ducing anj' more cotton. The farmer should then wait until the bolls 

 already set on the plants have opened, and destruction should then 

 take place immediatelj'. 



The rule should consequently be that the plants should be destroyed 

 in the fall whenever. all or practically all of the fruit is being damaged, 

 regardless of whether this is in September or November. In the great 

 majority of cases in Texas and in Louisiana the month of October would 

 be the proper time. In many cases earlier destruction could and should 

 be practiced. Nevertheless, it should not be thought that fall destruc- 

 tion will be useless after the time mentioned. Even until much later 

 many weevils in the remains of bolls hanging to the plants may be 

 destroyed, but the process loses in value the longer it is deferred. By 

 all means, if possible, the destruction of plants should take place before 

 frost, but destruction after frost, though not nearly as efficacious as 

 earlier destruction, should always be practiced when it has not been 

 possible to remove the plants previously. 



METHOD OF REMOVING THE PLANTS. 



The common practice of removing the cotton stalks from the fields 

 by the use of the stalk cutter (a wheeled cylinder provided with knives) 

 is not effective in the fall destruction that should be practiced to avoid 

 damage bj^ the boll weevils. The stalks remaining in that case dur- 

 ing mild weather give rise to sprouts, which furnish an abundance of 

 food to weevils that would otherwise starve. Moreover, the fact that 

 this machine cuts the stalks into short pieces makes the necessary col- 

 lection of them difficult. 



There are two effective methods of removing the plants from the 

 ground. One of these, the method to be preferred, is to cut the roots 

 2 or 3 inches beneath the surface by the use of an ordinary plow. The 

 other is to pull out the stalks by the use of a lever provided with a 

 toothed notch which grasps the base of the plant. The latter process 

 is better adapted for use when the plants have been killed by frost. 

 When they are still green, or the ground is dry, it is frequently a diffi- 

 cult matter to remove them with these levers. The Department's 

 general recommendation, therefore, is that the plants should be plowed 

 out. As soon as possible after this is done they should be collected by 

 hand or by means of rakes and brought together in large heaps or 

 windrows. It is very important that this collection should take place 

 before the leaves have become dry and have dropped off. When the 

 plants are carried to heaps immediately after uprooting, all of the leaf- 

 age, which will dry in a few days, remains to facilitate the burning of 

 the stalks. 



After the stalks have Ijecome drj' enough the}- should be burned. If 

 the weather be fair, this can be done in about two weeks. If rains 

 cause a lengthening of this period, it would undoubtedh' be worth the 

 cost to the planter to purchase crude oil sufficient to bring about the 

 complete burning of all the stalks. 



It is not considered necessarj^ to leave any trap rows to attract such 

 weevils as may have escaped the burning. The weevil seems to have 

 but little tendency to be attracted to such plants. After the destruc- 

 tion of the main crop the spread would probably be in all directions 

 and the numbers collected on the trap rows would consequently be 

 inconsiderable. The time and expense of properly carrying on the 



