would be sup- 

 posed from the figures that have been given, it was found by Mr. Gist 

 that the center of production had moved considerably to the west- 

 ward. In fact, this center moved from 30.78 miles east of the ninety- 

 seventh meridian in 1899 to 19.14 miles west of this meridian hi 1908. 

 This was a westward movement of practically 50 miles. The center 

 of production in 1899 

 was on a line passing 

 north and south 

 through the eastern 

 Cortion of Grayson 

 pountv, in Texas. In 

 1908 the center had 

 moved to a line pass- 

 ing parallel with the 

 other through the 

 western portion of 

 Cooke County, in 

 Texas. These state- 

 ments may be illus- 

 trated by the follow- 

 ing map (fig. 2). 



The statistics which 

 have been given show 

 the entire fallacy of 

 attempting toestimate 

 the seriousness of the 

 boll-weevil problem by 



considering only the total crop which has been produced in Texas 

 for some years past. It is absolutely necessary in estimating the 

 damage that is likely to be done in any certain region to find the 

 portion of Texas in which the climatic and other conditions are most 

 like those in the region that is being considered. In Texas there are 

 several very distinct boll-weevil problems due to local conditions, 

 exactly as there are numbers of distinct agricultural provinces. The 

 future of the boll weevil in the eastern part of the United States can 

 not be foretold unless the manner in which the insect has affected 

 the portion of Texas which is most like the eastern part of the belt 

 is considered. An investigation of this matter will show that the 

 eastern part of Texas is the only part of the State which is like the 

 eastern portion of the cotton belt in the climatic and other features 

 which react upon the boll weevil. This is especially the case with 



Fig. 2.— Map of portion of Texas, showing movement of the 

 of cotton production westward. (Original.) 



