LOUISIANA CIRCULAR No. 5. 



of territory actually lost by the insect. It is, of course, con- 

 ceivable that an occasional weevil might have survived the winter 

 in this territory, but the examination of so many cotton fi<-l Is 

 in different localities, and with different surroundings, by men 

 thoroughly skilled and practiced in detecting oven Ihc lightest 

 infestations, and each of whom was in ignorance of the findings 

 of the rest, seems to reduce the chance of any survivals in this 

 area, to one in many thousand. 



Perhaps the most interesting point noticed in connection 



with this extermination of the weevil by meteorological condi- 

 tions, was the fact that it was exterminated in Caddo, the north- 

 ernmost parish in the State, and also at Cameron, the southern- 

 most point at which the weevil has been found in Louisiana. As 

 Cameron has the highest average winter temperature of any local- 

 ity in Western Louisiana, and as Caddo Parish has very nearly 

 the lowest average winter temperature of any locality in the 

 State, it appears that the excessive moisture rather than low tem- 

 ej-rature, w r as responsible for this heavy mortality. 



A similar loss of territory by the weevil in Northern Texas 

 was noted by Prof. Hunter and his assitsants, and so far as the 

 writer is aware the winter of 1904-05 was the first in which 

 meteorological conditions brought about such a great decrease 

 in the territory infested by this insect. 



In 1905, the migratory movement of the weevil commenced 

 about the middle of August and continued with more or less 

 continuity until about November 20. The existence of certain 

 quarantines throughout the State during August, September and 

 early October, on account of yellow fever, prevented the exten- 

 sive field observations necessary to determine the exact time 

 and extent of the migratory movements. Field work coukl not 

 be resumed until the middle of October, and after that date an 

 accurate survey was made to determine the eastern limit of the 

 territory invaded. 



The migrations of 1905 gained for the boll weevil, practi- 

 cally all of the territory it lost during the winter and a very 

 considerable area in addition. Cameron, Louisiana, a community 

 practically isolated from other cotton-growing sections by many 

 miles of marsh, was the only locality not re-infested by the 1905 



