For what merits did the Americans decide to perpetuate the memory of the pest? (11 photos)

The majestic and beautiful ancient Roman goddess Ceres, who is responsible for the growth of cereals, other plants, harvests and fertility in general, froze, raising her hands to the heavens. And in the palms of the celestial goddess sits proudly an unsightly, and even harmful, insect. What connection can there be between completely opposite characters?





Residents of the small town of Enterprise, Alabama, have found this connection. And they dedicated a monument to the beetle. The state of Alabama has specialized in growing its main crop, cotton, for more than a century. It grew well and cost a lot, so you didn’t have to bother with the others.



True, cotton significantly depleted the soil, but local farmers learned to combat this problem by restoring fertility with the help of corn or legumes.





The town flourished until disaster struck. Unexpectedly, it is likely that the voracious, tenacious and wildly prolific cotton boll weevil came from Mexico. The prosperity came to an end: the insect, despite heavy doses of chemicals and other farm efforts, completely destroyed the cotton crop in 1918.



William Aiken Walker, "Cotton Plantations"



cotton weevil

The Enterprise was on the verge of extinction, since the only source of income was funds from the sale of cotton.



The residents thought that they should try to grow something simpler. But the simplest food supply for pigs turned out to be: peanuts, corn, forage grasses.

Local banker H. Sessions, who sensed the good potential of groundnuts, suggested that farmer C. Baston sow all his lands with peanuts as an experiment. Not just like that, but on very favorable terms: the banker provided a loan and guaranteed that he would buy the entire crop at a fixed price. The man agreed and was right: as a result, he improved his financial situation and earned 8 thousand dollars.



The following year, all farmers followed Baston's example. Moreover, the list of products based on peanuts was constantly expanding. The county was transformed from a cotton one into a peanut one, the city did not disappear, the residents worked and became rich.



And in gratitude for the impetus in development, a monument to the harmful booger was erected in 1919. On the pedestal of the fountain with a 4-meter fertility goddess, whose sculpture was ordered in Italy, it is written: “As a sign of deep gratitude to the cotton boll weevil for the indicated path to prosperity, this monument was erected by the citizens of the city of Enterprise, Alabama.”



True, the figure of the weevil itself appeared later, only 30 years later. And from that moment on, the insect became the object of close attention of vandals at all levels. They literally started hunting for the weevil. At the same time, poor Ceres suffered.



In 1970, the monument was damaged. After 10 years, it was simply stolen, but it was restored in a slightly modified form. In 1998, someone’s not-so-bright mind came up with the idea of breaking out a beetle (will it be useful on the farm?), damaging the hands of the goddess in the process. By the end of the year, grateful residents had repaired the damage. They really love their inspiration, the weevil.



How can you not love him? Indeed, according to some sources, the monument is considered the first among those dedicated to insect pests. And it serves as a clear reminder of the fact that you shouldn’t despair even because of serious losses. After all, when one door closes, another always opens. You just need to find it.