﻿22 BULLETIN 13D7, V. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



COTTON-FKEE ZONES 



In ^1917 the legislature of Texas passed an act intended to give 

 authority to prevent the establishment of the pink boll worm in the 

 State. By this act authority was granted to quarantine the dis- 

 tricts in which the insect might be found, and to establish zones in 

 which the planting of cotton might be prohibited. Under this 

 authority, on January 21, 1918, the Governor of Texas quarantined 

 the Hearne district as well as the territory found infested in south- 

 eastern Texas. In the case of Hearne the quarantined area included 

 a territory within a radius of 3 miles from the mill. In the case 

 of southeastern Texas the quarantined area included a safety zone, 

 approximately 10 miles in width, covering the outermost points 

 infested. 



On February 25, 1918, following the recommendation of the com- 

 missioner of agriculture, the Governor of Texas issued a proclama- 

 tion prohibiting the planting of cotton in the quarantined areas. 



The finding of infestation by the pink bollworm in Mexico not 

 far from Del Rio in the spring of 1918 made it necessary to place 

 in operation another section of the Texas pink bollworm act. As a 

 consequence a third noncotton zone was provided to include McKin- 

 ney, Maverick, and Valverde Counties. 



SPECIAL REGULATIONS AT MEXICAN BORDER 



The risk of direct entry of the pink bollworm from Mexico by 

 flight or by accidental carriage necessitated the provision in the 

 regulations governing the entry from Mexico of cottonseed cake, 

 meal, or other cottonseed products, including oil, that permits for 

 such entry should be issued only for the products named coming 

 from mills located in the Laguna district of Mexico. The object of 

 this proviso with relation to Mexico is to deter the erection of mills 

 near the border of the United States, with the consequent risk of 

 escape of insects from seed brought for crushing to such mills near 

 the border. 



ORGANIZATION OF THE PREVENTIVE WORK OF THE DEPART- 

 MENT OF AGRICULTURE 



In general, the basis of the work in Texas and other States has 

 been scouting to determine the location and extent of infestations. 

 When this has been done noncotton zones are provided, with sur- 

 rounding zones in which all cotton products are safeguarded as to 

 distribution and use. Two years has been found a sufficient time for 

 maintaining the noncotton zones, but the regidated zones are con- 

 tinued longer. As soon as infestation is found the fields are thor- 

 oughly cleaned by removing and burning all bolls, burs, and other 

 material which might harbor the insect. This work extends far be- 

 yond the fields actually found infested and is carried on each year 

 in the regulated zone surrounding any noncotton zone. Of course 

 all noncotton zones are carefully scouted and all volunteer cotton 

 destroyed. 



It is probable that this clean-up work has been the most important 

 factor in what seems now to have been a successful effort at eradi- 

 cation in large areas. No attempt has been made to reach such 



