2°20 THE BOLL WEEVIL PROBLEM. 
proper step in the fall. Of course, concerted action will add to the 
effectiveness of the work and should be followed in every community. 
In addition to the field work by the Bureau of Entomology and 
by many practical planters, a great deal of work has been done in 
large cages, where the conditions could be studied most carefully. In 
this way the exact relative advantage of fall destruction at different 
dates has been determined. It has been shown in this connection that 
-the earlier the work can be done the better the results will be. For 
instance, seven times as many weevils survived the removal of the 
infested plants on November 12 as survived after similar work on 
October 13. 
‘Mr. J. D. Mitchell, of the Bureau of Entomology, calls attention 
to a striking example of the value of the fall destruction of the wee- 
vils that came to his attention in 1908. On opposite sides of the 
Guadaloupe River near Victoria, Tex., were two farmers, each hay- 
ing about 40 acres in cotton. In one case the stalks were uprooted 
and burned in September, 1907, and in the other they were allowed to 
stand until shortly before planting time in the spring of 1908. They 
were equally good farmers, and the soil was the same on the two 
places. In the first case the crop of 1908 was 15 bales and in the 
other 34 bales. The work done during the preceding fall plainly 
increased the crop about fivefold. 
No definite rule can be laid down as to the proper time for de- 
stroying the weevils upon and in the fruit of the plants in the fall. 
In general, the proper time is whenever the weevils have reached 
such numbers as to infest practically all of the squares that are 
being set. This may occur a month or more earlier in some seasons 
than in others. Fall destruction as late as November will accomplish 
much, but several times the number of weevils can be destroyed if 
the work be done in October. Therefore the rule should be to destroy 
the infested plants at the earliest possible date in the fall. It is 
much better to sacrifice a small amount of cotton than to defer the 
operation. The loss will more than be made good by an increase in 
the next crop. 
Some objections to the work of destroying the weevils in the fall 
are frequently raised. The principal one is that the labor supply is 
insufficient to enable planters to have the crop picked out in time for 
such fall destruction as is recommended.’ One of the respects in 
which the boll weevil will make revolutionary changes in the system 
of producing cotton is that smaller areas than formerly must be cul- 
1Jn this connection attention is directed to one of the many advantages of having the 
crop picked out early. The earlier this is done the cleaner the lint will be, and the 
better the price. Moreover, the longer the unpicked cotton remains in the fields the greater 
will be the amount that falls to the ground and soon passes beyond recovery. From every 
standpoint the cotton should be picked as rapidly as possible. 
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