60 



Bolls are quite largely fed upon after infestation has reached its 

 height. Small and tender bolls are often thoroughly riddled by the 

 numerous punctures (PL IX, fig. 36). Small bolls so severely injured 

 fall within a short time. Larger bolls may receive more punctures 

 without being so severely injured. A comparison of the external and 

 internal effects in such cases is shown in Plate VIII, figures 34 and 36. 

 Abnormal woody growth takes the place of the normal development 

 of the fiber, and a softening and decay of the seeds often accompanies 

 this change. One or more locks may be destroyed while the remain- 

 der of the boll develops in perfect condition (PI. IX, fig. 38). 



After the bolls become about half grown the effects of feeding are 

 less likely to cause the boll to fall. The puncture becomes closed by 

 a free exudation of the sap and a subsequent woody growth, which 

 forms frequently an excrescence the size of half a pea upon the inner 

 side of the carpel (PI. IX, fig. 37, a). An excrescence of this char- 

 acter usual 1}^ results from an egg puncture, and often from feeding 

 punctures also. 



Table XII.- 



-Destruction of squares by feeding alone. 









t^ 



•6 



o 





I 



^.a^ 



°l 



'oB 





d (D 



s§ 



ti 







1^1 



3 





i Date. 



tr.' PI . 



§ bcS 



If 



II 



i 



si 



m 

 bed 



m 



11 



S3 



03 a o 



Co ^ 





^^1 

 Sal 



^11 





H 



H 



H 



H 



P4 



0-, 



< 



< 



June 4 to July 2 



334 



59 



210 



122 



17.7 



58.1 



2.0 



5.6 



August 21 to September 10 , 



358 



54 



206 



100 



15.1 



48.5 



1.8 



5.2 



October 25 to November 25 



125 



51 



417 



a 68 



41 

 26 

 31 



68 



137 

 79 

 125 

 111 



110 

 70 

 59 



177 



32.8 



50.0 



7.4 



100.0 



80.0 



88.6 



47.2 



100.0 



2.8 

 3.1 

 1.9 

 2.6 



14.2 



Do 



16.2 



June 10 to July 21 



6.0 



August 6 to September 25 . 



3.65 









1,353 



279 



934 



638 



20.6 



68.3 



2.0 



7.0 



a Squares attacked by male weevils only. 



From the preceding table a few general conclusions may be drawn. 

 The general impression that most of the feeding is done in squares 

 speciall}^ devoted to that purpose is abundantly sustained by reference to 

 columns 5 and 6, from which it is seen that one-fifth of all the squares 

 attacked by the weevils receive over two-thirds of their feeding punc- 

 tures. Where, as a general thing, only one egg is placed in a square, it 

 appears that on an average more than two feeding punctures are made 

 in a square. A comparison of the average time from the date of attack 

 to the falling of the square shows that squares which are fed upon only, 

 fall, as a rule, somewhat more quickly than do squares which contain 

 larvae only and have never been fed upon. While not shown in the 

 preceding table flaring as a result of feeding injury takes place more 

 quickly than when the result of injury by a larva working within the 

 square. 



