92 THE BOLL WEEVIL PROBLEM. 
taken advantage of by the farmer during the growing season for the 
reason that deep cultivation would cause injury to the plants. In 
the summer or fall, however, when the weevils have become so numer- 
ous that it is evident that very little fruit will be allowed to develop, 
the practice can be followed to good advantage. At such times turn- 
ing plows should be used, running close to the rows and thereby 
burying the infested squares deeply in the middles. This practice is 
of greatest benefit in humid regions, where the rains will soon pack 
the soil, and on heavy soils. In dry regions and on sandy soil it is 
of very little value. 
Grazing.—In some cases the grazing of the fields with cattle, sheep, 
or goats can be practiced. This is only a local measure, however, 
since the supply of live stock in regions where the bulk of the cotton 
crop is produced is insufficient for the purpose. 
Sprout cotton.—A most important result of the proper manipulation 
of the plants in the fall is that no stumipage or sprout cotton is 
allowed to grow. The occurrence of such cotton in southern Texas 
and occasionally in southern Louisiana is there the most important 
local difficulty in the control of the boll weevil. Sprout plants are 
sometimes encouraged on account of the production of a small but 
very early crop. This may have been defensible before the advent of 
the boll weevil, but at the present time the practice is undoubtedly 
the worst that could possibly be followed. The sprout plants serve 
only to keep alive myriads of weevils that could easily be put out of 
existence by the farmer. 
Volunteer cotton.—In addition to stumpage cotton, volunteer cotton, 
in the strict sense, is of considerable importance in weevil-infested 
areas. The cotton seed scattered about seed houses and gins fre- 
quently gives rise to plants, both in the fall and in the spring, that 
furnish food and breeding places for weevils. It is needless to call 
attention to the fact that all such plants should be destroyed. They 
are merely aids to the enemy. 
DESTRUCTION OF WEEVILS IN HIBERNATING PLACES. 
After the weevil-infested plants have been removed from the field 
in the fall the farmer can add strength to the blow he has given the 
insect. As has been stated previously, many of the hibernating 
weevils are not to be found within the cotton fields nor in their im- 
mediate vicinity. Nevertheless, most of those remaining in the field 
can be destroyed, and this is undoubtedly well worth the effort that it 
will cost. In many cases surprising numbers of weevils have been 
found hibernating in the trash and rubbish on the ground in cotton 
fields. In January, 1907, in one instance, 5,870 weevils per acre were 
found, of which 70 per cent were alive. This was undoubtedly ex- 
512 
