The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1850-08-28
Important 70 cotton plantara.

a. ~ sa-g
MT. HILLARY Foster, of this city, has been
travelling through the counties Of Lowndes,
Monroe and Chickasaw, in Mississippi. In
letter dated Aberdeen, July so, 1850,
aiter speaking in fiatterng terms of the
COTTON and corn crops of those counties, he
remarks: e3t a
'On the 9th inst (July. I rode over the
crop OF my old friend, Charles Gates, esq.
ana can truly say that have never seen
eignt Thousand acres in one crop promising
at that date a heavier yield. He has had
out ono cause OF alarm, which has almost
vanished IN the last ten days. a fortnight
ago, he discovered in his fields great mum
bors of the flies which are said to produce
the boil worm. Alter some reflection he
conceived tho idea Of catching them with
moasscs
accordingly, he procured gross of
plates, and filled them with molaSses; he
appropriated one plate to every five acres,
throughout his fields. The result has
been, the death of from three hundred to
tour hundred of these dies every day, until
the whole tribe in and about his plantation
have disappeared. Others are following
hIs example, with confidcncc, that like re-
suits will attend their efforts. The plates
are put on small posts, elevated from twelve
to fifteen inches above the tops Of the cot
ton plant"
The letter from whcl, the above extract
is made was addressed to a gentleman of.
Greene county, Alabama, who handed il for
publication TO the Greensboro Whip,
whence we obtained it. 1t had, however,
been previously shown to a number OF the
planters OF the county, who were testing
the experiment. the success OF which is
thus noticed by the Wing:
''Scvcral Of our planters are now irving
new remedy for the fly in cotton, and ap.
parcntiy with great success. The method
consists i'll placing throughout tho field, at
regular intervals, numbers of plates filled
with molasscs, which act as traps for the
flies. The plates should be set upon stakes,
about as high as the top Of the plant, and
the mo!asscS should be mixed with vine
gar, to produce fermentation. and thereby
dItfilse the odor. The dishes should he set
IN the evening, and some of the planters in
Green have caught several thousand flies
IN single night"
The Aberdeen Independent has the fol-
lowing concerning this cxpctlicnt;
We had occasion To rice across the prai-
RES west of this city few days ago. and
visited plantations of Cotton on which this
experiment was tried. We saw the plates
of nolasscs and vinegar, and saw numbers
of these milIcrs or flies in them The en-
pertinent seems to be entirely successful,
and we recommend il to all our planting
friends for trial forthwith The molasscs
and vinegar are mixed so as to bc Of a thick
consistency, and the plates arc placed in
the ratio OF one to Two or three acres The
boil worm has been for years the dircst of
enemies 10 the Cotton crop. The crops
through the section we visited were promi /
sing; the Corn needed rain very much, and
VIII suffer if It's wants arc not supplied.
The Cotton is about three weeks later, or
younger than at this date in previous wears,
and if favorable fall does not greet i, the
crop must suffer largely by il.