COTTON OR WEEVILS 



they do not lose much time in taking a meal. But if it is too early 

 for cotton, okra, or hollyhocks to be growing, they simply go with- 

 out food until some of these plants appear above the ground. It is 

 a strange thing that at this time of the year active boll weevils can 

 live without food for several days. 



Fig. 1. — The " grown-up " cotton-boll weevil can either walk or fly, as it chooses. A 

 weevil with wings spread, as in flight, is shown at A. At B is a weevil as seen 

 from above, with legs spread out. At C is a weevil feeding on a cotton boll, as 

 seen from the side. All are about four times natural size 



The parts of the cotton plant which boll weevils like best as food 

 are the flower buds, or " squares " as the cotton planter calls them. 

 But before the flower buds come the weevils eat the growing tips of 

 the cotton plants and appear to like that food. Suppose you go 

 out in your cotton field early in the spring and see if the weevils 

 have appeared and have eaten any of the tips of the plants. Watch 

 the field carefully from day to day and find out the exact time the 

 weevils begin to feed on the crop. 



