2 
vision was also made to prevent the growing of volunteer or sprout 
cotton. In this way an opportunity was obtained for an ideal experi- 
ment to show what may be accomplished by the procedure that the 
Department now recommends. About 30 miles away from the local- 
ity where the experiment was performed a considerable quantity of 
cotton is grown. In this region the stalks were not destroyed in the 
fall, and observations made here have been used as a check upon the 
experimental area. The experiment was performed at Olivia in Cal- 
houn County, and the cotton utilized as a check was located at Six- 
Mile settlement in Lavaca County. 
Mr. Mitchell visited the Olivia and Six-Mile localities early in 
May of the present year (1907). At that time in the former area 
extensive search revealed but a single weevil. In the Six-Mile local- 
ity, however, the weevils were so numerous that pr actically all the 
squares had been destroyed. Other examinations were made, all of 
which showed the same advantage, in regard to freedom from the 
weevil, of the area where the stalks were “destroyed in October over 
the area in which the stalks were not destroyed. The last examina- 
tion made up to the writing of this circular was on August 20. At 
this time Mr. Mitchell found an average of over ten bolls per plant at 
Olivia and only three bolls per plant in the check area. The cotton 
at Olivia gave practically absolute assurance of a yield of 1,000 
pounds of seed cotton per acre, while the cotton at the Six-Mile local- 
ity did not promise more than about 350 pounds of seed cotton per 
acre. It happens that the soil on the check area is much richer than 
that at Olivia. In spite of this difference, however, the destruction 
of the plants in October has caused the poorer land to produce prac- 
tically three times as much cotton. /¢ 7s evident that the proper 
age of the fields at Olivia resulted in an advantage to the 
farmers, according to current prices for cotton, of nearly, if not fully, 
$20 per ‘acre. 
REASONS FOR THE DESTRUCTION OF THE PLANTS IN THE FALL. 
There are four principal reasons why the process of fall destruc- 
tion recommended in this circular should be practiced universally by 
planters in infested regions: 
First.—Fall destruction prevents absolutely the development of : 
multitude of weevils which would otherwise become adult within : 
few weeks of the time of hibernation. The destruction of the imma- 
ture stages of weevils in infested squares and bolls is accomplished, 
while the further growth of squares which may become infested later 
is also prevented. This stops materially the development of weevils 
which would normally hibernate successfully, and by decreasing the 
number of weevils which will emerge in the spring the chances for 
successful crop the following season are very greatly increased. 
Second.—A pre tey manipulation of the stalls will bring about the 
destruction of a great majority of the weevils which are already 
adult. 
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 
[Cir 95] 
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»* ie Magee 
