April, ’23] 
hunter: boll weevil losses 
195 
A month after the treatment counts were again made of dead and live 
scale from both treated and cheek trees. 
After the first brood of young had settled, counts were made to de¬ 
termine the number of newly settled scales on a given length of at least 
ten representative twigs of new wood from each tree or from an equal 
number of leaves. 
At harvest, the fruit, in the case of apple, was examined and graded 
on the basis of scale infestation, using the terms very slight, slight, 
moderate, heavy, and heavy encrusted, or using an arbitrary scale run¬ 
ning from one to ten to determine the degree of infestation. 
In the fall after the majority of leaves were off, the trees were ex¬ 
amined to determine the degree of infestation, applying the method used 
previous to the treatment, for comparison with the original degree of 
infestation. 
Inasmuch as the personal element is certain to enter into counts and 
estimations, all counts and estimations used in a eomparsion should be 
made by the same person, and it is often desirable to have separate sets 
of counts made by another individual to check upon. 
METHODS OF ESTIMATING BOLL WEEVIL LOSSES 
By W. D. Hunter, Bureau of Entomology 
Abstract 
Probably more attempts have been made to estimate boll weevil, Anthonomus 
grandis Boh., losses accurately than have been made in the case of any other insect. 
Such estimates have been made by entomologists, crop reporters and commercial 
organizations. By far the most accurate estimates have been found to be those made 
by entomologists. A very accurate estimate can be made by comparing production 
on plots treated with calcium arsenate and on plots untreated. The difference in 
production is a precise measure of the amount of damage caused by the weevil. 
The usefulness of this method could be greatly increased by test plats provided by 
state entomologists in different parts of their states. Estimates made by crop re¬ 
porters have been found to show a strong trend toward exaggeration. Those made 
by commercial organizations are frequently colored by market conditions. 
The American cotton crop has probably incited more statistical 
inquiry than any other crop produced in this country. It is not sur¬ 
prising that a great deal of the available statistical talent has directed 
its energies towards estimating the damage done by the boll weevil. 
In general the methods of estimating boll weevil losses may be thrown 
into three groups, namely, those followed by entomologists, those by 
crop reporters and those by commercial organizations. 
The methods followed by entomologists may be discussed in two 
