22 FARMEES BULLETIN 848. 



weevils are not to be found within the cotton fields or in their 

 immediate 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 to 

 the acre were found, of which 70 per cent were alive. This was 

 undoubtedly exceptional, but most of the many examinations made 

 showed more than 1,0C0 five weevils to the acre in old cotton fields. 

 The insects so found are largely at the mercy of the farmer. He can 

 destroy many by carefully raking up the trash and burning it. 

 Plowing and subsequent harrowing of the land will add to the destruc- 

 tion. This work would be weU worth whde on general agricultural 

 principles, if no weevils whatever were destroyed. With the weevil 

 present, that farmer invites loss who does not clean the fields to the 

 best of his ability. 



Of the multitudes of weevils that fly out of the cotton fields for 

 hibernation, not all are beyond the reach of the farmer. Many are 

 to be found along turn rows, fences, hedges, and old buildings. Tlie 

 cleaning and burning of hedges, fence corners, and in general the 

 removal of trash from the vicinity of the fields will destroy many 

 weevils that woidd five to assist in the destruction of the crop. 



Old sorghum fields, on account of their roughness and the fact that 

 the heavy stubble catches trash moved about by the wind, have been 

 found to furnish very favorable winter quarters for the weevil. The 

 farmer should pay special attention to such fields. They have fre- 

 quently been found to be the source of the first weevils to damage the 

 cotton in the spring. A little work in the fall or winter wUl result 

 in the destruction of practically all of the weevils found there. Old 

 cornfields, while not so important as sorghum fields, also furnish 

 favorable hibernating quarters and should be carefully cleared by 

 the farmer who desires to minimize the weevil damage on his place. 



A very practical illustration of the danger of trash as aiding in the 

 hibernation of the weevil occurred repeated!}^ on the experimental 

 farm of the Bureau of Entomology near Dallas, Tex. Across a 

 narrow lane on one side of the experimental cotton field of 40 acres 

 was a small peach orchard in which the weeds were allowed to grow 

 unchecked from year to year. Every season the first weevil infesta- 

 tion in the cotton was found in the immediate vicinity of the orchard. 

 In fact, the infestation always started at that point and radiated 

 into the field. If it had been possible to eliminate the hibernating 

 quarters across the lane — and this meant only the prevention of the 

 growth of weeds — there evidently would have been a considerable 

 reduction in weevil damage, especially early in the season when it 

 was most critical. 



