The practical experiment, as has been stated, returned substantially 

 29 times the cost of the necessary outlay. Under other conditions this 

 advantage would necessarily be smaller. The experiment was carried 

 on purposely to show the great advantage of fall destruction where 

 there are no other factors to interfere with the results. Where cotton 

 is less isolated than that at Olivia there will be less effective results, of 

 course, on account of the influx of weevils from fields that may not 

 have been properly treated. Nevertheless, such conditions could not 

 possibly obliterate all effectiveness. In fact, onlj-- the most extreme 

 and exceptional conditions could possibly result in reducing the advan- 

 tage obtained in the experiment by more than 50 per cent. That means 

 that any cotto*n planter, by the process of fall destruction, can insure 

 himself an increased yield to the value of from $5 to $10 per acre by a 

 small amount of work at the proper time in the fall. 



REASONS FOR THE DESTRUCTION OF THE PLANTS IN THE FALL. 



There are four principal reasons whj^ the process of fall destruction 

 recommended in this circular should be practiced universally by plant- 

 ers in infested regions : 



First. — Fall destruction prevents absolutely the development of a 

 multitude of weevils which would otherwise become adult within a few 

 weeks of the time of hibernation. The destruction of the immature 

 stages of weevils in infested squares and bolls is accomplished, while • 

 the further growth of squares, which maj^ become infested later, is also 

 prevented. This stops materially the development of weevils which 

 would normally hibernate successfullj^ and by thus decreasing the 

 number of weevils which will emerge in the spring the chances for a 

 successful crop' the following season are very greatly increased. 



Second. — A proper manipulation of the stalks will bring about the 

 destruction of a great majority of the weevils which are alreadj^ adult. 

 This will be accomplished partly' by causing the starvation of many 

 weevils before the natural time for hibernation, and partlj^ by exposure 

 to severe cold during the fall and winter. 



Third. — It has been shown conclusively that the bulk of the weevils 

 which survive the winter are those which reach maturity late in the 

 season. It is evident that the weevils that pass the winter and attack 

 the crop of the following season are among those developed latest in 

 the fall and which, in consequence of that fact, have not exhausted 

 their vitality by depositing eggs for anj' considerable length of time. 

 Fall destruction of the plants, increasing the length of the hibernating 

 period, reduces many fold the number of weevils in the fields that 

 would otherwise emerge in the spring to damage the cotton. 



Fourth. — Clearing of the field in the fall makes it possible to prac- 

 tice fall plov»'ing, which is not only the proper procedure in any system 

 of cotton raising, but also greatly facilitates the early planting of the 

 crop the following spring. The ground becomes clean by this practice, 

 so that but few places for shelter are left to the weevils, and^ various 

 climatic conditions still further reduce the number of the survivors. 



DATA UPON WHICH THE FOREGOING REASONS ARE BASED. 



The reasons for fall destruction given above are based upon a very 

 large amount of data from actual experiments and the work of various 

 planters. The information at hand was greatly amplified in a series of 



