LUTHER BURBANK 



Through Mr. Cook's efforts, this enemy of the 

 boll weevil has been introduced. It has shown its 

 ability to breed both in captivity and in the cotton 

 fields of Texas. The insect forms colonies that 

 are said to be even more highly developed than 

 are the colonies of ordinary ants. New colonies 

 are formed by a sub-division of the older com- 

 munities, as among the honey bees, not by solitary 

 females as is usual among ants. 



It is expected that the insects will thrive in the 

 cotton districts, and will serve at least to keep the 

 boll weevil in check, although it is not to be hoped, 

 according to Mr. Cook, that it will altogether ban- 

 ish the pest; inasmuch as the weevils have not 

 been exterminated in Guatemala, although the 

 kelep has there imposed a very important check 

 on their increase. 



It is urged, however, that additional protection 

 from the boll weevil must be sought through such 

 development of the cotton plant itself as will make 

 it resistant to the attacks of the insect. The 

 authorities of the Department of Agriculture have 

 observed that in the cotton plants of Guatemala, 

 where the weevil is native, the buds do not always 

 drop off after being penetrated, and that the young 

 bolls continue to develop in spite of the attacks of 

 the weevil. 



It was found on examination that such resist- 



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