8 
Another tangible indication of the manner in which the weevil has 
affected cotton production is revealed by a comparison of statistics 
from Louisiana and Texas. From 1899 to 1904 the acreage in Texas 
and Louisiana increased at about the same proportion, but the crop 
in Texas decreased at the same time that the crop of Louisiana was 
increasing. There is an exception to this statement in the years 1900 
and 1904, in which the production in Texas did not decrease, but these 
years were exceptionally unfavorable for the weevil and at the same 
time very favorable for the general growth of the cotton. In 1907 
the yield per acre in Texas (0.24 bale) was the smallest in her history. 
This followed a winter so mild that more than the usual number of 
weevils overwintered. 
Undoubtedly for several years the boll weevil has caused a loss 
of about 400,000 bales of cotton annually. Although farmers in 
older regions, in many cases, are increasing their production, there 
is loss in the newly infested. regions which offsets that gain. A 
conservative estimate shows that since the weevil has invaded this 
country it has caused a loss of 2,550,000 bales of cotton, at a value of 
about $125,000,000. 
PROSPECTS. 
Reference has been made to the greater damage inflicted in moist 
regions and where the shelter for hibernation is best. The records 
of the Weather Bureau show that the annual precipitation increases 
very rapidly from the West to the East in the cotton belt. This is 
especially the case during the early growing season of cotton, namely, 
April, May, and June. The precipitation in the greater part of the 
cotton-producing area in Texas is normally about 40 inches. In 
Louisiana, Mississippi, and the eastern States of the cotton belt it is 
more than 50 inches, and sometimes exceeds 60 inches. The records 
that have been kept in Texas show that the damage has always been 
greatest in wet seasons and that the insect has affected land values 
most where the general conditions approach those of the eastern part 
of the cotton belt. Without the assistance that is furnished by cli- 
matic conditions, especially dry weather during the spring, the farm- 
ers of Texas would not have been by any means as successful in pro- 
ducing cotton during the last few years as they have. The system 
of control outlined in this bulletin increases greatly in effectiveness 
when assisted by weather conditions. Fortunately in Texas this as- 
sistance is given under normal conditions. When this assistance is 
above the normal, as in 1904 and 1906, the crops will be exceedingly 
large. 
On the other hand, it is clear that the problem of the control of 
the boll weevil will be more difficult as the pest continues its invasion 
344 
