CONTROL OF THE BOLL WEEVIL. 13 
parasites may escape and continue their work. As a matter of fact, 
under most conditions it is likely that the encouragement that can be 
given the parasites by this means is of much more importance than 
any direct checking of the weevil by the process of hand picking. 
Wherever squares are burned these enemies of the weevil are destroyed, 
thus stopping their beneficial work. It is of the utmost importance, 
however, that the cages in which the squares are held be free from 
cracks or openings such as result from the shrinkage or warping of 
the wood in barrels and boxes that are left exposed to the weather, 
through which the weevils could escape, and that the screen used on 
them have meshes at the rate of about 14 to the inch. 
(7) Control at gins.—The use of modern cleaner feeders will elimi- 
nate practically all of the weevils from cottonseed. Such devices 
should be used at least in the case of all seed that is intended for ship- 
ment into any infested localities, and especially along the outer border 
of the infested territory, where wagons may carry infested cottonseed 
some distance into territory that has not been reached by the weevil. 
It is important in connection with the cleaner feeders to provide some 
means for the destruction of the insects that are captured. In some 
cases where the cleaner feeders are in operation the discharge is allowed 
to accumulate in an open barrel or box. From such receptacles 
weevils readily make their way into the seed cotton in storage. It is 
a simple matter to provide compression rollers through which the dis- 
charge from the cleaner feeder is passed. If for any reason the use of 
compression rollers is impracticable the trash should be fumigated at 
frequent intervals by means of carbon bisulphid or collected in a closed 
chamber and burned before the weevils have an opportunity to 
escape. 
(8) Humigation of seed—This is a means of repression that will be 
of avail only in the case of shipments of seed into uninfested territory. 
It has been found that carbon bisulphid is the most satisfactory agent 
to use. Great care should be taken to insure thoroughness of appli- 
cation. 
In addition to the specific means of control enumerated we may 
mention the prevention of the invasion of new territory by means of 
quarantines directed against farm commodities that are likely to carry 
the weevil. It is not necessary to have a quarantine applied to an 
extended list of articles. Only a few forms of cotton and of cotton 
by-products need to be considered. The most important is seed cot- 
ton. Next in importance are cottonseed and cottonseed hulls. There 
is no danger in cottonseed meal and scarcely any appreciabie danger in 
baled cotton. 
Cottonseed can easily be rendered entirely safe by fumigation with 
carbon bisulphid. 
500 
