THE BOT J.- WEEVIL PEOBLEM. 31 



general procedure against the ])oU weevil, at least when, for any 

 reasons, the more important steps are not taken. In some cases 

 where the injury by the leafworm begins unusually early, it may 

 still be advisable to check it by poisoning in the well-known manner, 

 but, save in such exceptional circumstances, it will now be better to 

 allow the leafworm to work unrestrictedly. 



DESTROYING THE WEEVIL IN COTTON SEED. 



It has been abundantly shown that cotton seed is of importance as 

 a medium through which the weevil may be distributed. Many 

 individuals that happen to be carried to the gin on the cotton pass 

 uninjured tlii-ough the gins to the seed houses. Consequently, every 

 seed house connected with a gin in the infested territory harbors 

 weevils, the number depending upon the amount of cleaning the 

 staple is given. Of course, such seed is exceedingly dangerous 

 when taken into uninfested regions. The present absolute em- 

 bargoes against cotton seed from the infested region are wise. In 

 general, they should be strictly construed. In some special cases, 

 however, when, for instance, it is desired to obtain special improved 

 seed, proper precaution can be taken to destroy all weevils by means 

 of fumigation with carbon disulpliid. The method is as follows: 



A tight matched-board box should be provided having sides 4 feet 

 high, open on top, and of other dimensions to accommodate 12 or 

 more 100-pound sacks of cotton seed placed upright upon the bot- 

 tom. Another tier of sacks could be added if desired. Into each 

 one of these sacks about 1 ounce of carbon disulpliid should be 

 forced by an apparatus for volatilizing the liquid and mixing the 

 vapor with air. The accompanying illustration (fig. 6) wiU give an 

 idea of this apparatus. It should consist of three essential parts, 

 as shown in the illustration. A is an air pump having sufficient 

 storage capacity to enable it to maintain a steady discharge of air 

 for several minutes without continuous pumping. The stopcock at 

 ttj regulates or prevents the escape of air, as may be desired. B is 

 an ordinary 2-quart bottle fitted at h^ with a tight stopper of good 

 length, having two openings, through which the inlet and outlet 

 pipes pass. These pipes may be of glass or metal and should be as 

 large as can be used. The inlet j)ipe, 62, reaches nearly to the bottom 

 of the bottle and is provided at the lower end with a perforated 

 metal cap, h^, as large as will pass tlirough the neck of the bottle. This 

 allows the escape of the air in small bubbles and insures rapid evapo- 

 ration. The outlet pipe, h^, reaches only through the stopper. 

 Upon the outside of the bottle is pasted a paper marked with 1-ounce 

 graduations. Cis a piece of ordinary |-ihch iron gas pipe about 3^ 

 feet long, but this may be any desired length. It is closed and 

 roundly pointed at the tip and for about 15 to 18 inches of its length 



