53 



In the course of this work Mr. G. H. Harris emploj^ed in Ihe labora- 

 tory tests a large variety of sweets. White granulated sugar, two or 

 three grades of brown sugar, two or three grades of molasses, and the 

 best strained honey were among the sweets tried. The conditions 

 were such as to lead the weevils to eat the sweets if they would ever 

 do so. The only alternative offered them for food was a supply of 

 rather old cotton leaves such as weevils never touch in the field. In 

 spite of the unfavorable conditions for getting at the real choice of 

 the weevils they showed little inclination to feed upon the sweets 

 except in the case of honey, which seemed to attract them quite 

 strongly. Many weevils fed upon the unattractive leaf tissue or upon 

 the broken end of the petiole rather than upon the sweets. 



The result of Mr. Harris's experiments with undiluted molasses 

 applied to plants in the field as summed up in his own words was that 

 "nothing indicated that the weevils were attracted by the odor of 

 sweets." Honey was then tried, and this did attract a few weevils. 

 Mr. Harris's general conclusion, based uj^yon the results of his experi- 

 ments, was that "while a high grade of sweets seemed to have more 

 attraction than a cheaper grade, neither can be depended upon to 

 attract the weevils for poisoning." 



ATTRACTIVENESS OF SWEETS TO HIBERNATED WEEVILS IN LABORATORY. 



The sweets used in these tests were of three kinds: High-grade 

 molasses, common molasses, and light-brown sugar. The weevils 

 were brought in from the field and left for one week without food or 

 drink previous to the beginning of the tests on April 2, 1903. Three 

 weevils were used with each kind of sweet, the latter being in their 

 strongest form and the sugar in a saturated solution. The inclosing 

 apparatus was formed by placing two bottles mouth to mouth with 

 sufficient space for air, but not enough for the escape of the weevils 

 between them. In the bottom of one bottle was placed the sweet and 

 the second leaves of cotton in the bottom of the other. The weevils 

 were then inclosed, and the cages thus formed were placed- in a hori- 

 zontal position in the dark to eliminate every possible influence of 

 direction of light, relative elevation of food, etc. The food supplies 

 were renewed occasionally, and the location of the weevils relative to 

 the food in each cage was noted frequently. The weevils were counted 

 at each observation. The results of these observations are briefly 

 summarized in the following table: 



Table XII. — Attraction of various sweets vs. cotton, second leaves. 



Character of sweet. 



Best molasses, cage 1 



Best molasses, cage 2 



Common molasses, cage 3. 

 Brown-sugar sirup, cage 4 



Total 



Number 

 of ob- 

 serva- 

 tions. 



72 



Number 

 of wee- 

 vils on 

 cotton. 



Number 

 of wee- 

 vils at 

 sweets. 



