130 
season). This habit of early fruiting- is more characteristic of the 
shorter-jointed sorts than of the longer-jointed varieties. 
These desirable qualities, viz, early fruiting, prolificacy, good 
staple, etc., may be perpetuated and improved by seed selection, and , 
special attention should be given to this work.- The importance of j 
the use of selected earh^-fruiting varieties, as compared with native 
"run-down-' gin seed, has been illustrated man^^ times in the course 
of these investigations. In 1903, on the plantation of Capt. B. D. 
Wilson, at Hetty, Tex., under conditions of severe boUworm injury, 
early-planted early-fruiting cotton produced an average of 1,318 
pounds of seed cotton per acre, as against 187 pounds of early-planted 
but later-fruiting gin seed. 
The importance of planting as early in the spring as practicable has 
been recognized b}^ planters for many 3'ears, and this has been about the 
only practice emplo^^ed looking to the avoidance of bollworm injury. 
Best results from this work have often not been secured, however, 
because of the use of gin seed of unknown parentage and variety. 
No fixed dates may be given for the planting of cotton, but the effort 
should be to plant as earh' as possible, even though danger from frosts 
may not have entirel}^ passed. The advantage gained in early plant- 
ing more than compensates for the injury b}^ frost during occasional 
3"ears. 
Early and thorough cultivation is an important factor in the cultural 
method of producing early cotton. Early chopping out of the plants 
will permit of free branching and consequent square production. The 
fertility of the soil, either native or introduced in the way of ferti- 
lizers, may be used hj plants onh^ in a liquid condition. Hence, for 
the conservation of moisture and other reasons, timely and frequent 
cultivation are of the utmost importance. 
The steps in the production of early cotton, outlined above, include 
the principal recommendations for the growing of cotton in the pres- 
ence of the boll weevil. It is therefore seen that injury from the 
cotton bollworm and the cotton boll weevil may be best avoided by 
the adoption of one and the same course of improved farm practice. 
The spread of the latter species will render imperative the adoption of 
these methods in profitable cotton culture, and along with this change 
the ravages of the bollworm during normal seasons should become less 
and less. 
TRAP CROPS. 
The preference of the bollworm for corn, as compared with its other 
food plants, permits of the use of this plant in a way to protect cotton 
from injury. In general, protection will be needed only from the 
August generation of larvae, and this ma}^ be secured by planting corn 
in belts through the cotton fields at a time that will result in its being in 
