The southern sentinel. (Winnfield, La.) 1883-1910, 1904-06-30
FARMER ANDP PLANTER.
WAR AGAINST BOIL wEEvIL.
The Campaign of 1901 Against the
Pest, Conducted ny Prof. Hnlly,
of Texas, Recalled.

of Texas, Recalled.
The fresh interest felt in the matter
Of poisons for boil weevil recalls the
Mally poison campaign of 1901. Prof
Mally, then state (Texas) entomologist,
conducted a number of poison trials on
cotton and announced the results,
telling just how to kill the weevil in
spring with arsenate Of lead. Commit
tees of business men rode through the
back districts in many south Texas
counties to induce farmers to spray.
Hundreds of expensive spraying out
fits were bought and carloads of poi
son-both of which can now be found
in many places by the traveller in south
Texas. Poisoning for that season was
generally a failure. The disappoint-
ment felt by hundreds who made
earnest efforts to carry out instructions
given changed slowly to disgust and
then a feeling of soreness. which is
still found among the cotton growers
Of the old weevil district.
Poison did not work in 1901, but in
1902 the red oxide earth was ingeni-
ously advertised and sold by car lots to
hopeful cotton growers in the weevil
district This material contained nc
poison, was not hurtful to weevil and
passed quietly away.
Many farmers used poisons success
fully on very young cotton in 1901 al
the same time that Prof Mally was
earnestly and enthusiastically push
ing his tests preliminary to the an
nouncment of results in May, as we
recall the dates. Despite the general
failure. some of these farmers have
continued to poison their cotton and
protect same from weevil.
Why were thousands disappointed by
poisons used in 1901? Would good re-
suits have followed the use of poisons
in April and May-instead of late june
and July? A study of the situation
clearly shows that it would. Unlike
Capt. Mareton's recommendations, the
arsenate of lead campaign was expect
ed to kill the weevil by inducing the
| pest to partake of poisoned sweet.
sprayed upon the foliage. Prof. Mall!
said in his report Up. "a, Farmers Bull
letin 100, U. 8. D. Az: at should b
| remembered that weevils do not eat ex
posed surfaces of the plant. their al
most invariable place Of feeding being
in the squares, safely sheltered by thu
involucre or shuck. Even here they d
not feed upon exposed surfaces, but ca
a small hole to the inside and feed OF
the inner portions.
| The next statement Of his observa
lions has caused many to stumble, viz
"In the spring, before squares ar
| formed, they feed, when driven by ne
| cessity, upon almost any portion o
| the plant, but almost invariably tn
outer bark is rasped and peeled OF be
fore feeding underneath. On accoun
of this peculiar habit it is at once evi
dent that poisons and powders spraye
or busted upon the plants can be
little or no service, because the sur
| face on which they are found Is take
on and thrown aside"
This ingenious description "settle'
the matter" with thousands OF farmer
and amateur experimenters. But nu
merous dead weevils found upon an
under poisoned stalks OF cotton duste
with Paris green In the open field b
Can't. Marston disprove the accurac
of these observations as applied I
hungry weevils emerging from winte
uuartass. Just how long these weevil
win continue to feed upon the QUITE
surfaces of the leaves and stems
cotton there seems no doubt existiu
in the minds Of the farmers who hav
poisoned the weeviis for three year
past. They assure us that the pest
eat the poisoned surfaces until til
squares begin to form. After this tim
all agree that poisons are useless.
II IL to be regretted that early appli
cations of poisons were not Target
tested during the spring OF 1907 an
1903. How important such work is ma
be seen by the following extracts TAX
en- from F. w. Mally's report as Pre-
lessor OF entomology, page 81: u
should be conceded that spraying a
practiced by cotton planters, the sea
son or 1901 was in numerous instance
a failure. Having failed I
avail themselves Of cultural method
earlier in the season. and suddenl
realizing that they were threatene
with the loss Of the crop, their onl
hope then lay in successful sprayius
This they seemed willing enough to do
but having waited until the last mt
ment about a hundred thousand farm
ers wanted proper spraying apparatu
and proper poisoas ct once and all u
, same day. - The Weakening
the farmers occurred about May 10,
plenty of time to have sprayed SUI
cessfully for the alternating broo
the first car load OF sprayel
was distributed no earlier than II
first week in June. or just about II
. time the alternating brood had con
J Melted its spring operations"
, Had this poisoning been done
, early May before squares began
form freely, there is no doubt tn
many weevils, feeding at that time
! the "bud" and tender leaf stems won
have been killed. The formula recon
r..raed at that time is effective for