42 THE BOLL WEEVIL PROBLEM. 
for the weevils that would have died under these conditions without 
any treatment whatever. In such experimental work special pains 
should always be taken to provide one or more careful checks upon 
the weevils that have been subjected to treatment. 
FALSE REMEDIES. 
The extreme seriousness of the boll-weevil problem has called forth 
many hundreds of suggestions in control. These have covered such 
methods as changes in manner of planting, attracting the insects to 
food plants or lights, soaking the seeds to make the plants distasteful, 
sprays, machines, smokes, and the planting of various plants supposed 
to be repellent. In many cases these suggestions have been made 
without due understanding of the habits of the weevil. In other cases 
practical features, such as the cost of application, have not been con- 
sidered. The following paragraphs deal with some of the principal 
fallacious methods that have been proposed. 
Late planting —Foremost among the futile means of control is late 
planting. At various times different persons have suggested that 
late planting, especially if following early fall destruction, would so 
lengthen the hibernating period that no weevils would be permitted 
to survive. Very numerous experiments in the field and in cages 
have proved that the weevils in considerable numbers are able to 
survive from any reasonable time of early destruction in the fall to 
beyond the date in the spring when any return whatever could be 
expected from planting cotton, even if the weevils were entirely elimi- 
nated. In a field experiment performed in Kerr County, Tex., the 
plants were removed very thoroughly early in November. No stump- 
age or volunteer plants were allowed to grow during the winter. 
There was no other cotton planted within 9 miles. On the experi- 
mental field planting was deferred until June 10. In spite of this fact 
weevils appeared as soon as the plants were up and multiplied so 
rapidly that the production was not sufficient to warrant picking. A 
similar experiment was carried out under different conditions by the 
State Crop Pest Commission of Louisiana and the results published 
in Bulletin 92 of the Louisiana Experiment Station. The results ob- 
tained in Louisiana agree in every way with those obtained by the 
Bureau of Entomology in Texas. 
The reasons for the failure of late planting are evident from a 
study of the habits of the insect. In many cage experiments it has 
been found that the last emerging weevils in the spring appear well 
into the month of June. In fact, emergence has taken place as 
late as the 27th and 28th of June. Without any food whatever the 
emerging weevils are able to survive for some time. The maximum 
known survival of any hibernated weevil without any food what- 
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