20 



EELATION BETWEEN SEPPA COTTON AND WEEVIL DAMAGE. 



The winter of 1903-4 was unusually uiild in Texas. The conse- 

 quence was that the region in which volunteer cotton occurred extejided 

 much farther north than normally. Some volunteer cotton occurs in 

 Texas ever}- year, but its occurrence north of about the latitude of 

 Victoria- is unusual. During the year 1903-4 muc-h volunteer or 

 seppa cotton was four^l as far north as ^Nlihim (Jounty. A line through 

 the middle of Milam, Williamson, Travis, and Hays counties would 

 indicate the northward limit of the territory in which seppa cotton 

 occurred during the season. In many fields in Kai'nes, Wilson, and 

 other counties practically every root of the preceding year over- 

 wintered. It must be evident to any observer that this condition 

 must <*onduce to the most successful hibci'iiation of the weevils. They 

 are provided with food practically throughout the winter, and in the 

 spring there is an abundatice of green sprouts long before the planted 

 cotton has come up. The conse({U('iice is that thei"e is a much smaller 

 mortality rate during the winter in this region than elsewhere. The 

 very great damage which was done in 1904, in the counties of south- 

 west Texas last mentioned, was du(! to the occun-ence of this seppa 

 cotton. By the lattei' part of June it was found that in some locali- 

 ties practical!}' all the fruit on the.se plants had become infested. 

 This resulted in at least one additional brood of weevils to prey upon 

 the planted cotton. 



The Bureau of Entomolog}' has repeatedly pointed out that the 

 .presence of volunteer cotton is the greatest menace to the crop that 

 exists in southern T(,'xas. The encouragement of such plants is 

 undoubtedly the worst possible practice in weevil-infested regions. 

 The disastrous expei'ience of many counties in the southern poi-tion of 

 the State during the past season has a])undantly demonstrated the 

 force of the warnings that have been issued from time to time. The 

 staple ])roduced upon seppa plants is exceedingly shoi't and weak, and 

 is not desired In' the trade. Before the advent of the weevil, the oidy 

 reason for encouraging such growth was to procure the first bale. 

 Now, on account of the fact that tlu; presence of such plants intensifies 

 the seriousness of the weevil problem, uny attempt to produce cotton 

 from the stalks of the preceding year should by all means be discour- 

 aged. The proper procedure would be to destro}" all the plants in the 

 field eaily in the fall, as suggested in the list of reconunendations. 



EXPERIMENT fN DEFERRED PLANTING. 



In Texas some little attention has been attracted to the proposal of 

 eradicating the boll weevil bj' deferring the time of planting until very 



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