UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



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BULLETIN No. 382 



Contribution from the Boreao of Entomology 

 L. O. HOWARD, Chief 



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Washington, D. C. 



July 8, 1916 



COTTON BOLL -WEEVIL CONTROL IN THE MISSISSIPPI 

 DELTA, WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO SQUARE PICK- 

 ING AND WEEVIL PICKING. 



By B. R. CoAD, 

 Entomological Assistant, Southern Field Crop Insect Investigations. 



INTRODUCTION. 



In devising measures for the control of the boll weevil the experi- 

 ence of the Bureau of Entomology has shown that those which are 

 practicable in one region do not necessarih^ apply in another. The 

 conditions vary according to climate, topography, and systems of 

 agriculture. Each locality" offers peculiar conditions, but striking 

 differences occur between the cotton regions of Texas and of the delta 

 of Louisiana and Mississippi. These varying conditions have led 

 to the development of rather distinct methods of control of the 

 weevil, as applied to these two regions. 



During the progress of the Mexican cotton boll weevil northward 

 and eastward across the State of Texas, a combination of control 

 measures which was reasonably effective in limiting the damage to 

 the cotton crop was devised and adopted. These measures were 

 largely of a more or less indirect nature, such as planting early 

 maturing varieties, frequent shallow cultivation, wide spacing of the 

 plants to allow the sunshine to reach the fallen squares, etc. Largely 

 owing to the comparatively dry climate and the exceedingly high 

 mortality of the weevil stages in the fallen foi'tns, produced by the 

 hot sunshine, these measures generally sufficed for that region, ^^'lien 

 the weevils invaded the Delta region of the Mississippi River, in the 

 States of Louisiana and Mississippi, however, it was found that 

 weevil control was complicated by new conditions. The extremely 

 heavj^ rainfall and high humidity prevailing in the Delta region, 

 together with the rank vegetative growth typical of the cotton plants 

 there, combined to reduce greatly the most important factor in the 



Note. — This bulletin is intended to give practical advice to the cotton raisers of the 

 Mississippi Delta on the subject of controlling the boll weevil. 

 44011°— Bull. 382 — 16 



