BOLIVIA 



801 



BOLL WEEVIL 



Bolivia's output of antimony is of growing 

 importance. In 1911 only 312 tons were pro- 

 duced, but by 1915 this had increased to 17,923. 

 Great Britain takes by far the largest part of 

 this supply. 



Though the climate in July and August is 

 like that of the United States in November 

 and December, the houses are unheated, the 

 price of fuel being practically prohibitive. As 

 the rooms are very large, often thirty feet long 

 and sixteen feet high, they are far from com- 

 fortable. 



Bolivia is a land of contrasts. In the market 

 place of La Paz are to be seen llamas from the 

 north with their loads of ice, and mules from 

 the south laden with oranges and tropical fruits. 



The electric car line which leads to La Paz 

 was built by Americans. 



An Englishman once asked, "What is really 

 the capital of Bolivia?" And a Bolivian re- 

 plied, "The capital of Bolivia is the back of the 

 horse which the President of the republic rides." 



The Indians between nineteen and twenty- 

 one who are serving in the army are given not 

 only military drill but a general education, 

 and thus compulsory service is advancing this 

 part of the population very rapidly. 



Bolivia is proud of its title, "The Land of 

 Ten Thousand Silver Mines." At one time the 

 entire world was dependent for its silver upon 

 this one country. 



So gay are the costumes generally worn that 

 someone has compared the market place of La 

 Paz to a "field of poppies in the month of 

 June." . 



A recent law provides for the closing of 

 saloons on Sunday, heavy fines being the pen- 

 alty for violation. 



Bolivia has a Boy Scouts organization, well- 

 uniformed and well-equipped. 



At Tiahuanacu may be seen the ruins of a 

 city that flourished possibly 3,000 years ago. 



Among the countries of the world, only the 

 Straits Settlements produce more tin than 

 Bolivia. 



The woman of Bolivia, if she would be in 

 style, must wear as many skirts as she can 

 carry. As each is of a different color, and each 

 is somewhat shorter than the one below it, 

 the effect is rainbow-like. 



The automobile-truck has been introduced 

 into Bolivia, and is solving in some sections 

 the problem of transportation. 



No other country in the world except North- 

 ern India has so many mountains of towering 

 heights as has Bolivia. 

 51 



Related Subjects. The reader interested in 

 Bolivia will find the following articles helpful : 



Andes 



Inca 



La Paz 



Llama 



Madeira River 



Pilcomayo 



BOLL WEEVIL, bole wee' v'l. One of the 

 chief enemies of the cotton plant is the insect 

 known as the boll weevil. It is estimated that 



Bolivar, Simon 



Pizarro, Francisco 



Silver 



Sucrg 



Tin 



Titicaca, Lake 



BOLL WEEVIL 



Three views of this Southern pest. The weevil 

 is somewhat smaller than an ordinary house fly. 

 The views above are considerably enlarged. 



the damage done by it to the cotton crop of 

 the United States decreases the yield about 

 400,000 bales yearly. 



History and Extent. The boll weevil was 

 found for the first time in 1892 around Browns- 

 ville, Texas, where it was introduced from 

 Mexico. That is why it is sometimes called 

 the Mexican cotton boll weevil. Since that 

 time it has continuously spread northward and 

 eastward until it has reached the cotton fields 

 of Georgia, where it made its first appearance 

 during 1915. 



Description. The cotton boll weevil is a 

 small, grayish beetle, a little less than a quarter 

 of an inch long. The insect lays its eggs in 

 punctures made by the female weevil in the 

 buds of the cotton plant, which are called 

 squares, and in the bolls. The larvae (young), 

 which are a little longer than the adults, live 

 within the squares and bolls and feed upon 

 their contents. As a rule the square in which 

 the weevil has laid an egg drops to the ground, 

 but most of the damaged bolls remain on the 

 plant, and become stunted or dwarfed. The 

 cotton fiber in such bolls becomes useless. 



The insect passes the winter in the adult 

 state. When the plants are cut in the fall or 



