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the beneficial practices outlined be neglected, it would only be a ques- 
tion of sufficient time during which to breed when the crop in that 
section would again be ravished as seriously as ever. 
What has been stated practically answers the second question nega- 
tively. In the sections of abundant rainfall, rich soil, and luxuriant 
growth, furnishing ideal conditions for breeding, there is no ground 
for hope that the boll weevil is likely to leave us. 
DIFFICULTIES OF PRACTICING CULTURAL METHODS. 
The real secret of the temporary unpopularity of the cultural methods 
lies in the baneful peculiar labor and tenant system in vogue among 
land-owners and planters. Often a planter goes to his plantation and 
outlines the steps to be taken to control the boll weevil. Immediately a 
cry comes up from the tenants who rent the lands that this is extra 
work and that they should be paid wages for gathering up the squares 
from the acreage which they are renting. The trap rows require a 
little extra labor and headwork, and both are burdensome to the aver- 
age tenant. Unfortunately, in 95 per cent of the cases the planter 
has already *‘furnished” his tenant, so that he is compelled to keep 
him and have him grow some kind of a crop to reimburse him, at least 
partially. 
In the fall, when it comes to utilizing stock to graze off the cotton 
and the weevils with it, the tenant again raises the objection that he 
has made what little crop there is and is unwilling to lose the chance 
of a few more bolls ripening. The tenant oftentimes has already 
decided to try another plantation the next year, and he is determined 
to give every boll a chance to mature. This changing about delays 
operations at the very time when active warfare should be waged. 
This further explains why the small landowner who does his own 
farming, and as a rule has his own labor, has not raised a voice against 
the methods herein recommended. On the contrary, he is quietly 
practicing them with marked success in all parts of the weevil-infested 
district. Contrast this with the tenant who is in debt to the planter, 
is furnished from the plantation store, and who is bent on getting as 
much return for as little labor as possible: 
For these reasons it is easy to understand why more numerous com- 
plaints have come from the large plantations only, and why their losses 
and damages have been so great. With no absolute control over their 
labor and farm management except for the season of one crop, instead 
of continuously from one crop to the next, there can be no other 
result. These unfortunate conditions are not subjects of investigation 
for the entomologist. It is his sphere to discover ways and means of 
relief which are practical, economical, and effective entomologically 
speaking. The problems of labor, tenants, and the industrial condi- 
tions must be met and mastered by the planters themselves. 
