4 



Fiu. 4. —Mature boll cut open at left, showing full-grown larva; the one at the 

 right not cut and showing feeding punctures and oviv)Osition marks. 



eggs in them, and the larva? develop in the interior just as with the 

 squares. The bolls, however, do not drop. Figs. 3, a, and 3, 6, show 

 the larvie in the squares, and fig. 3, c, shows a young boll cut open and 

 the pupa in its customar}' position. 



There is a constant succession of generations from early spring until 

 frost, the weevils becoming constantly more numerous and the larvic 

 and pupa:> as well. A single female will occupy herself with egg-laying 

 for a considerable number of daj^s, so that there arises by July an inex- 

 tricable confusion of generations, and the insect may be found in the 

 field in all stages at the same time. The bolls, as we have just stated, 



do not drop as 

 do the squares, 

 but gradually be- 

 come discolored, 

 usuall}' on one 

 side onh', and b}' 

 the time the larva 

 becomes full- 

 grown generally 

 crack open at the 

 tip. While in a 

 square one usu- 

 ally finds but a 

 single larva, in a 

 full-grown boll 

 as m a n 3' as 

 twelve have been 

 found. In any 

 case, however, the hatching of a single larva in a boll results in the 

 destruction of the boll to such an extent that its fiber is useless. Where 

 no serious frost occurs in December, the insects all. or nearly all, reach 

 maturity and enter hibernating quarters, although larva^ have been 

 found on into January at Sharpsburg. Whenever 

 a heavy frost comes in this month, or before, the 

 observations of last fall show that those insects 

 which have not reached the beetle stage are nearl}^ 

 all killed. From this fact it follows that the insect , 

 will probably not prove as injurious in other por- U 

 tions of the cotton belt as it is in southern Texas. |f 



It was found during the latter part of 1895 that 

 the weevil was present in a number of localities in 

 which it was not known by the planters themselves 

 to occur. It is important that every planter who 

 lives in or near the region which we have mapped 

 out should be able to discover the weevil as soon 

 as it makes its appearance in his fields. Where a 

 field is at all badly infested the absence of bloom 

 is an indication of the presence of the insect. In 



the earlj' part of the season the weevils attack the squares first, and 

 these wilt and drop off. A field may be in full blossom, and as soon as 

 the insect spreads well through it hardly a blossom will be seen. This 

 dropping alone, however, is not a sufficient indication of the weevil's 

 presence. Squares are shed from other causes, but if a sufficient num- 

 ber of fallen squares are cut open the cause will be apparent. The 

 characteristic larva of the weevil will be quite readily recognizable on 

 comparison with the figures which we publish herewith. 



5.— Late fall boll, show- 

 ing how beetles hide be- 

 tween boll and involucre. 



