46 THE BOLL WEEVIL PROBLEM. 
(4) Prepare the land early and thoroughly in order to obtain an 
early crop. This means fall plowing and winter working of the 
land. 
(5) Provide wide rows, and plenty of space between the rows and 
the plants in the drill, for the assistance of the natural enemies of the 
weevil, which do more against the pest than the farmer can do him- 
self by any known means. Check-rowing, wherever practicable, is 
an excellent practice. 
(6) Insure an early crop by early planting of early-maturing vari- 
eties, and by fertilizing where necessary. 
(7) Continue the procuring of an early crop by early chopping to 
a stand and early and frequent cultivation. Do not lose the fruit the 
plants have set by cultivating too deeply or too close to the rows. 
(8) In humid regions, if the labor is sufficient, pick the first- 
appearing weevils and the first-infested squares. Do not destroy the 
squares but place them in screened cages. By this means the escape 
of the weevils will be prevented, while the parasites will be able to 
get out and continue their assistance on the side of the former. (See 
pp. 34-35.) 
(9) Do not poison for the leaf-worm unless its work begins at an 
abnormally early date in the summer. 
(10) Do not go to the expense of buying special preparations for 
destroying the weevil. Disappointment and loss is certain to follow. 
In case of doubt communicate at once with the Bureau of Entomology 
or with the entomologist of the State experiment station. 
SPECIAL TREATMENT OF SMALL AREAS. 
In some cases, where, for instance, a farmer has a small area of 
cotton growing for seed selection, it is practicable to resort to special 
means of control that would be impossible in general field practice. 
For the benefit of the many farmers in the infested area who are 
beginning to improve their cotton by selection, the following sug- 
gestions are made: The plat or plats should be far from timber, 
hedgerows, seed storage houses, and other protection for hibernating 
weevils. On the appearance of the earliest weevils the plats should 
be carefully picked over by hand. This should be continued until 
well after the squares begin to fall. If the falling of the squares 
continues it will be found practicable to rake them by hand to the 
middles or entirely outside of the plats to a bare place, where the 
sun will soon destroy the larve within. Of course all other general 
suggestions that are applicable in the field should be added to these 
special ones. 
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