THE WEATHER AND THE WEEVIL 97 



measures taken by Dr. Stubb, director of the Louisiana 

 Experiment Station, upon finding a few weevils on the 

 farm, at a time when the pests were not known outside 

 Texas. The roots of the cotton plants were dug up and 

 burned in oil with the stalks; the ground was treated 

 with oil; and finally the Mississippi River was turned 

 in on the farm. The fields were kept covered to a depth 

 of two feet for ten days. Needless to say, such decisive 

 action was rewarded by annihilation of the bugs. 



It is thought that the insects found so far from their 

 place of origin must have been placed there by some 

 agent. Indeed, it was early foreseen that unscrupu- 

 lous speculators could, by the judicious distribution of 

 the weevil, in four or five selected places pull the price 

 of cotton up sixty to a hundred points almost over- 

 night. It has since become known that the Department 

 was fearful of such a contingency and kept a strict 

 watch. 



Records of economic disaster became common history 

 as the area of infestation moved northward or eastward 

 each successive year. The first invasion of the weevil 

 into new territory commonly destroyed 50 per cent or 

 more of the crop and carried consternation to the re- 

 gion. The direct effects were found in the economic loss 

 of lint and seed cotton to the growers. The consequent 

 failures of farmers and landlords were transferred to 

 their creditors, the banks, and supply merchants. Many 

 of the credit institutions failed. In 1920 the Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture estimated the average annual direct 

 loss from the boll weevil at $300,000,000. 38 The indirect 

 losses due to failures of merchants and bankers, the 

 closing of cotton gins and cotton oil mills, and depre- 

 ss "The Cotton Situation," p. 350. 



