122 



which will emerge in the spring the chances of a good crop for the 

 following season are greatly increased. 



The second reason is that by a proper manipulation of the stalks 

 a very great majority of the weevils which are already adult can be 

 destro3^ed. One of the most successful practices is to throw the stalks in 

 windrows (PI. XVIII, fig. 78), and as soon as they have become suffi- 

 ciently dry they may be burned. The practice of leaving every tenth 

 row for a trap row, to be cut and thrown on the windrows at the time 

 of burning, is not recommended, since it has not j^et been shown to 

 possess sufficient advantage to offset the trouble of dividing the work 

 and the risk of carrying a large proportion of the weevils two weeks 

 nearer hibernation time. If the weather js favorable, the burning 

 may take place in about two weeks, and many of the weevils will not 

 have left the cotton stalks by that time. In case rains delay the dry- 

 ing it will be found advantageous to expedite burning by the use of 

 crude petroleum or Beaumont oil. Grazing the fields with cattle, as 

 some have recommended, will destroy much of the growth and pre- 

 vent further development of weevils, but it allows enough of foliage 

 to remain to sustain the life of many which are already adult until it 

 becomes sufficiently cold for them to hibernate. Not onl}" does burn- 

 ing destroy most of the weevils, but it also destroys the shelter which 

 might be afforded the few that would escape, and the chances of suc- 

 cessful hibernation are largely decreased by this practice. 



The third reason ma}^ be found in the fact that the clearing of the 

 ground renders possible a deep fall plowing. This catches such wee- 

 vils as might still be in squares on the ground. The ground becomes 

 clean b}^ this practice, so that no vestige of the food plant remains, 

 and living weevils, if by any possibilit}^ they have escaped thus far, 

 must either starve or perish from exposure. Furthermore, fall plow- 

 ing places the ground in the best possible condition and makes it 

 ready for immediate working as early as planting ma}^ begin in the 

 spring, thereby saving delay in the starting of the crop. As stalks 

 must be destroyed in some way before the field can be replanted, the 

 practices here mentioned will not add greatly to the cost of destruc- 

 tion. Even if some cotton is present upon the stalks at the time of 

 their destruction, this small item is hardly worthy of consideration in 

 comparison with the greatly increased crop and the more early matur- 

 ing and better quality of staple which may be obtained b}^ the adop- 

 tion of this recommendation. 



Having studied carefully the methods of weevil control which have 

 heretofore been recommended, the writers firmly believe that the 

 destruction of the stalks in the early fall is the most effective method 

 knovjn of actually reducing the numbers of the loeevil. Earlj^ destruc- 

 tion will cost but a small fraction of the- expense necessary to the f re- 



