302 



iiiforiued by IVIr. D. M. Murphy. Twenty miles iioitli of San Diego 

 Mr. 11. J. Deliuner says tliat ita])peared in liisiield in Sei)tember, 1891'. 



In the other localities mentioned in Texas, this year was, according 

 to all reports, the first of its appearance, but it is very probable that it 

 has been present for two years or more in the San Diego and Nueces 

 region, without its being noticed. 



Tlie weevil was reported not found or heard of at Moore, Del Eio, the 

 San Antonio region (including Devine, Lightall, and Medina), and the 

 region to the north and east of ^an Antonio. 



At Flower Bluff, 12 miles south of Corpus Christ!, on the coast, it 

 was reported that the weevil did not occur. 



METHOD OF ITS IMPORTATION. 



Cotton grown close to the Rio Grande on both sides. — In the' lower Kio 

 Grande region there are localities where cotton is grown on both sides 

 of the river. This is the case at Matamoras and Brownsville. It is 

 self-evident, therefore, that the weevil came across here, i)erhaps also at 

 other places further up the river, but not at either Laredo or Eagle Pass, 

 as the insect does not occur there, and no cotton is raised at either j^lace 

 on the American side. Granting, therefore, that it got across from 

 Mexico to the United States in the Brownsville region, we will proceed 

 to consider how it sj^read to the San Diego and Nueces region, 150 to 

 250 miles north of there, it being known that between these regions 

 there is a stretch of 60 miles or more where little or no cotton is raised. 



Not shipped in (jinned seed. — This subject was carefully gone into, 

 because I was informed that in 1893 much ginned seed had been 

 shij)ped from C. P. Diaz, some of which might have come fi'om the 

 infested Monclova region, to stock feeders in Eagle Pass and to the 

 Houston oil milk. Much search was made among freshly-ginned seed 

 in San Juan Allende, a badly infested district, for signs of this weevil, 

 and the only thing found w^as a portion of a dead weevil, which had 

 been broken in going through the gin. The seeds are often found 

 eaten out inside, leaving only the shell inclosing the pupa, or trans- 

 formed weevil, but in going through the gin the thin shell is broken 

 and the weevil killed. It is thus not at all likely that the weevil can 

 be spread in rjinned seed. 



Spread north hi/ shipments of cotton in the seed. — There is no cotton gin 

 in the Brownsville region, unless it has been very recently put up.* 

 Therefore cotton in years past had to be shipped in the seed to one of 

 four places for ginning — New Orleans, Galveston (to these by steamer), 

 San Diego, or Alice (to these overland by ox carts).t 



* Mr. Towusend writes from lirowusville uiHler date of February 2, that this state- 

 ment was based upon misinformation. It seems that there is a gin at Brownsville. 

 Nevertheless cotton haa been shipped in seed to Galveston and may have been 

 shipped in small quantities to Alice. — L. O. H. 



t That which is shipped by steamer now goes to New Orleans preferably, because 

 a better price can be gotten there for the lint cotton, and the freight rate from 

 Galveston to New Orleans is avoided. — C. H. T. T. 



