File:Yearbook of agriculture (1921) (14771092384).jpg

Identifier: yearbookofagricu1921unit (find matches)
Title: Yearbook of agriculture
Year: 1894 (1890s)
Authors: United States. Dept. of Agriculture
Subjects: Agriculture Agriculture
Publisher: Washington U.S. Govt. Print. Off
Contributing Library: Gerstein - University of Toronto
Digitizing Sponsor: University of Toronto

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Fig.. --■—Cotton boll weevil, runcturing young flower bud. (Natural size.) half a dozen counties in southern Texas. . Since 1894 it hasextended its range annually from 40 to 160 miles, althoughin several instances the winter conditions have been such asto cause a decrease in the infested area. (See Fig. 23.) Outside of the United States the boll weevil is known tooccur throughout the larger portion of Mexico and southwardto Guatemala and Costa Rica. It is known to occur alsoin the eastern half of Cuba. In the newly invaded region of the Cotton Belt the lossfrom boll-weevil damage may run as high as 50 per cent ormore of the crop and invariably creates a condition border-ing on panic among cotton planters. Under such conditionsdiversified farming and animal husbandry receive a powerfulimpetus. As time passes, however, and the planters learnthe proper methods of raising cotton under boll-weevil con- 350 Yearbook of the Department of Agriculture^ WBl.
Text Appearing After Image:
0) 0) 5 ^ a o * g* ^ 3 — Ji IS ^ •o a « 3 CI P< ^ The Cotton Situation. 351 ditions, a considerable reduction of the loss incident to thepresence of the weevil is apparent. The actual damage done by the boll weevil varies greatlyfrom year to year. A very mild winter is invariably fol-lowed by a heavy weevil infestation during the followingsummer. Excessive rainfall during the summer months isalso conducive to greater weevil activity. In prairie regionswhere the insect obtains little or no protection through theAvinter, it never becomes so numerous as in other quarterswhere conditions favorable for hibernation are found. TheBureau of Crop Estimates of this department in the fall of1920 estimated the average annual loss for the last four yearsto be about $300,000,000. Hibernation takes place in the adult stage. After frostin the fall the last surviving generation of adults seek suchshelter as may be found under old cotton stalks and deadgrass, or in near-by woods. In regions whe

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