The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1904-12-17
HOW TO FIGHT THE BOIL WEEVIL.


DR.. S. A. Knapp, OF Lake Charles,
La, special commissioner OF the de-
partment of agriculture in charge OF
the boil WeeviI war in Louisiana and
Texas, presented to the national cot
ton convention at Shreveport this
week report of the operations con-
Quoted by the bureau he established at
Houston, Texas, showing that great
success had attended the efforts TO
bring the new cotton pest under con-
troll and to minimize it's ravages by
scientific methods of cultivation and
rotation of crops. Some of the most
salient features Of the report were in
corporated in the account Of an in
terview between DR.. Knapp and a
representative Of the New Orleans
Picayune, from which the following
statements are quoted:
$50 far as the government is con-
cerned, the boil weevil problem has
been solved. We have abundantly
proved that by pursuing the cultural
methods our experience has evolved
good cotton crops can be obtained,
even where the weevil is worst. At a
total expense of s41, 900, from Feb. /
to date, our bureau, with the assist
anee OF the railroads and the news
papers, has carried on campaign of
experiment and education whereby the
cotton crop of Texas has been in
creased from its smallness in 1903 to
the more than normal proportions of
the present crop. Areas that were
absolutely ruined are now pros
porous. We have advanced seed to
townships where out of 600 planters
not one had been able to raise enough
cotton for seed and all were too poor
to buy, and they are now prospecting.
"Our campaign has been one of edu
cation by experiment. All talk of
eradication is useless. The boil wee
vii is here to stay. Every means of
extermin alton suggested IS futile.
Prohibition of cotton growing in in-
fected areas would be impossible if
backed by the treasures of the world.
Prevention of the wholesale slaughter
of insectivorous birds will doubtless
help TO keep the weevils in check. So
also will the propagation of Guat-
ema1an ants. Paris green is useless
and in some cases harmful. The
fight is directed not SO much against
Weevils in the cotton as aginst ignor-
ance in the farmer. Although the
planters may implicitly believe what
they are told about the boil Weeyil,
it is impossible to get them to adopt
cultural methods unless practical de-
monstr alton in their immediate neigh
borhood convinces them of the virtue
and absolute necessity of such
methods. Planters in front Of the
advancing wave of destruction in
dulge the foolish hope that some
divine intervention will save them.
When the invasion reaches them they
go on in the same old way, losing
time, money, labor aud lands, il spite
of all the written advice they receive.'H
DIR. Knapp has formulated the fol-
lowing fourteen points as embracing
the methods pursued in the pest
stricken regions Of Texas with great
success:
First-Burn every stalk ii the fall
while still green. This exterminates
the alternating weevils.
Second-Plow deeper. This helps
force the cotton.
Third Harrow your ground all
winter. This keeps up the work.
Fourth-Plant early.
Fifth-Use early maturing seed.
Sixth-Use fertilizers.
Seventh-Plant the cotton in wide
rows, little wider than the cotton
grows high, and with the stalks wide
apart. This let's the sun in, and the
sun kills the Weeyil.
Eighth-Use a tooth harrow as soon
as the cotton appears. This breaks
the earth crust and helps the cotton
grow.
Ninth-Keep cultivating the cotton
and agitate the squares to knock off
the Weevils.
Tenth-Pick up the fallen squares
and burn them. This is extremely
important.
Eleventh. Control too rapid growth
Of the plant by barring off OF plowing
the ridges away from the growing
rows, leaving ridges between the rows.
Twelfth-Select your seed for future
crops from the earliest and fargest
bolls. Don't get any weevils in your
seed.
Thirteenth-Rotate crops: plant cot
ton one year, cowpeas and corn the
next. Never let cotton succeed cotton
in the same land.
Fourteenth legumes freely
between the cotton rows. It improves
the mech aniea1 conditions Of the soil. |
What is good to hold the boil wee
vii in some degree of subsection after
its arrival ought TO be still better as
3 means Of prevention or preparation
before the advent Of the pest, and it is
TO be hoped the intelligent cotton
farmers of Ascension will consider the /
advisability of adopting at once the
methods recommended by DR.. Knapp,
instead of waiting until the destrue-
i've insect has actually appeared and !
,egun It's raw ages il their fields.
w. W. Stevens and wife have
uttered suit in the Caddo district
curt against HIS. Roach, Ed. Neal