28 THE BOLL WEEVIL PROBLEM. 
between the plants as in fields where plants are close together and the 
branches cross from row to row. It should therefore be the rule of 
the planter in weevil regions to give considerably more distance to the 
plants in the drill and to the rows than he would give under ordinary 
conditions. On land that produces under normal conditions from 35 
to 40 bushels of corn per acre the rows should be 5 feet apart. Even 
on poor soil it is very doubtful, except in dry regions of the West, 
whether the distance should ever be less than 4 feet. 
Check-rowing.—Considerable attention has been attracted in some 
localities in Texas to the practice of check-rowing cotton to assist in 
the control of the weevil. Undoubtedly from this standpoint the 
practice is to be recommended highly. By following it each plant is 
given the maximum soil that it can use with consequent beneficial 
results upon its growth. The greatest possible amount of sunlight is 
allowed to fall upon the ground where the infested squares are found, 
to destroy many weevil larvee outright and at the same time to facili- 
tate the work of the numerous enemies of the weevil that occur 
in every cotton field. Check-rowing, moreover, saves much labor, 
thereby reducing the cost of production, and also makes easy the 
control of noxious weeds. The only important objection is that in 
some localities it may interfere with drainage. 
Cultivation—During the growing season of the crop the fields 
should be given very careful cultivations. Most of the benefits of 
early preparation, early planting, and fertilization may be lost in 
case the fields are not given the utmost attention subsequently. In 
case of unavoidably delayed planting the best course to pursue is to 
cultivate the fields in the most thorough manner possible. Under 
most conditions the old plantation rule “once a week and one in a 
row” should be made to apply. This will not result in the direct 
destruction of many weevils, but it causes the plants to continue unin- 
terruptedly in their growth. By all means such operations as deep 
cultivation, and cultivation close to the plants, which causes shed- 
ding, should be avoided. In many instances a fair crop already set 
and beyond danger from the weevil has been lost by running the 
plows so close that the side roots were cut and the plants have shed 
practically all the fruit. When this happens during the middle or 
latter part of the season the weevils will certainly prevent the put- 
ting on of any more fruit. The general practice of laying by. by 
scraping the middles with a wide sweep, leaves a hard surface which 
causes loss of moisture and shedding. Where the weevil occurs, 
every precaution must be taken to avoid shedding, as the insect will 
certainly prevent the maturity of the later fruit and, moreover, will 
be forced to attack bolls which would otherwise not be injured. 
Effect of late cultivation—A very conspicuous illustration of the 
disastrous effects of careless late cultivation came to the attention of 
512 
