Bryan morning eagle. [volume] (Bryan, Tex.) 1898-1909, 1901-06-01
BOIL WEEVIL SCOURGE
PROF MAY SAYS COTTON WILL BE DESTROYED BY JULY 10TH UN
LESS wEEyrS ARE CHECKED SPRAYING WITH POISON
THE ONLY MEANS OF sAFETY-FORMULA GIVEN

A goodly number of farmers and
business men assembled at the
opera house Thursday afternoon 10
hear Prof. Fred W. Mally's dia.
course on the boil weevil question.
The speaker was introduced by
Mr.. J. Il. Astin and Immediately
launched into the all.important
topic. He said he had been over
the weevil district Of the state aud
that the people are thoroughly
aroused to make a fight and save
the cotton crop. The weeyil is
plentiful in many localities, aud
even where there are comparatively
few, the number will increase 30
rapidly, unless something is done
TO check them, that the cotton crop
will be destroyed by July 10. /
lam not here for the sake Of making
"a speech and telling YOU what /
know about the boil weevil, but
rather to tell you such things a.
YOU do not know about these pests
IN order that you may understand
how TO deal with them. | there
fore hope that you will feel free 10
TASK me any question regarding the
subject that may occur TO you.
/ have recommended turning
stock into the cotton fields and
grazing of the cotton in the fail
before frost for the reason that at
that time Of the year the weeyil Is
at work on the top shoots or tender
parts OF the plant, aud a. these are
he first parts eaten by the cattle,
a very large percentage Of the pests
are Of course destroyed in this way.
! The success Of this plan has been
tested in Lee and Milan counties
| 70 the satisfaction Of the farmers
who tried IL. IL is desirable 10
have the plant grazed of before
/ frost, which j. the signal for the
| boil Yeeyil 70 hunt for winter
Iquariers. Ia Milan county one
farmer had thres fields one OF
which was grazed of before frost,
one after frost and the other not
/ grazed of az all. In the first field
scarcely any weevils are TO be
found; in the second there are a
good many aud in the third the
pests are numerous.
| also recon mended trap rows
of cotton, to be planted early
before the main crop, and test.
have shown this to be equally AZ
successful as means OF getting
rid Of the weeyil as grazing of in
the fall. The reason for this /,
that after hiberantion the boil
weeyils begin to scatter out early
in the spring in search of oottor
and as a matter Of course they will
attack trap rows any have beer
planted. Early cotton puts on
squares more rapidly than the bol
weeyils increase, but later on th,
increase Of the weevils is far NOR,
rapid than Of the squares. Spray
ing the trap rows and destroying
the squares will therefore destro,
most of the weevils before tn
main crop comes on, and saves on
spraying Of the main crop.
As a matter of course il is To-
late this year for either grazing o
| trap rows, but | have called t
| your attention examples Of tn
successful carrying out Of thes
] earlier recommendations in orde
that you may have proper conf
: dence in what shall advise yo
to DO now. In the first place it
proper for us to find out how tn
\ boil weeyil eats the cotton. II
n does not puncture the squares, a
is popularity supposed, but lacel
ates it and peels of the outside, q
causes it to fall of, much rs a 90
would peel an apple, and the
s deyour it. If he punctured it
would not be practical to pOisoI
All insects are fond Of sweets, an
the boil weeyil will eat molass,
q with poison in it, properly pr
a pared, in preference to cottol
The objections to London purp
and Paris green as boil weey
poison are that they are too heaN
and sift down towards the botto
too much; they wash of easily
the rain aud are dangerous
hands and animals; they have
tendency to scorch the cotton al
cause the squares to fall off. AIRS
nate Of lead when used wi
molasses and water does not az
90 tha yveight of tha mixture.