PROCEEDINGS OF THE BOLL WEEVIL CONVENTION. 19 



little fellow, and he may change his habits somewhat; and it may be that 

 in the future we may disco -/er some method of extermiantion or pre- 

 vention which at present does not occur to us. There are a great many'lines 

 of investigation which may be followed. It seems that he does not eat, 

 in his early stages, anything but a square; and that he particularly likes 

 it when it is tender. Now, 1 think it has been demonstrated that he 

 likes the squares of some cotton better than he likes it of others. You 

 may find after a while a class of plants that has resisted him, or that he 

 has left for some reason. Now, if it were possible to produce a class of 

 cotton that would be boll weevil resistant then you would have succeeded. 

 If you can inject into the plant, something that would change 

 the flavor of it, so he would not like it, then you would have accom- 

 plished the whole thing. If you can get a "chaw" of tobacco, at the 

 base of the square, for instance, he might turn away in utter disgust. 

 i am merely making these statements in the way of suggestions. There 

 are possibilities, and I am in favor, personally, of a large appropriation, 

 to the entomological department, not only for a thousand acres, but ten 

 thousand if necessary; and that work should be carried on in Louisiana, 

 as well as in Texas, so that you are ready for the boll weevil, when he 

 comes. 



Then in the line of demonstration farms. I noticed this morning, what 

 was said concerning the difficulty of getting people to take hold. That 

 is a difficulty everywhere. If the people had followed the teachings of 

 your great institutions here, your agricultural schools, and your eminent 

 professors, we would be far in advance of what we are in this great com- 

 monwealth of Louisiana. But the trouble is to get the people to adopt 

 these methods. 



But, after thinking this matter over, almost in despair, we undertook a 

 year ago, last spring, some demonstrations, and I will give you the results 

 of one of them, to show you that we can get the people to take hold and 

 adopt these modern methods, if we undertake it in a proper way. Last 

 winter the people along the Texas and Midland R. R., at Terrell, sent a 

 request to me, to organize a demonstration farm out there. I replied that 

 I could not do it, that I had hoped to do so but that I had no funds. They 

 then wrote to Washington, and interested the Department of Agriculture. 

 The Secretary said I had better go up there and see. I went up there ; 

 a meeting was called, with an attendance perhaps as large as this one; I 

 said : in the first place, gentlemen, I may talk to you about organizing a 

 demonstration farm, but I have no money. They replied "we do not 

 want any money. We do not need any help. As American citizens, we 

 can help ourselves. All we want is that you should put it under the con- 

 trol of the United States Department of Agriculture, and we will do the 

 rest." I said : "Very well, I will formulate the plan. Give me six of your 

 best farmers as an Advisory Committee, because the Department of Agri- 



