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How did farmers refer to the boll weevil?
The boll weevil, with its entourage of songs and folklore, is enshrined in many popular accounts as America’s most destructive agricultural pest. Testifying before Congress in 1903, the chief of the USDA’s Bureau of Plant Industry referred to the insect’s advance as “the wave of evil.”
What is boll weevil slang for?
Boll weevils (named for the type of beetle which feeds on cotton buds) was an American political term used in the mid- and late-20th century to describe conservative Southern Democrats.
How did the boll weevil affect South Carolina farmers?
The boll weevil’s decimation of the cotton industry in the South had implications for the entire region. The pest was a driving force behind the “great migration” of poor tenant farmers into northern cities, and the state’s dependence on cash-crop production left its soil depleted and prone to erosion.
Who wrote The Boll Weevil Song?
Brook Benton
Clyde Otis
The Boll Weevil Song/Composers
What threat does the boll weevil make to the farmer?
The destruction of cotton fields by the boll weevil spread from Texas across the South and Southwest so that by the Great Depression, cotton farmers had already suffered from many years of devastatingly poor harvests. Eventually it found its way to California cotton fields as well.
How does the boll weevil destroy cotton?
Boll weevils can completely destroy a cotton crop. Boll weevils eat all the buds off the plants; they destroy any cotton that the plants manage to produce by eating and laying eggs in the cotton.
Are boll weevils harmful to humans?
The truth is, weevils are NOT harmful to humans. Accidentally eating them along with your food does not cause any ill effects.
How big is a boll weevil?
about 6 mm
The size of a mature boll weevil varies according to the amount of food it receives during its larval stage, but it averages about 6 mm (1/4 inch), including the long, curved snout, which is about one-half the body length.
What are the songs about the boll weevil?
Songs about the boll weevil often take the form of an interaction between the insect and the farmer. No matter what the farmer does to try to discourage the boll weevil, the weevil always adapts.
What did the USDA say about the boll weevil?
In 1903, the chief of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) testified before Congress that the insect’s outbreaks were a “wave of evil,” and that afflicted areas in Mexico had abandoned cotton production altogether.
How are male and female boll weevils attracted?
USDA-ARS scientists discovered the sex attractant pheromones of the boll weevil – the combination of chemicals that allowed male boll weevils to find female boll weevils. These researchers were able to perfect a synthetic attractant pheromone blend, creating a lure that could be used to trap the amorous boll weevils.
How did the boll weevil statue get its legs?
In 1949, the fountain in the statue’s hands was replaced with a sculpture of the boll weevil itself after artist Luther Baker suggested it and fashioned a four-legged model of the insect from linotype metal. That boll weevil was stolen in 1953, and a larger, more accurate sculpture with six legs replaced it.