St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1900-09-08
FARMER AND PLANTER.
TO DESTROY BOIL WEEvILS.


Permit me to reply in general way
TO the numerous inquiries being re-
eeiveo concerning the boil wcevil and
remedial measures. Will say that /
Ave visited q number of localities and
inspected about q hundred cotton
fields. A most gratifying result devel-
ops and one which 1 was prepared for,
wherever my recommendations, sny-
gcsted last year and this, had been
faithfully applied. l have seen many
lanters during the past few days who
las. year practiced picking up the full
en- squares from the time they first be-
gan falling, and kept it up ut intervals
Of ten days to two weeks. Only yesc-
tertlay did I 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. Ills ncighhor,
who il conceded by all TO be the better
farmer, had an adjoining field of 2S
acres of cotton, but did not gather and
burn his squares, made two bales. !
have gathered data along this line this
season until / have references to bear
out these statements in almost every
important post Office in the infested
region. The result of this method OF
gathering and burning the squarcs are
90 thoroughly effectual, and a. 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 this
,rar thar last. Let each locality or
ganize and Systematically see to it that
the fallen and infested squares are
gathered and burned. IT il Il matter of
common interest and nO ons can af-
ford to remain inactive. The mcr-
chants should encourage it. 1t can not
be too strongly Endorsed. Those to
whom the cotton planters owe means
and support should insist upon their
customers picking and burning the
squares, and doing SD without mo
mcnt's delay. In no other way can
they be sure to make crop with which
to pay their debts.
There is a common practice which
] must again condemn without re-
serve. / am still asked the question:
''Why not plow under the snuares?"
Some put cross bars on their pillow
beams and brush of all of the loose
squares ahead of the shovcls, and COW
CT them up rs they pillow by. This is
most pcrnicious practice. To assist the
boil weevil these fallen squares need
to I've protected from drought and the
direct rays and heat of The sun. This
flowing under does all this aud affords
plenty of moisture to hasten and facili-
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
u boil weevil farm instead of q cotton
farm. 1t is far better to leave them ex
posed, for then ants, parasites, predace-
Gus insects and other animals will de-
strGy few of them at least.
am Furthermore often met with the
statement: what is the use of my
picking up squares and burning them
when my neighbor does not:" an
swcr, all the use which is indicated by
producing good crop of cotton on
the one hand and good crop Ct tell
weevils on the other. The fact is that
during the breeding season. the wecvils
fly very little, only from plant 70
plant. as long as the squares are found
for them to work on. Hence weevil
is likely to come forth, live and die
In 4t.-acre field, without ever get
ting to enotLer one. Th. spread of the
wecvil is due t. their flights during the
migrating periods, which are in the fail
when they seek shelter for hibernating,
and in the spring when they come
forth to find the young cotton. There
fore. everyone who gathers and burns
his squares will be sure, other things
heing equal, to make crop whether
the neighbor on the other side Of the
fence picks up his squares are not.
Upon getting cut among the planters
find a wrong impression existing
abuui the pan and shaking process,
which recommended earlier in the
season. My suggestion was 10 plant
few rows of very early cotton, say two
or three rows, every ten OF twenty
pcres apart, and TINS offer food for
the weevils coming out from winter
quarters. Then plant the bulk of the
cotton considerably later SO as not TO
counteract the trap rows. 1t was the
early trap rows which were to b. >ha-
ken and the wecvils knocked of into
Fans. This il entirely practical and
unaue stionably entirely successful.
LATER on, owing to the lateness of the
season, suggested. in order 10 make
n winning fight all along the line. that
for this year the entire fields be gone
over and the pan-shakiny method APP
Piled. I have visited many small
planters who did SO, aud their patches
are pleasing sight and joy forever
in the midst of so much boil wee,il
agitation and dismay. Much Ct this
will take occasion her. to say, - great
IL exaggerated. have recently gone
tn ore locality where it seems about all
the planters ard politician, in their
L TCClnct WIO COulu Wsior iCttVIs sh-
sisted that must visit their town and
test some boil weevil machines aud
remedies. The next day after my mr.
rival I went forth, with three other
men. to find and slay bool wecyils.
Three of us made the rounds of field
otter field of cotton, and after fonr
hours search we found. after counting
our catch, that we hud II boil wecvils.
The local newspapers are now running
a local "ad' asking for sufficient boil
wccyils to enable them to keep the
''i,nll wcevil man. i'm town. People
seem to get discouraged aud -demoral-
i.cl. and to my mind. entirely without
l have made rounds Of al
nnst every boil weevil-infcsted county
and II some people will cnly stop whin-
ing and complaining and go TO work
OH the squares which they can easily
gather ut very small cost, we'll all be
happy this fall in th.. possession CT 4
profitable cotton crop. Last week willie
In tcrt Pend county, 1 saw one p;ant-
er give bis fornnan II negroes fer the
| urpcse Of picking up the squares from