114 AGRICULTURE 



by hand labor. The invention of the cotton gin by Eli 

 Whitney for the ginning of the cotton or the removal of the 

 seed from the lint was one of the greatest boons to cotton 

 culture that has come to the South. After the cotton has 

 been ginned it is made up into large bundles called bales, 

 each weighing about 500 pounds. These bales are shipped 

 to the mills by train or boat, after which they are manu- 

 factured into thread and all kinds of cloth. 



TOPICS FOR INVESTIGATION 



1. Secure samples of the cotton plant at various stages 

 of growth, and make a study of all parts. 



2. What different varieties of cotton are grown in your 

 region? What measures are being taken to improve the 

 quality ? 



3. What proportion of the cotton growers in your 

 vicinity practise rotation of other crops with cotton ? What 

 crops are used? 



4. What fertilizers are employed for cotton by the 

 most successful farmers in your neighborhood? 



3. Enemies of Cotton 



Cotton, like other farm crops, is subject to attack by 

 various insects and diseases. 



The boll weevil. The boll weevil is said to be the 

 most harmful insect known to agriculture in this country. 

 It came to the United States from Mexico about 1892, first 

 beginning its ravages in Texas. Since that time it has 

 spread over most of the cotton area, and caused the loss 

 of millions of dollars to cotton growers. 



Life history of the boll weevil. The worst enemy 

 of cotton is the boll weevil. In the spring and through- 

 out the fruiting season eggs are laid in small holes made 

 by the female in the cotton square or boll. In about three 

 days the egg hatches into a grub, which at once begins feed- 



