The Kemper herald. (Scooba, Miss.) 1875-1908, 1903-12-03
CUBA CANNOT
GROW COTTON.
Boil Weeyil Destroys the Crop in Spite
of All Efforts.
"PEST CAME FROM MEXICO, "
Says a Prominent Cuban Planter Who
Thinks His Country Peculiarly Ad.
apted to Growing the Staple If This
One Drawback Can be Eradicated.

New Orleans,-M essrs. E. Ferre
and A. Peasant, two Caban cane plant
ers, now in this city on business, give
according to the Picayune, a clear
description of what destruction the
boil weevil will work in cotton coun-
try when he once gets afoothold. Mr..
Ferrer's plantation is in Santa Clara
Province, District of Yaguaramas, and
one OF the largest in that district. Mr..
Peasant has plantation near Havana.
They aro both here on business. Mr..
Ferrer is going from here to Washing
ton to consult with Chief Entomologist
Howard, of the Department of Agri-
culture, concerning methods of eradi-
eating or abating the weevil pest.
Mr.. Peasant is here on his annual busi-
ness trip to this city, and will return
to Havana in short time.
"Cuba is country peculiarly fitted
for the raising of cotton" said Mr..
Ferrer. II have tried several times
to raise cotton crop, and in every
instance the plants had attained a
wonderful growth when the pest struck
it and rendered the crop worthless.
Thousands of years ago the boil
weevil was brought into Cuba by ma
tives from the mainland of Mexico. They
carried to the island the food plants
OF Mexico, and in some way brought
the weevil with them. He has been
there ever since, living on the wild
cotton. 1t is absolutely impossible to
raise cotton crop anywhere except in
the Province OF Havana, which has
not yet been infected by the insect; !;
but this is the only region where he
does not reign supreme. Cotton
grows wild in immense quantities
there, and the growth it attains with
out cultivation demonstrates what a
magnificent cultivated crop the coun-
try could produce if she was freed
from the scourage.
"Three years ago I tried to raise a
cotton crop. took every precaution
known, isolating my land and using
varieties that thought were immune.
I tried first the Egyptian cotton, plant
ing it in October. At first the growth
was simply wonderful. 1t bloomed in
March, and seemed an excellent crop,
but the weevil struck it in June aud
July and ruined it absolutely. There
was a mile between this crop and the
nearest growth, but the weevil flew over
the intervening distance with no
trouble whatever.
81 sent some specimens of the cotton
to the Department of Agriculture at
Washington, and they were very much
interested. They sent down Assistant
Entomologist Schwartz to my planta-
ton. He stayed on my place about
two months studying the situation.
He said, as I have stated, that the
natives who first emigrated to Cuba
from Central America brought with
them their cassava and cotton, and
with the cotton the weevil.
"I have tried fifteen different varie-
ties of cotton to see if any were i'm
mune. planted ten foreign and four
or five Cuban varieties, but they all
were ruined. The boil weeyil can
cross distance of mile with perfect
ease. I have seen one make jump
of twenty yards. and they fly easily.
Havana Province is free from them,
but Santa Clara is thickly infested.
''Sea island cotton, when grown in
Cuba, does not degenerate, as it does
in Louisiana. That has been tried in
Havana Province. The finest kind
can be grown without deterioration.
and il ia A perennial crop