Issued Jan. 2, 1921. 



UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 

 DEPARTMENT CIRCULAR 163. 



Contribution from the Bureau of Entomology. 



DISPERSION OF THE BOLL WEEVIL IN 1920. 



By B. R. CoAD and R. W. Moreland. 



The outstanding feature of the weevil movement during 1920 has been its retardation in the eastern portion of the cotton belt For 

 many years the most important movements took place east of the Mississippi River, but during 1920 there was comparatively little gain in 

 that section. By far the most significant change is the dispersion in Oklahoma and Texas by which a large territory infested a number of 

 years ago, but uninfested for the past five or six years, has been regained by the weevil. 



In North Carolina eight new counties have been partially infested, making a total gain in the State of 2,500 square miles. 



In South Carolina every county is now infested and the limit of cotton cultivation has been reached. The same situation applies to 

 Georgia. 



In Tennessee there was a slight recession in the Tennessee River valley, but this is more than offset by a slight gain in the central 

 portion of the State, while from that point westward to the Mississippi River the line is much the same as in 1919. 



Throughout Arkansas there was a general gain, although comparatively slight in extent. 



In Oklahoma there was a gain of over 19,000 square miles. Practically this takes the weevil to the limit of cotton cultivation in the 

 northern portion of the State and to the limit of continuous cotton cultivation in the western portion, although there are a number of iso- 

 lated but fairly important cotton areas still west of the line. 



In Texas a slight general movement westward is noted. The 1920 line passes from western Valverde County to Mertzon in Irion County 

 It then runs northward to Water Valley in Tom Green County, thence northeastward through Bronte in Coke County, passes throu<?h the 

 northwestern corner of Runnels County, and continues in a northeasterly direction through Tye in Taylor County to Avoca in Jones County 

 It then crosses Haskell County to Seymour in Baylor County and goes directly northward to the border through Kingola in Wilbaro-er 

 County. "^ 



In Oklahoma the line enters the State just south of Frederick in Tillman County. It then runs through Comanche County northward 

 through Sickles m Caddo County, continuing northward through Watonga in Blaine County, and crosses the southeastern corner of Major 

 County. It then turns in an easterly direction through Fairmont in Garfield County, continues north and east through Noble County 

 then through Ralston m Pawnee County, and crosses Osage County to Collinsville in Tulsa Countv, where it turns southward throuo-h Boo-eri 

 County and passes through Wagoner m Wagoner County. It continues southeastward through the northeast corne- of Muskogee County ^ 

 enters Sequoyah County at the northwest corner, and extends through that county to the border at Moffett. ' 



In Arkansas the line runs from Fort Smith in Sebastian County northeastward through the southern portion o^ Crawford County thence 

 across Franklin County, continuing northeastward through Catalpa in Johnson County. It then runs through j^ass in Newton County to 

 Zack m Searcy County, whence it declines southeastward through Fox in Stone County, passes through the northeastern corners of Cle- 

 burne, White, and Woodruff Counties, and runs through the southwestern corner of Cross County to Newcastle in Saint Francis County 

 whence it advances a little northward through the southeast corner of Cross County to Wildcat and Harvard in Crittenden County. ' 



In Tennessee the line enters the State at Covington in Tipton County, passes through southern Havwood County and through Vildo 

 and Toone m Hardeman County, runs northeasterly to Henderson in Chester County, and crosses the extreme northern portion of Hardin 

 County to Clifton in Wayne County. It then runs to Marcella in Lawrence County, where it turns northeast to Columbia m Maury County 

 thence_ directly southeast through Lewisburg in Marshall County to Smithland in Lincoln County. It then runs through Winchester in 

 Franklin County to Whitwell m Marion County, whence it declines almost directly southward across the southwest corner of Hamilton 

 County to Rossville, Ga. It then turns northeastward through the extreme northern point of James County to Tabor in Meio-s County 

 thence through Athens and Etowah in McMinn County and turns southward through Polk County to Tennga, Ga. 



In Georgia the line passes from Tennga, Murray County, to Ellijay in Gilmer County, thence across the southern portion'of Fannin 

 County and the northern portion of Lumpkin County to Cleveland in WTiite County and through Cornelia in Habersham County From 

 here it runs northeastward to the border through Ayersville in Stephens County. 



In South Carolina the line passes through Seneca in Oconee County and Easley in Pickens County to Greenville in Greenville Court v^ 

 thence southeastward to Switzer m Spartanburg County, across the northwestern corner of Union County, and crosses the southern end of 

 Cherokee County to York and Rock Hill in York County, and thence to the border just north of Van Wyck. 



In North Carolina the line runs eastward through Walkersville in Union County to Perkins in Anson County and across the extreme 

 ^?T 1 ®i^ P^^tion of Richmond and Scotland Counties, thence northeastward to Red Sprinsrs in Robeson C^)unty, crosses the northern portion 

 of Bladen County, and then through Garland in Sampson County to Rosehill in Duplin County. From here it extends throuoh Catharine 

 Lake m Onslow County across the extreme southwestern corner of Carteret County to the coast. 



In Florida the line passes through Ozena in Pinellas County, Tampa, Seffner, and Plant City in Hillsborough County, Fort Meade in 

 Polk County, Kissimmee m Osceola County, and Indian River City in Brevard County. 



i In New Mexico the weevil has c/idently failed to become established, as no positive records have been made of its occurrence in Eddy 

 County since 1918. 



In Arizona the weevil apparently has succeeded in transferring its attack from the wild cotton of the mountains to the cultivated cotton 

 around Tucson. During September, 1920, weevil infestation was found in three fields of cultivated cotton along the Rillito River between 

 the mouth of Sabmo Canyon and the Oracle road. State authorities have undertaken a clean-up campaign for the eradication of this infes- 

 tation, and have proclaimed all territory north of the line of Congress Street in Tucson a noncotton zone until further notice. 



Altogether 42,621 square miles of new territory were invaded by the weevil during 1920 and only 752 square miles were lost, so that the 

 let gam was 41,869 square miles. The loss occurred in Tennessee. Only about 73,000 square miles of cotton-producing territory now 

 •emain uninfested. 



26002 °-.2i 



