ALABAMA
Agricultural Experiment
Alabama
Station
OF THE
Polytechnic Institute
AUBURN
CIRCULARS 5, 6 and 7
REVISED BY
W. E. HINDS, Entomologist
JULY, 1912
The Boll Weevil Advance in Alabama
Fighting the Boll Weevil
Destroying Boll Weevils by Clean Farming
J. F. DUGGAR, Director
No, 5.
No, 6,.
ho, 7,.
SO7~= JO? THE COTTON BOLL e, VL~VME
.".- Sll 1Q0 0 0. A! CAN"E,,,,r, AT VARIOUA T '. , "r h400 PR1EVIO". ,' S.
.. ,9l 
_0
Fig 1 Mp ho~ig orioo'cttn.re ifete b bllxge+i u/t-Nvebe 110 
Tisma.i bse ro'ifomaio
funihe b Breurf ntmoog ndvaios {arieri Mssssi,' togethe r x it our on obse +uatios 
inrAabama
11
Circular No. 5
The Boll Weevil Advance in Alabama
By W. E. Hinds, Entomologist.
Weevil Enters Since the boll weevil 
first entered Southern
Alabama
Texas in 1892, it has been an increasingly important
factor in our annual production of cotton. Its ad-
vance northward and eastward, at an average rate
of fully 50 miles per year, has continued steadily un-
til it has now reached our own State. On September
3, 1910, the first specimens of this much dreaded pest
were found on the western edge of Mobile County,
in Alabama. The weevil advanced so that by the
middle of September the line of infestation included
about three-fourths of Mobile County. Ten days
later, weevils were found in the southern part of
Choctaw County.
We6 or 7 Aevils Entered The spread 
of the weevil in 1910 was 
checked
Counties in 1910 fully a month earlier 
than usual on account of killing
frosts occurring during the latter part of October
instead of November as is usual. Undoubtedly this
prevented a considerable extension of the newly in-
fested area. As it was, the weevils entered five
counties in Southwest Alabama, and may have oc-
curred also in the extreme corners of Monroe and
Escambia. This area produces less than 15,000
bales of cotton normally. See map, p. 10.
1911 Movement In 1911 the weevils began to move about the
middle of August and continued until killing frosts
occurred about the middle of November. This ad-
vance brought 12 Alabama counties, wholly or part-
ly, within the infested area. The movement was
very evidently checked by the formation of im-
mense numbers of squares following the stripping
of the plants by the September generation of cot-
ton worms. See map on page 24.
Thefight should ALL COTTON PLANTERS WITHIN THIS
beginnow SOUTHWESTERN CORNER 
OF ALABAMA
SHOULD PLAN TO TAKE UP THE FIGHT
AGAINST THE BOLL WEEVIL IMMEDIATE-
LY. AVOID THE LOSS SURE TO FOLLOW
IF COTTON CULTURE BE CONTINUED IN
THE USUAL WAY. COTTON CAN STILL BE
12
PLANTED AND YIELDS GREATLY IN-
CREASED BY THE IMMEDIATE ADOPTION
OF THE IMPROVED METHODS DESCRIBED
IN THIS CIRCULAR.
Damage can be The advent of the weevil is a fact of the utmost
prevented importance 
to the cotton planters 
of Alabama. Only
by immediately adopting and putting into practice
part or all of the methods which have been found
most effective in controlling the weevil in Texas,
Louisiana and other states can the planters of Ala-
bama avoid passing through the same experience of
loss as planters have suffered in previously infested
territory. These methods have been thoroughly
tried and proven practical and effective. THE
WEEVIL IS HERE. THE TIME TO ACT IS
NOW! It is the object of this and other circulars
to show exactly what methods should be adopted
and how the damage done by the weevil to cotton
may be reduced as much as is possible. The fol-
lowing paragraphs briefly describe the different
stages of the weevil as found in cotton, and outline
the life history so that the reason for the effective-
ness of many of the practices advised may be evi-
dent to the intelligent reader.
STAGES AND WORK OF THE BOLL WEEVIL
The Boll Weevil The boll weevil is a beetle belonging to a large
onlyks cotton group all of which have part of the head in front of
the eyes greatly extended to form a long, slender
snout. There are many hundreds of species of these
insects, all of which are commonly called "weevils,"
but the Mexican cotton boll weevil is the only one
attacking cotton. (See Alabama Bulletin, No. 146.)
The boll weevil breeds upon cotton and upon
Four Stages: nothing 
else. Like all 
other beetles the 
boll weevil
1. Egg has four distinct stages in the development 
of each
individual. These are the egg, which is only about
1-30 of an inch long, and is always deposited in a
cavity which the female eats in the square or boll
and upon no other part of the plant.
2. Grub From 
the egg there hatches 
in a few days a white,
legless grub or worm which does not at all resemble
the beetle which it may finally become. The grub
of the boll weevil resembles very closely the worms
found in peaches and plums. The boll weevil grub
grows steadily from a length of about 1-25 of an inch
when it hatches until it becomes fully grown 
and
measures 1-5 to 2-5 of an inch in length.
3. The Pupa In order to attain the beetle form the grub must
pass through an intermediate "transformation
13
4. Adult
Signs of injury
Multiply in the
squares and boils
stage," which is known as the "pupa." 
In this
stage no food is taken, and there 
is a complete
change of the appearance and 
of structure. The
grub sheds its skin and instead 
of the legless, wing-
less, snoutless worm, the pupa appears 
with all of
these organs forming in sheaths closely 
applied to
the body. In this stage the insect is 
very delicate,
and perfectly helpless. It, as well as the egg and
grub stages, is passed wholly within the interior 
of
the square or boll. These three constitute the imma-
ture stages in the life of the weevil, but are as char-
acteristic of the insect as is the adult form.
The crescentic grub, about 3-8 inch long when
fully grown, and the pupal stage occur only in
squares and in bolls. This is the only insect which
breeds in this way in cotton.
After a few days the pupa sheds its skin and be-
comes the fully formed adult weevil, having the legs
and snout free and usable, as are also the wings,
which are folded back, under and protected and hid-
den by, the 'hard wing-covers, which meet in a
straight line over the middle of the back of the bee-
tle. For a,few days the adult also remains protected
within the square or boll while it becomes hardened
and more able to care for itself. It then cuts a circu-
lar hole just the size of its body in the wall of its cell
in the square, and through this opening makes its
escape into the outer world, where from that time on
it leads a free and active life.
The adult beetle found on cotton only, is about
1-4 inch long, including the slightly curved snout,
and dark brown, ashy-gray, or yellowish brown in
color.
The occurrence of open cavities 1-16 to 1-20 inch
in diameter and reaching down to larger excavations
among the pollen sacs, the presence of "warts"
marking the egg punctures of the weevil, the occur-
rence of the orange-colored excrement of the beetles
on the buds, the abundant shedding of squares 
and
the consequent scarcity of blooms without 
accom-
panying temperature, rain, or cultural conditions 
to
cause the shedding; these are among the most 
con-
spicuous signs of boll weevil presence and injury.
HOW WEEVILS PASS THE WINTER.
The full grown weevils fly, especially during the
period from August 15 to November 15, 
and their
spread into new territory is accomplished almost 
en-
tirely in this way. When female weevils reach 
new,
uninfested territory, they feed for a short 
time and
14
Breeding contin- then begin to deposit eggs at the rate of from 6 to 10
ues until frost 
per day, in such 
squares and small" 
bolls as they can
find. Each female may lay a considerable number
of eggs and in the course of three or four weeks, a
new generation will be produced in this field. These
weevils may continue the process so that before frost
kills the plants, a large number of weevils will have
been developed from the few weevils which flew
into the new territory. To prevent this breeding,
the practice of producing an early maturing crop of
cotton, harvesting as soon as the cotton can be pick-
ed out and then immediately up-turning and burning
the stalks, is strongly urged. Weevils feed only
upon green cotton, and if this be destroyed a few
weeks before frost makes it favorable for weevils to
enter winter quarters, a very large proportion of the
weevils will be destroyed. This step in weevil con-
trol is fully described in Circular No. 7.
Weevils winter Weevils pass the winter in the 
full grown beetle
in trash 
stage, hiding 
in or under 
any kind of 
trash which
may be found in or around the cotton field. Clean-
ing up this rubbish is exceedingly important, as it
reduces the chances of weevils living through the
winter.
Wherever weevils occur in the fall, some will
Weevils leave come out 
of winter quarters the 
next spring and be
winter quarters ready to attack cotton as soon as it breaks ground.
gradually 
The very last 
of the weevils 
leaving winter 
quarters
may not emerge until even as late as the first of July.
They are therefore ready to attack cotton at any
time and can live upon the tender stems for as long
as is necessary before squares begin to form. As
soon as squares appear the weevils concentrate
their attacks upon them, feeding and laying their
in squares eggs therein. By the middle of August it is likely
that the weevils will be so abundant, if nothing has
been done to control them, that no further cotton
will be set. The period from the setting of squares
to the formation of a good number of half-grown
bolls should be as short as possible and upon the
abundance of fruit set during this period depends
the cotton crop in weevil infested fields.
SMigration occurs From the middle of August until frost checks
their movement, many weevils will fly in search of
uninfested squares. This flight constitutes the fall
spread of the insect.
Keep allcir- The general plan of fighting the weevil is out-
culars lined more completely in 
Circular No. 6. Read that
next and keep this circular, as reference will there
be made to some of the points herein explained.
15
Circular No. 6
Fighting the Boll Weevil
By W. E. Hinds, Entomologist.
Cotton growers
must reckon
with the weevil
As indicated in Circular No. 5, the Mexican 
cot-
ton boll weevil must be reckoned with in the produc-
tion of all future cotton crops within the infested
area.
Observations as to the effect of the weevil in
newly infested territory in reducing cotton produc-
tion shows that in sections where the attempt was
made to continue cotton raising in the old way, the
yield has often been reduced to about 50 or 60 per
cent. of the normal crop during the first few years
of the weevil's presence. Gradually the methods of
raising cotton became adjusted to the necessities of
the case, other crops besides cotton are grown in-
creasingly, and the cotton crop has regained its nor-
mal size. The last condition of the cotton grower is
better than the first, but the path of progress has
led through several years of loss and suffering.
Through the accumulated knowledge and experience
of experts who have been fighting the weevil, and
the demonstrations of many thousands of planters,
we now know that the weevil can be controlled and
cotton culture continued even more successfully
than has been usual in the past.
IT IS NOT A HOPELESS FIGHT.
Not ahopeless COTTON CULTURE NEED NOT BE ABAN-
fight DONED. 
But to continue growing 
cotton success-
fully several improvements in our agricultural prac-
tice are imperative. Some of the steps in a reliable
system of fighting the weevil successfully will be
briefly outlined in this circular. This out-
line cannot even mention many points which
might be profitably followed, but is intended to show
only the principles and some of the special practices
which have proven effective in other 
sections and
which will in time become generally adopted 
here.
Shall we not begin this fight at once, rather than
first lose a large part of two or three crops 
and then
be forced to adopt these ideas?
1. No principle has been more clearly established
Cotton crop than this: Successful cotton crops in weevil infested
must be made
rapidly territory must be made 
early. The multiplication of
the weevil is so rapid that 
after the third or fourth
16
generations become adult there is no chance for
more bolls to be set. The presence of the weevils ab-
solutely prevents any "top crop," and usually makes
the raising of "late cotton" practically an impossi-
bility.
Early panting
alone is not More things are involved in making a good crop
enough of cotton 
early than merely 
early planting of 
the
seed. That alone is not enough to insure success.
It is not so much a question of planting extra early
as it is of reducing as much as possible the time be-
tween the first formation of the squares and the de-
velopment of an abundance of bolls to a size at
which they are practically resistant to weevil attack.
With most varieties weevils cannot puncture and
successfully deposit eggs in bolls that are half
grown or larger.
Select seed care- 2. One of the most important and best paying
fully steps in making large 
yields and earlier maturing
crops is the careful selection of seed. We cannot
afford to continue to plant "gin-run" seed. You
may pay fancy prices for high-grade seed to start
with, but after a few years without selection and
with careless ginning, it will be badly mixed and
give much poorer yields. Use your own brain and
keep the money in your pocket instead of paying for
the use of some other man's intelligence and indus-
try. Get good seed to start with, then select care-
fully for next year's planting. Remember that it is
possible to largely control the size of the plant, its
branching, fruitfulness, size of bolls, number of locks
and percentage, length and quality of lint, time of
maturity, etc., by careful seed selection. For further
suggestions on Seed Selection, see Circular No. "A"
67, U. S. Department of Agriculture, Bureau of
Plant Industry.
Pick cotton 3. It should need no argument to prove that cot-
promptly ton 
should be picked 
out promptly after 
it opens.
There is nothing to gain and much to lose by allow-
ing it to hang and weather and beat out onto the
ground even where there are no weevils, but where
weevils occur, prompt harvesting cannot be too
strongly urged. This is to clear the way for the
early destruction of all green cotton. We cannot
even afford to wait for the last few bolls or "scrap-
pings," as this waiting delays the work of destroy-
ing stalks.
testrtyall green 4, Having selected seed for next year's 
planting
cotton as early and harvested the main crop, then the next step in
save nextyear's point of time is to UPROOT, WIND-ROW AND
crop BURN THE COTTON 
STALKS. STARVE THE
ADULTS WHICH CAN FEED 
ONLY ON COT-
TON. PREVENT THE DEVELOPMENT 
OF
17
THOUSANDS OF WEEVILS in the late fall
growth of squares and bolls 
which never can do any-
thing but breed weevils. Do this 
to save next year's crop.
See Circular No. 7 on this subject.
5. The weevils can live only on cotton, but
Raise ai reify neither the farmer nor his stock can do this. Our
monopoly of cotton raising and 
the assurance of
some crop even with the most 
shiftless of methods,
have been among the greatest 
curses of our South-
ern agriculture. The effect has been particularly
bad during the past fifty years. 
We cannot con-
tinue a "one crop" (cotton) system 
with the boll
weevil present. We can and must raise 
a variety of
crops. This is diversification. Plant 
especially such
crops as can provide food supplies for 
man and beast
on the farm. Stop having to buy and pay big 
profits
to others for the food that you can as well raise 
at
home. Diversification makes it possible also to build
up the soil and make it more productive without 
de-
pending solely on expensive commercial fertilizers.
In no section can a greater variety of crops be
grown than here in Alabama, and we have the added
advantage of being able to secure from two to four
crops each year on the same field.
Rotate crops 6. Raising a variety of crops brings up many
questions as to desirable combinations or changes
that should be made from year to year. This is what
is meant by the term rotation of crops. Rotations
may be planned for a number of purposes aside from
the direct result of the crops secured. The vegeta-
ble matter in the soil can be increased and fertility
can be improved especially by using such crops as
clovers, cow-peas, beans, velvet beans, vetch, etc.
The growth of weeds may be prevented and the in-
jury due to both fungus diseases like the boll rot
and insect pests such as the boll weevil may be
largely reduced by the wise practice of rotation.
7. The nature and extent of preparation to be
Prepare soil more given the 
soil before planting and 
the cultivation to
oughly before be given the crop while 
it is growing become ex-
ceedingly important questions in producing profit-
able crops and especially early maturity in cotton.
It is needless to say that the average cotton field is
not "worked." It is barely "scratched." The re-
sults of innumerable experiments and the practical
experience of all of the most successful planters
prove that deeper plowing with more thorough
working of the soil before planting is one of the
Plant as early as first principles in any more successful system of 
agriculture.
soil and air con- 8. It is, a well known fact that early planted cot-
tins are favor ton commonly yields better than that planted 
late.
18
Extremely early planting 
is hardly desirable or ad-
visable. The object is to have 
the plant grow off
rapidly and steadily, so 
that the fruiting may be
abundant but the period from squaring 
to the real
making of the crop may 
be as brief as possible.
Plant then as early as soil and 
air conditions be-
come favorable.
Cultivate only Cultivation 
of the crop should be shallow 
and
about one and
one-half inches frequent. Its first object is to keep the ground in a
deep 
favorable condition 
for the growth 
of the plants and
the destruction of grass and weeds is accomplished
incidentally. The surface of the ground should be
stirred every week or ten days during the growing
season to a depth of about 1 1-2 inches. Where the
weevil is found the crop should not be "laid by" as
early as usual, but cultivation continued two or
three weeks longer.
Late planting Late planting 
with the idea of starving 
out the
ineffective over-wintered weevils is entirely ineffective 
and
should never be attempted in weevil territory.
Summer control 9. Although no summer practice is nearly as
difficult effective as is the early 
fall destruction of stalks for
holding the weevils in check, there are several
measures that may be profitably followed under
especially favorable conditions. The deciding fac-
Pick fallen tors are usually an available labor supply that costs
squares little 
if any extra, 
and a moist condition 
of the
surface soil when squares begin to fall. While it
will not often pay to employ hands to pick up fallen
infested squares at even 75 cents per day, it will
pay to do this if the children in the family can do
the work. Most cotton squares fall to the ground
in about ten days after the weevil eggs are placed
in them. In a week or ten days more they may
produce adult weevils. If it is very hot and dry
and surface soil forms a dust mulch, those squares
would be "baked" in the sunshine and heat so that
all weevil stages in them would be killed. It would
not then pay to. If done at all, it pays to get
the first fallen squares and to do the work thor-
oughly. Begin the collection about two weeks after
the first squares are formed, and then go over the
fields every fifth or sixth day for a month or more.
We can make No direct insecticidal practice can be recom-
cotton in spiteof mended, 
as it is practically impossible 
to reach the
weevils on account of their peculiar feeding and
breeding habits. This is the reason why we must
depend upon cultural methods for weevil control.
If the cultural methods here outlined are faithfully
practiced then there will be little difficulty in pro-
ducing increasingly profitable crops of cotton in
spite of the boll weevil.
19
Circular No. 7
Destroying Boll Weevils by Clean 
Farming
By W. E. Hinds, Entomologist.
Weevils breed in Weevils are absolutely dependent upon cotton
kills untit frost for feeding and breeding. As a rule, the number of
weevils in the field is considerably reduced during
the period while cotton is opening. 
After the crop
is matured, if favorable rains occur, there 
is usually
a considerable growth of late squares with 
blooms
and many small bolls formed. This condition 
is re-
markably favorable for the development of weevils,
and the number of weevils increases very rapidly
until frost destroys the cotton.
Migrated weevils Migrated 
weevils, which have 
flown many miles
become estab- into new territory, are likely 
to find just this late
growd late top .growth of squares in which they reproduce and thus
establish the weevils in the new territory. It is
possible for two or three generations to be thus pro-
duced before frost. The danger is that planters
may not realize the presence of the weevils, as the
fields are usually neglected after the cotton is picked
out, and thus the conditions most favorable for the
weevils are left without a single effort being made
to remove them. Naturally not as many weevils
are likely to be produced in the new territory as
may be found during the fall in older infested fields.
But the danger to the crop of the following year
may be nearly as great.
In old infested fields, it is by no means uncom-
Many thousands
of weevils may mon to find from one to four or five weevils for each
ccur onfeach plant growing 
in the field. This means 
that from five
to twenty-five thousand weevils per acre may be
found at the time of the first frost. It is a well es-
tablished fact that the weevils developing and be-
coming adult late in the fall are those which are
most likely to survive the winter. They have not
exhausted their vitality by long flights or by any
considerable reproductive activity, as have older
weevils. It becomes doubly important therefore
that the development of weevils late in fal should
be prevented as much as is possible.
Weevils hiber. As with nearly all insects, 
the winter season is
nate as adults passed quietly and 
without feeding by the full
grown or adult weevils, which find shelter in any
kind of rubbish in or around the cotton fields where
they are when the first frost occurs. The dormant
winter condition of the insect is spoken of as hiber-
nation.
20
Hibernation As cool weather approaches 
in the fall, weevils
with first killing become less active and some may seek winter shel-
frost ter even before 
"frost occurs. Most of them, 
how-
ever, continue to feed until green cotton is largely
destroyed. The occurrence of 
the first killing frost
is a signal for the great majority 
of weevils to seek
shelter'for the winter. This we call entering hiber-
nation. If the freeze is severe enough to completely
destroy squares and bolls, the immature stages of
the weevil in them are likely to be killed, but if only
foliage is killed, the immature stages may complete
their development and emerge, or enter hibernation
within the unopened bolls especially.
Hibernate princi Under ordinary conditions, few weevils fly to
field any considerable distance from the 
cotton fields in
search of winter quarters. They have no power of
purposely selecting exceptionally favorable condi-
tions. It is well known, however, that during warm
days following frosty nights, weevils having little
shelter may be again somewhat active and again
enter shelter, so that in time the weevils gradually
secure the most favorable shelter available. The
large majority of weevils find winter quarters in or
near the field in which they were feeding when frost
occurred. Innumerable experiments have shown
that the most favorable conditions for successful
Standing stalks hibernation 
are found in fields in 
which the cotton
give mostefavor- stalks, 
with grass, weeds, 
fallen leaves, etc., 
are left
weevils undisturbed until nearly time to plant the following
spring. Under these conditions, the maximum
number of weevils will survive.
Under exception- A large number of carefully planned 
and exe-
conditions over cuted 
experiments have 
been made to determine 
the
40 per cent of the effect of the destruction of green cotton at varying
fall weevils may
survive dates in the fall, and the effect of various classes of
shelter upon the survival of weevils. It has 
been
found that the range in survival 
is sometimes as
low as a fraction of one per cent., 
when conditions
are unfavorable, and again 
as high as between 40
and 45 per cent. where exceptionally 
favorable con-
ditions and seasons have occurred. 
It is needless
to say that there is very little prospect 
for success-
ful cotton culture under the latter condition.
WILL YOU CHOOSE TO DESTROY 
THE
WEEVILS IN THE FALL 
OR HAVE THEM
DESTROY YOUR COTTON CROP NEXT
YEAR? The earlier stalks 
are destroyed, the
fewer 'weevils will survive the winter 
and the
smaller will be the damage to the succeeding 
crop.
THIS EARLY FALL DESTRUCTION OF 
THE
STALKS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT 
SINGLE
21
STEP IN THE ENTIRE FIGHT AGAINST THE
BOLL WEEVIL. Wherever weevils occur, or
may enter new territory, stalks should 
be up-rooted
and burned if possible at least a month before frost.
Three methods There are several methods of destroying cotton
of destroying stalks, each 
of which has some points of advantage,
but only one of which is absolutely certain in its re-
sults and can be fully recommended. The preferred
method involves the up-rooting, piling and burning
of the plants. A less effective method, but one
which may be followed under certain conditions, is
to cut the stalks down with a stalk chopper and
plow them under deeply, following the plowing
with a discing of the field. We can advise the
plowing under instead of burning stalks wherever
the planter is equipped with plows and mules, so
that he can put them under an average of six
inches of soil. The third method, which can be
possible only in exceptional cases, is to turn in suf-
ficient stock to graze off all green cotton within a
few days' time.
Burning method For the burning 
method, stalks may be up-
effective rooted in various ways. 
The cheapest, most effec-
tive and preferred plan is to use what is known as
the "A"-shaped stalk cutter. This consists essen-
tially of strongly braced timbers, forming a triangle
having sharp, strong knives fastened to the under
side of each divergent arm, so as to cut two rows of
stalks below the surface of the ground at one time,
and throw two adjacent rows into one wind-row.
This machine has been fully described in Circular
No. 30, of the Louisiana State Crop Pest Commis-
Stalk utter sion, and a copyof this circular canprobably be ob-
s$5.00 tos$10.00 tained by request addressed to the Director of the
Experiment Station, Baton Rouge, La. The ma-
chine may be made at home by an ordinary carpen-
ter with the iron work done by local 
blacksmith at a
cost for materials of about $5.00. With one 
of these
cutters from 10 to 15 acres of stalks can be 
cut per
day. If any stalks are not completely severed, they
should be chopped out or pulled so that 
they will
not keep green. The stalks in wind-rows may 
be
piled by using a pea-vine rake or 
in some other
way, and will be ready for burning 
in a week or ten
Plowing out 
days with 
dry weather.
stalks is unsatis- Stalks may be plowed out, but this is less satis-
factory factory, as many of the roots remain 
in the ground
so firmly that they will need to be pulled. 
A more
laborious method is to up-root 
them by means of a
lever, having in it a notched groove 
to take firm
hold upon the base of the 
stalk. The stalks should
22
Burn as soon as be placed in position to burn while still green to
foiage and tipsdry 
avoid scattering 
foliage, squares, 
bolls, etc. The 
wee-
vils are then concentrated upon the rows .or piles
of stalks and nearly all of them will remain there
until burning can be accomplished. Burn as soon
as the foliage is dry enough to produce a good heat,
even though the stalks themselves may still be too
green to burn cleanly.
Burn ingdestroys Burning 
stalks destroys weevils 
in a number of
eral ways ways. First, it will get 
immediately a large propor-
tion of the weevils already adult and active. Sec-
ond, it will absolutely destroy all immature stages
in squares and bolls. These stages developing into
late weevils would be the ones most likely to survive
the winter. Third, by the removal of all green cot-
ton, weevils which escape the fire will be likely to
starve to death before they succeed in finding food.
Fourth, the destruction of the stalks removes a
large proportion of the materials which provide
most favorable shelter for the weevils during the
winter, and weevils still remaining in the field are
therefore more likely to perish, or if driven out of
the field less likely to find favorable shelter.
Weevils may es- The 
practice of running a 
stalk chopper over the
cape if plowed field and then trying to turn the stalks 
under is far
under 
less effective 
since many 
roots will still 
remain in
the soil to give rise to sprouts upon which the wee-
vils may survive until frost. Ordinary plowing will
allow a large proportion of the weevils on the sur-
face of the ground to escape, as experiments have
shown that weevils may make their way out
through several inches of ordinary loosely plowed
soil.
Craling the stalk Grazing is probably less effective than either of
is poorest the other methods. 
Invariably considerable sprout
cotton exists in grazed fields, and this is sufficient
to maintain adult weevils until they enter hiberna-
tion. They can then find plenty of shelter in these
Clean up the 
unplowed 
fields.
farm. Remove Besides the destruction of stalks, 
there are a
the stumps number 
of other points included 
in what may be
called clean farming which should be carefully
looked after in fighting the weevil. The presence
of stumps or dead timber in the field, while bad ag-
ricultural practice under any conditions, is espe-
cially favorable to weevil hibernation. Dr. S. A.
Knapp has estimated that the presence of stumps in
a field costs the cotton farmer on the average
$3.00 per acre each year. With the boll weevil
present, they may cost far more than this, because
of the shelter which the weeds, growing around
them, may give to hibernating weevils. They cost
23
also by preventing the use of improved machinery,
which is especially desirable in boll weevil terri-
Clean ditches tory.
dturn rows and In general, we would say clean up all kinds of
fence lines 
rubbish along 
ditches, terraces, 
turn-rows, 
and
around the edges of the field to reduce the chances
of weevils hibernating successfully. This will de-
crease the injury done by other insects besides the
boll weevil.
It pays to destroy
the stalks From the many demonstrations which have
shown the great value of early destruction of stalks
in fighting the weevil, we may consider one definite
case in which the records were carefully kept and
definitely authenticated. On the Gulf coast of
Texas in the fall of 1906, the planters in an isolated
locality, including 400 acres of cotton, were per-
suaded to destroy their cotton stalks by burning
during the first ten days of October. No cotton
was grown nearer than fifteen miles, and here a
suitable check area was found. In the check field
stalks were allowed to stand as usual until planters
were ready to begin their spring work. Without
making any other change in the practice usually
followed by the planters in each of these localities,
the yield obtained in 1907, upon the 400 acres aver-
aged better than two-thirds of a bale per acre in
spite of the fact that the soil was rather poor and
sandy. Upon the check area hardly one-half of this
yield was obtained, although the land here was
richer than upon the 400 acre tract. The difference
in yield can be attributed only to the difference in
the manner of handling the stalks the preceding fall.
At the market value of cotton that year, the in-
$20.00 per acre on creased yield due to fall destruction of the stalks
was worth fully $20.00 per acre, or more than
enough to have bought the land upon which the
crop was grown. Somewhat similar good results
can be obtained anywhere that the weevil occurs.
Early fall destruction of stalks clears the way
for deep fall plowing and the use of a winter cover
crop.
Wollevls cotn- IF STALKS ARE DESTROYED 
BY OCTO-
destruction alk BER 
10 EACH YEAR, 
AS GOOD CROPS 
OF
COTTON CAN BE MADE AS IN THE PAST
AND IF OTHER IMPROVED PRACTICES
ARE ADOPTED, AS SUGGESTED IN THESE
CIRCULARS, THE AVERAGE YIELD OF COT-
TON IN ALABAMA CAN BE GREATLY IN-
CREASED IN SPITE OF THE PRESENCE OF
THE BOLL WEEVIL.
IF YOU WOULD MAKE A GOOD COTTON
24
CROP NEXT YEAR, SEE THAT THE STALKS
AND THE WEEVILS ARE COMPLETELY'
DESTROYED EARLY EACH FALL. THIS IS
THE LAST STEP IN HANDLING ONE COT-
TON CROP AND THE FIRST STEP IN MAK-
ING THE NEXT ONE BETTER
TENrNESSCEE
ALABAMA WE&VIL LINE O1 1911 AND QUARANTINED AREA