130 ASSOCIATION OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGISTS. 



ward the greatest cotton mart, New Orleans. Unless the winter 

 weather prevented the pest from doing so, he saw no reason why the 

 boll weevil should not spread eastward along the Gulf coast until it 

 had passed the lower extremity of the Appalachian mountain system, 

 and then go northward, possibly reaching Virginia before it did Mis- 

 souri or extreme northern Arkansas, but in either case stoi^ping only 

 with the limit of cotton culture. This was the case with the harle- 

 quin cabbage bug, which had spread at one time as far north as 

 Chicago, 111., and had almost reached the shore of Lake Erie, in 

 Ohio. A very severe winter, however, had killed it oif to southern 

 Illinois and Ohio, and it had not yet recovered this lost ground, and 

 might not again in years. 



Mr. Newell believed that climatic conditions are an important 

 factor in determining the rate of spread of the boll weevil. It is 

 certainly spreading much faster eastward than northward, and at the 

 present rate will probably reach the eastern end of the cotton belt 

 before it does the northern limit of cotton culture in the Mississippi 

 Valley. 



Mr. Sanderson stated that he was particularly interested in Mr. 

 Hunter's remarks uj^on the relation of the boll weevil to the cotton 

 crop of 1004. Since the last meeting of the Association he had re- 

 vised the paper presented at Philadelphia concerning the injury done 

 the cotton crop hy the boll weevil, bringing the report up to include 

 1904, and the article has finally been published as a bulletin of the 

 Texas department of agriculture. He stated that from a careful sta- 

 tistical study of the acreage and crop produced by the counties of 

 the State he felt that in 9 counties in central Texas a better than 

 normal crop had been produced, very largely due to following the 

 directions of the entomologist. The following was quoted from the 

 bulletin cited : 



The injury in 1004 was quite different in many respects from that of any pre- 

 vious years. The total acreage injui'ed showed a decrease from that of 1903, 

 due to the fact that 9 counties in central Texas, 5 of Central Group A, 

 including Austin, Brazos, Burleson, Comal, and Fort Bend, and Bell. Hays, 

 Limestone, and Williamson, having a total acreage of 8 per cent of that of the 

 State, and producing nearly 10 per cent of the total crop, produced better than 

 a normal crop compared with the uninjured counties, though in 1903 they had 

 all shown serious injury. In contrast to this encouraging feature, the 12 

 counties of Southern Group A, owing to a very mild winter, early spring, and 

 allowing stubble cotton to remain over winter ujion which the weevils com- 

 menced to multiply early, produced but half a normal crop, for the first time 

 showing serious injury since 1899. In addition to the injured area of 1903 were 

 7 counties in eastern Texas and 10 southwestern counties, the outer limits of 

 the area injured in 1904 being almost exactl.v those infested in 1902. except for 

 the 10 counties of Central Group E. Blanco, Bosque. Burnet, Coryell, Ellis, 

 Hamilton, Hill, Randall, Lampasas, McLennan, which showed a better than 

 normal crop, though many of them had been well infested in 1903, and all more 



