Ill 



to the investigation of means looking- toward the extermination of 

 the pest. As a matter of fact, every suggestion, from the possibility 

 of breeding resistant varieties to the use of electricity in destroying 

 the weevil, has been fully investigated. The results have all been 

 negative. 



CULTURAL METHODS. 



The cultural method begins with reducing the numbers of the pest 

 in the fall b} T the destruction of the plants as soon as it becomes appar- 

 ent that no more cotton is to be produced. The enormous importance 

 of this procedure is shown by the fact already stated (p. 82) that the 

 late issuing weevils are the ones which successfully hibernate. Fur- 

 ther strong reasons are given on pages 91 and 92, under the sections 

 "Relations of weevils to top crop" and "Some reasons for the early 

 destruction of stalks." Hosts of weevils may thus be killed, a very 

 small percentage surviving the winter, and in the same operation the 

 ground is better prepared for planting the following season. A large 

 proportion of the weevils thus destroyed would otherwise pass through 

 the winter successfully and increase the damage to the planted cotton 

 the following season. Wherever the cotton is allowed to stand in the 

 fields in the hope that a top crop may be produced opportunities are 

 furnished for the development of a very large number of weevils. As 

 explained before in this bulletin, the possibility of a top crop has 

 always been exceedingly remote. Wherever the weevil exists it is 

 not a possibility at all. The method of fall destruction only involves 

 applying labor that is necessary in any case in preparing the land for 

 planting a few months earlier than is the normal practice among 

 cotton planters. It has been the custom to leave the land uncleared 

 until shortly before planting time in the spring. Now, however, this 

 clearing process is necessary as the last step in the production of the 

 preceding crop. This method, as a matter of fact, is the only practi- 

 cable strictly remedial method that has been devised. 



Simple uprooting of the plants by means of plows, and burning 

 them as soon as sufficiently dry, is very effective; but undoubtedly 

 the most effective way would be to leave a row out of 20 after the gen- 

 eral uprooting has taken place, to serve as a trap. When the weevils 

 have assembled upon these plants they might be killed easily with 

 crude petroleum, as the destruction of the plants at that time would 

 be immaterial. Nevertheless the heaps of drying stalks also act as a 

 trap, and consequently, especially in view of the success that attends 

 the. method, the average planter will believe the destruction of all the 

 plants in the field a better plan than any modification of it. 



The remaining portion of the cultural method consists in furthering 

 the advantage gained by fall destruction b} T bending every effort 

 toward obtaining a crop that will mature before the weevils have had 

 an opportunity to do considerable damage. The most important fac- 

 tors in obtaining an early crop are early planting, selection of a 



