93 



leum. Grazing the fields with cattle, as some have recommended, 

 will destroy much of the growth and prevent 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 only does burning destroy most of the wee- 

 vils, but it also destroys the shelter which might be afforded the few 

 that would escape, and the chances of successful hibernation are 

 largely decreased by this practice. 



The third reason may 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 by this practice, so that no vestige of the food plant remains, 

 and living weevils, if by any possibility 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 may 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 by 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 

 known of actually reducing the numbers of the weevil. Early destruc- 

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

 quent picking up of the squares infested by hibernated weevils in the 

 spring, and is far more thorough as a means of reducing the numbers 

 of the weevil than is the practice of picking hibernated weevils from 

 the young plants. 



Early destruction of the stalks is essential to the greatest success of 

 any system of controlling this pest. All other practices recom- 

 mended — early planting of early maturing varieties, thorough culti- 

 vation, fertilization, etc. (see p. 112) — though very valuable in securing 

 the crop, are perhaps of greatest value because they prepare the way 

 for this early destruction which so reduces the actual number of wee- 

 vils hibernating successfully that the other recommendations may 

 yield their best results. Since the earliest investigations made by this 

 Division upon the boll weevil, it has been recognized that this prac- 

 tice is of the first importance, and the experience of recent years has 

 but added certainty to this conviction. Planters have, however, been 

 slow to change their methods of cultivation, but enough have adopted 

 the recommendation to prove its efficiency. It must not be thought 



