A DESTRUCTIVE PEST.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XII, Issue 3585, 22 September 1920, Page 7

A DESTRUCTIVE PEST.

WEEVIL’S RAVAGES ON COTTON PLANT Empire entomologists assembled in London in June to discuss problems of the fight against, insects injurious to plant, animal 1 , and human life.

• Problems of Cotton pests wore placed before the conference by Mr. H. A. Ballau, of the Imperial Department of Agriculture of the West Indies, who stated that cotton is more liable to attacks by insect posts than any other, crop. He specially mentioned the Mexican boll weevil and the pink boll worm.

The former has extended its ravages throughout, the cotton bolt' of the United States with groat losses to the growers. In nine States i<n 1918, more jlran 715,000.0001 b of lint was destroyed. This lint was" worth nearly £30,000,000. 'Loss of seed in the same crop totalled £5,000,000, giving an aggregate loss through one insect in one year exceeding £40.000,000. In 1917 the loss in the Egyptian cotton fields, from the pink boll worm was estimated at mors than 100,000, 0001 b of lint, wor.h £10,000,000.

These two insects, Mr. Ballau pointed out, arc only two of an army of known pests of cotton.