LOUISIANA CIRCULAR No. 5. 



tablished the existence of a marked and clearly drfimMl migratory 

 movement of the weevil into new territory. This migratory habit 

 of the weevil, which had previously been unknown and evidently 

 unsuspicioned as it is not mentioned in any of the writings on 

 this insect prior to that time entirely revolutionized the methods 

 to be employed in retarding its progress into new territory. 



While the eradication of the colony at Logansport, as well 

 as the extermination of the Audubon Park outbreak the previous 

 year, demonstrated conclusively the possibility and practicability 

 of exterminating isolated sporadic outbreaks of the weevil, the 

 discovery of the migratory habit of the weevil showed the eradi- 

 cation of infestations in the territory covered by the yearly 

 migrations to be not only impracticable, but impossible, as fields 

 in which the cotton might be destroyed in the work of extermi- 

 nating the insect would become reinfested from surrounding 

 territory with the coming of the following year's migration. The- 

 discovery of this migratory movement upon the part of the weevil ,. 

 by Prof. Morgan and his assistants at this time, of itself resulted 

 in the saving of many thousands of dollars to the State of Lou- 

 isiana. Had the attempt been made to exterminate the weevil 

 in all of the territory entered by it in 1904, many thousands of 

 dollars would have been expended in vain. In addition to this, 

 the discovery of the migrations showed that the very rigid 

 quarantine upon a great variety of articles, which had previously 

 been enforced to the extent of causing serious inconvenience and 

 loss to business interests, was of insufficient a-vail to justify its 

 continuation, and a quarantine system working no hardship but 

 proving eminently more successful, was substituted. 



The migratory movement of 1904, while most marke.l au.1 

 extensive during the latter part of August, continued with 

 greater or less volume until frost, the weevil's movements during 

 the latter part of the season being more or less continuous and 

 hardly distinguishable as distinct migrations. The territory 

 gained by the weevil during the month of August more than 

 equaled in area all of the territory gained by it during September, 

 October and November. The area infested by the weevil in De- 

 cember, 1904, is seen in Figure 1. 



The winter of 1904-05 was one of the most severe that Lou- 

 isiana has seen for many years, the temperature being much 



