46 PROCEEDINGS OF THE BOLL WEEVIL CONVENTION. 



due to the fact that it is one of the western parishes of the State and 

 lying but a short distance away from our unfortunate sister State bf 

 Texas, has caused me serious thought and prompted me to do, to the 

 very best of my ability, my duty to my people in presenting to this Con- 

 vention the good and valid reasons why we should adopt the most rigid 

 and effective measures to protect not only the people of my parish, but the 

 people of the whole State, in fact, the whole of the cotton belt, if such 

 lies within our power. 



"The question of quarantine against all Texas products, with us, is a 

 very important and necessary step towards the future safety of our cotton 

 crop. 



"With our past experience with insect pests, we are in a position to 

 judge of the great damage that can result to a whole community by the 

 invasion of one of these pests brought by the importing of feed stuffs 

 from other States infected with these insects. 



"Up to a few years ago, our farmers could figure on a good average 

 corn crop year in and year out, but within the last three years, our corn 

 crops, during seasons of drought, are more seriously infected by the 

 chintz bug, and out of the last three seasons, we have made but one good 

 corn crop, due to this pest. Their coming to our parish can be directly 

 traced to the importation of feed stuffs by the rice farmers from some 

 Western State infested by similar pests. I believe that Prof. Morgan, of 

 the State Agricultural Station, was, three years ago, called upon for 

 help to destroy this pest, but so far, we have been unable to destroy 

 them, and they cause great damage during the growing season of our 

 corn and oat crops, if the season happens to be a dry one. 



"Our experience .with the chintz bug warns us to make most serious 

 endeavors to protect ourselves against this much more serious danger of 

 the invasion of the boll weevil, and we appeal to you, gentlemen of this 

 Convention, not to adjourn the Convention until, by the thorough and 

 dispassionate discussion of this most important question, we have reached 

 some understanding as to the best ways and means to keep the boll weevil 

 out of our State. 



"The Parish of Arcadia, owing to its diversity of farming interests, 

 is probably more seriously menaced than other parishes of the State, 

 for the following reasons : 



"You will often find on the same section of land, a rice farmer who 

 plants from one to two acres of rice; this rice farmer, as a rule, plants 

 nothing but rice ; he owns several new teams, and these teams must have 

 corn, oats and hay; not raising his own feed, he goes to town and buys 

 from a feedstore his necessary feed; this feed, or the greater portion of 

 the same, comes fresh from the State of Texas. 



fr Right on north, east, west and south of this rice planter, are a number 

 of honest and industrious small cotton farmers, who have been struggling 



