The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1900-09-15
FARMER AND PLANTER
TO DESTROY BOIL wEEvILs.
Important Information for Cotton
Growers by the Texas State
EntOm0lOgist.

Permit me to reply in generai way
TO The numerous inquiries being re-
Ceived concerning the boil weevii and
measures. Will say that l.
lave visited a number of localities and
inspected about hundred cotton
fields. A most gratifying result devel-
CPS and one which was prepared for,
wherever my recommendations, sug-
rested last year and this. had been
faithfully applied. l have seen many
7 Ianters during the past few days who
las: year practiced picking up the faA-
en- squares from the time they first be-
gan falling, and kept it up AT intervals
If ten days to two weeks. only yese-
tertlay did find an instance Of the sue
cess of one farmer and the complete
failure of another joining him. The
former had in IA acres of old land cot
ton. picked up his squares faithfully
and made seven bales. His neighbor,
who Is conceded by all TO be the better
farmer, had an adjoining Held OF 20
acres of cotton, but did not gather and
burn his squares, made two bales.
have gathered data along this line TINS
season until have references to lear
out these statements in almost every
important post Office in the infested
region. The result of this method OF
gathering and burning the squares are
SO thoroughly effectual, and rs easily
provided for ard applied by the least
as well as the greatest cotton planters,
that must appeal to the planters for
a greater effort along this line TINS
year than last. Let each locality or
ga1.izf and systematically see to it that
the fallen and infested squares are
gathered and burned. 1t is matter of
common interest and mn one can az
ford TO remain inactive The mer-
Giants should encourage it 1t can not
be too strongly indorsed- Those to
whom the cotton planters owe means
and support should insist upon their
customers picking and burning the
squares, and doing so without IA mo
mcnts delay. In no other way can
they be sure to make a crop with which
to pay their debts.
There is q common practice which
/ ,uust again condemn without re-
serve. I ann still asked the question:
sWhy not pillow under the squares?'
Some put cross bars on their pillow
beams and brush off all of the loose
SQUARES ahead of the shovcls, and COW
or them up as they pillow by. This is
most pernicious practice. 70 assist the
boil weevil these fallen squares need
to be protected from drought and the
direct rays and heat of The sun. This
moving under does all this and affords
plenty of moisture to hasten and faciji-
tate the development of the weevils.
1t can not be told the planters too
plainly, positively or often, that this
blowing under of the squares makes
q boil weevil farm instead of a cotton
farm. 1t is far better to leave them ex-
posed, for then ants, parasites, preface
Gus insects and other animals will de-
stroy few of them at least.
am furthermore often met with the
statement: sWhat is the use of my
picking up squares and burning them
when my neighbor does not:' an
ever, all the use which is indicated by
producing good crop of cotton on
the one hand and good crop CT tcll
wecyils on the other. The fact is that
during the breeding season, the wecvjls
fly very little, only from plant u
PLANT. as long as the squares are found
fer them to work on. Hence weevil
is likely to come forth. live and die
IN 4t-acre field. without ever get
ting to enother one. The spread of the
wecvjl is due to. their flights during the
inigs1tin periods, which are in the fai
when they seek shelter for ALTERNATING
and in the spring when they come
forth TO find the young cotton. There
fore. everyone who gathers and burn:
his squares will be sure, other things
being equal, to make a crop whether
The neighbor on the other side of thu
fence picks up his squares are not.
Upon getting cut among. the PLANTERS
/ find q wrong impression existing
abnut the pan and shaking process
which, recommended earlier in th'
season. My suggestion was 10 plant I
few rows of very early cotton, say TIVE
or three rows, every ten or twcnt.
scres apart, and TINS offer food fo
the weevils coming out from winnie
quarters. Then plant the bulk OF tn
cotton considerably later so as not 4
ccunteract the trap rows. 1t was tn
early trap rows which were TO b. >ha
ken and the weevils knocked of int
rams. This is entirely practical an
Internationally entirely successful
Later on, owing to the lateness of til
season, / suggested. in order TO MAX
winning fight all along the line, tina
for this year the entire fields be gon
over and the pan-shaking method al