REPRESSION. 153 



compression rollers or some other device being employed to destroy 

 the weevils separated by the cleaner. 



Second. Some method should be devised for keeping under control 

 the weevils escaping alive with the motes, as under present conditions 

 they have free range through the ginnery. 



Third. Possibly the most important of the devices needed is an 

 apparatus which may be applied near the gin (possibly as the seeds 

 leave the gin breast and drop into the seed chute) by which the 

 weevils may be separated from the seed and brought under control, 

 so that they may be destroyed. 



With these improvements the oil mills would almost cease to be a 

 factor in the dissemination of weevils, and the movement of seed, 

 either for planting, stock feeding, or fertilizer, would practically cease 

 to be what it is at present, a factor in the spread of the weevil. 



FUTILE METHODS WHICH HAVE BEEN SUGGESTED. 1 



MINERAL PAINT AND COTTONSEED OIL. 



The very serious nature of the boll-weevil problem is constantly 

 illustrated by the manner in which various useless devices and nos- 

 trums are brought to public attention. At one time it was widely 

 alleged that mineral paint would act as a specific against the weevil. 

 An equally fallacious theory that also received considerable popular 

 attention was to the effect that cottonseed meal exerted a powerful 

 attraction for the pest. 



SPRAYING. 



Probably the most important useless recommendation has been 

 that of spraying. It was supposed for some time by certain parties 

 that it might be possible to poison weevils economically by attracting 

 them to some sweetened preparation. The experiments conducted 

 to determine the attraction of various sweetened substances demon- 

 strate the fallacy of the theory. Even if these substances exerted as 

 much attraction as was supposed, there would be insurmountable 

 difficulties in the application of the method in the field. It is true 

 that it is possible to destroy a certain number of weevils in regions 

 where stubble cotton occurs by heavily spraying the earliest plants, 

 but this method is of immeasurably less importance than the simple 

 practice of cultural methods. 



SULPHUR. 



The old idea, the fallacy of which has been explained repeatedly by 

 economic entomologists for the past 50 years, namely, that sulphur 

 can be forced into the system of the plants to make them immune to 

 insect attack, sometimes crops out with reference to the boll weevil. 

 It is scarcely necessary to call attention to the fallacy of attempting 

 to destroy the boll weevil by soaking the seed in chemicals with the 

 hope of making the plants that are to grow from them distasteful or 

 poisonous to the insect. Any money expended by the farmer in 

 following this absurd practice is entirely wasted. 



1 This section is greatly modified from Bull. 51, Bureau of Entomology, pp. 159, 160. 



