INSECTS WHICH DAMAGE CROPS 



563 



South. " Cotton was king " before the days of the Civil War, 

 but now many Southern farmers have been forced to produce 

 other crops in the 

 place of cotton. An 

 example is seen in 

 the decrease of pro- 

 duction of the once 

 famous sea island 

 cotton. As late as 

 1916, 117,559 bales 

 were produced ; in 

 1924 the record gave 

 only 5 bales ginned. 

 The beetle lays its 

 eggs in the young 

 flower buds and the 

 larvae feed upon the 

 substance within the 

 bud, thus causing it 



to drop off and, consequently, produce no cotton fiber. Later in 

 the season the beetle lays its eggs in the young fruit or bolls of cotton. 

 These do not drop off, but the bolls become discolored and the cotton 

 is ruined. It is estimated that this pest destroys yearly over one 



larvcc 



Life history of cotton-boll weevil. At what time during its life 

 does the weevil do the most harm ? 



U. S. Depl. of Agriculture 

 Map showing the spread of the Mexican cotton-boll weevil from 1892 to 1922. 



