24 



which was about thirty days prior to the average date for the past 

 fifteen years. This early frost destroyed a great number of immature 

 weevils in the squares and bolls which would otherwise have passed 

 through the winter to damage the crop in the spring. 



(3) An important factor which has contributed to the production of 

 a large crop in the same region has been a lessened degree of damage 

 by the bollworm. It has been estimated b}^ Mr. A. L. Quaintance, of 

 the Bureau of Entomology, that this pest could not have caused more 

 than about half as much damage during 1904 as during the preceding 

 season. During the first of these years it was estimated that the dam- 

 age would aggregate $5,000,000, as against about $2,500,000 damage 

 for the latter 3^ear. 



(4) The high price of cotton prior to the time of planting the crop 

 of 1904 undoubtedly had the effect of increasing the acreage consid- 

 erably. 



(5) The growing season was unusually favorable. The average of 

 the conditions of the growing crop in Texas from May to September, 

 inclusive, as published by the Bureau of Statistics, of this Department, 

 was 82 in 1904, as against 72.5 in 1903. The average condition for 

 1904 was, in fact, much higher than in even the season of the largest 

 crop ever previously produced, namely, 1900, when the average condi- 

 tion reported for the months mentioned was 77.6. 



(6) The season of 1904 was exceedingly favorable during the time 

 of picking the crop, resulting in an unusually small loss of lint from 

 rains. 



(7) The large amount of work done by the Department of Agri- 

 culture and comniercial bodies which imported many carloads of 

 improved seed, and the more general adoption of approved cultural 

 methods also contributed somewhat to the large crop produced. 



A general idea of the effect of the ravages of the boll weevil in reduc- 

 ing the crop in Texas may be obtained from the following table: 



Table II. — Comparison of cotton production and acreage in Texas and Louisiana in. 

 equivalents of 500-pound 



Year. 



Texas. 



Louisiana. 



Acreage. 



Crop. 



Acreage. 



Crop. 



1899 



6, 642, 309 

 7,041,000 

 7, 745, 100 

 8, 006, 546 

 8,129,300 

 8, 704, 000 



2,609,018 

 3,438,386 

 2, 502, 166 

 2,498,013 

 2,471,081 

 3, 030, 433 



1,179,156 

 1, 285, 000 

 1,400,650 

 1,662,567 

 1,709,200 

 1,940,000 



700, 352: 



1900 



705, 767 



1901 



840, 476. 



1902 



882, 073 



1903 



824, 965- 



1904 



893, 193 







It will be seen that while the acreage in Texas and Louisiana has. 

 been increasing at about the same proportion the crop in Texas has. 

 decreased annually for the past six years (with two exceptions — 1900- 

 and the present year), while the crop in Louisiana has increased annu- 



