﻿THE PINK BOLLWORM 21 



specimen was found in a field near the oil mill at Beaumont by 

 inspector H. C. Millender, and on October 25 specimens were taken 

 at Anahuac, in Chambers County, by H. S. Hensley. The first 

 two of these infestations were undoubtedly due to the Mexican 

 seed which had been shipped to the United States in 1916. The 

 infestation in Chambers County, however, can not be attributed 

 to such shipments. It was found to extend around Galreston Bay 

 from Smiths Point to tlie vicinity of Texas City. It was heavier 

 near the bay and diminished regularly toward the interior. Aftei 

 considerable investigation, in which all possible theories were 

 weighed, the conclusion was reached that this infestation was 

 probably due to Mexican bales of cotton which were shipped to 

 Galveston in 1915. During this year several thousand bales of 

 cotton from the Laguna in Mexico reached Galveston by way of 

 El Paso. This cotton was on the docks at Galveston at the time 

 of the hurricane of August, 1915. With several thousand bales of 

 Texas cotton it was washed from the docks and distributed around 

 the shore line, in some cases 75 miles away. Many of the bales were 

 broken open by the force of the water. It is well known that 

 Mexican bales contain large numbers of seeds, and cotton plants 

 were found growing along the high-water line during the fall of 

 1915 and the spring of 1916. This theory, while not altogether 

 satisfactory, is considered by August Busck, who has paid more 

 attention to the study of the pink bollworm than any other entomol- 

 ogist, to be an adequate explanation of the present situation around 

 Galveston Bay. 



As soon as the presence of the pink bollworm in Texas was dis- 

 covered, the Federal Horticultural Board, in cooperation with the 

 Department of Agriculture of the State of Texas, undertook active 

 measures to eradicate it. The work consisted at first of scouting to 

 determine the limits of infestation, the destruction of any possible 

 infestation remaining in the fields, and the safeguarding by various 

 means of the cotton produced in the infested fields and in neighboring 

 ones during the season of 1917. 



The work of removing any possible infestation from the fields 

 consisted in uprooting or chopping down the plants, the collection 

 by hand of all locks or portions of locks which were found on the 

 ground, and the biii-ning of all tlie accumulated trash. In this work 

 1,624 acres of land in the vicinity of Hearne was cleaned, and 7,170 

 acres in soutlieastern Texas. The work was not confined to fields in 

 which infestation was actually discovered, but included fields at a 

 (considerable distance beyond the outei'most points found infested. 

 It involved Ihc cniploynient of an average of about 500 laborers for 

 the months of November, December, January, and February, and a 

 jjoi'tion of March. In many cases the laboi-ers were assembled in 

 (•arnj>s and housed and provisioned by th(^ department. In other 

 cases, where tlie work was in the vicinity of towns, it was possible 

 to employ local labor. TIk; safeguarding of cotton pro(hicts from 

 the infested areas in 1017 consisted in the milling of the seed under 

 sufM'ivision at cei-tain mills seleded because, theii- const ruction would 

 enable t}i(; work to be (Ion<^ willi practically no (hmger of disseminat- 

 ing the pest. Tlie baled cotton, as fai' as possible, was caused to be 

 expojted oi- shii>p(!<l directly to northei-n mills. 



