3 
plants should take place before frost, but destruction after frost, though 
not nearly as efficacious as earlier destruction, should always be prac- 
ticed 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 oblique 
knives) is not effective in the fall destruction that should be practiced 
to avoid the damage by the boll weevil. The stalks remaining in that 
case during mild weather give rise to sprouts which furnish an abun- 
dance of food to weevils that would otherwise starve. Moreover, the fact 
that this machine cuts the stalks into short pieces makes the necessary 
collection 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 or a 
lister. 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 difficult 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 leat- 
age, which will dry in a few days, remains to facilitate the burning of 
the plants. 
After the stalks have become dry enough, they should be burned. 
If the weather is fair, this could be done in about two weeks. If rains 
cause a lengthening of this period, it would undoubtedly 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 necessary 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 
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 
