6 BULLETIN 926, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
The breeding experiments of Coad and Howe, both published, show 
that the weevil can live on Hibiscus, and Coad reared an adult from 
Hibiscus, but the weevil can not normally attack the plant. So far 
as we know, there are no plants growing in Florida or the southern 
States that are adapted to serve as food plants of the boll weevil. 
THE BOLL WEEVIL ON SEA-ISLAND COTTON. 
FEEDING EXPERIMENTS TO DETERMINE THE PREFERENCE SHOWN BY THE BOLL 
WEEVIL FOR SEA-ISLAND COTTON. 
A known number of adult boll weevils were placed in battery 
jars and allowed to feed on bolls, squares, and leaves. Each jar 
contained both sea-island and upland bolls, squares, and leaves, and 
careful records were taken every two hours to determine whether 
there was any preference by the weevil for either of the two types 
of cotton fruit and foliage. The experiments were conducted in 
an outdoor insectary where normal atmospheric conditions prevailed. 
The data obtained in order to ascertain whether there is any pref- 
erence by the boll weevil for sea-island as compared with upland 
cotton are given in Table I. The records presented in this table show - 
that the boll weevil seems to prefer sea-island foliage to upland 
foliage, and that it shows a distinct preference for sea-island bolls 
compared with upland bolls. It appears also that there is a tend- 
ency to feed on upland squares in preference to sea-island squares. 
TaBLE I.—Feeding choice of boll weevil between sea-island and upland cotton, 
Madison, Fla. 
Total number of Percentage of 
times weevils were feedings recorded 
Number gigi observed. Ones: 
weevils cis 
mer ae vidual Bedi Feeding ; 
merit obser on sea- | Resting Upland | . Sea- 
vations. upland island Beas cotton. ssiand 
cotton. | cotton. Be. von. 
1840) | Se Seas as as a Oe ee 10 290 64 118 108 22.0 40.6 
NODE R SE Gagauebes aHeseeea debosesoctbed 10 290 135 110 44 46.9 37.9 
WGA ViOS ste yoo ck a aeeieteloe mee ee lec. 10 290 77 129 84 26.5 44.4 
Motale. eerste Pee ee cee ke | 30 870 276 357 236 131.8 140.9 
| 
1 Average. 
In Table I attention is called to the preference by the boll weevil 
for sea-island bolls over upland bolls in the experiments conducted 
on the feeding habits of the weevil. In 1917, in order to secure fur- 
ther data on this phase of the weevil’s attack, the writer examined at 
random each week 100 grown bolls of each variety of upland and sea- 
island cottons that were still green, beginning on the 19th of July, the 
