6 



hand picking of the weevils and infested fruit on trap rows would be a 

 considerable handicap to the method on many plantations. Neverthe- 

 less, on small places where suitable labor is abundant, traps could con- 

 veniently be left. In such cases they should be situated on those sides 

 of the fields which are generally leeward. They should be examined 

 daily for weevils and infested squares" and bolls, which should be 

 immersed in crude oil. After such collection for ten days, the trap 

 plants should be uprooted and burned immediately with the aid of 

 crude oil. 



The suggestion has been made at various times that grazing the cot- 

 ton fields with cattle is in some cases equivalent to destruction in the 

 way that has been suggested. However, in many parts of the infested 

 area there are not sufficient cattle to accomplish the work, and, more- 

 over, in very many fields the cattle, by disseminating Johnson grass 

 and other plant pests, would undoubtedly^ do more harm than good. 

 At the same time the most thorough grazing always leaves a few green 

 sprouts or leaves upon which weevils may feed, and of course leaves 

 the stalks standing, so that the process of leafing, for the benefit of the 

 weevils, may continue indefinitely. Where the condition of the fields 

 permits and the supply of cattle is sufficient, grazing the fields should 

 be practiced, but this can not generally be the case in the infested area. 



DIFFICULTIES. 



The Department of Agriculture understands that there are some difh- 

 culties in the way of a universal following of the recommendations 

 given in this circular. The principal ones are the almost universal hope 

 for a top crop and in the labor conditions consequent from the more or 

 less universal tenant system of producing the staple. These difficulties 

 are increased by the general scarcity of labor in the South, which is 

 becoming more and more a serious problem in raising cotton. 



Planters in infested localities must understand that with the presence 

 of the weevil there is no longer any hope of a top crop. It is true that 

 after considerable cotton has matured, and after the plants have applied 

 their energy to the formation of seeds and lint, fall rains often stimulate 

 the pi'oduction of a great number of squares. Many planters are misled 

 by this into the hope of gathering a large top crop. The joints of the 

 plant are short and the squares are formed rapidl}^ and close together. 

 Though weevils may have been exceedingly numerous in the fields, the 

 presence of this abundance of food causes them to scatter, and they are 

 consequently temporarily somewhat less in evidence. In many cases 

 blooms appear and the hope for a top crop increases. Nevertheless, 

 this production of squares also contributes to the production of a large 

 number of weevils late in the season and just at the time for their suc- 

 cessful hibernation. As a result of this fact great injury is done to the 

 crop of the following season, with no gain whatever, or a very small 

 one, in the yield of the current season. From these considerations it 

 seems plain that within the weevil territory all hoi)e of a top crop must 

 be given up and the destruc^tion of the plants be practiced as earl}' in 

 the fall as possible. 



Another important difficulty lies in the tenant system. It is usuallj' 

 the practice to terminate the work of the tenant with the picking of the 

 cotton, leaving the clearing of the field for the next cropper. At present, 

 after the cotton is picked the tenants frequently move to other planta- 



