The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1904-03-04
OLD KING COTTON
Will Fall Under the Attacks Of tn
Boil Weevil.
INVESTIGATION THE REMEDY.
Or. %. spiIIman Talks With Great
Enthusiasm Of the Pioneer
/: Work Being Started
Near Columbia.
Near Columbia.

Near Columbia.
The Columbia State Of Wednesday
{ says as has been announced In The
State, DR.. Spillman came to Colum-
2bia to speak Of the diversification
farm to be located near the city on
the lnnds of Mr.. +. II. Hyatt. DR..
5Spillman and his auditors became SO
: much engrossed in the general discus
Bion OF the boil weevil and it's menace
Z 70 the south that he had very little to
say OF the plans upon which he will
I. work the farm near Columbia. He is
very proud Of this undertaking and
calls the farm on Mr.. Hyatt's place
Diversification Farm No. ~ because
MIR. Hyatt was the first to consent to
let part Of his farm be used by the
government. When the government
appropriated S250,OOO for the extcr-
minatton of the boil .wcevil by the in
nrect method Of starving it out, a
certain sum was set aside for the con-
uuct or these practical farms to show
now crops may be diversified with
proht. DIR. Spillman was then given
the address ola number Of prominent
IarHf5rS of the south, and wrote to
each Of them asking if the govern
ment could be given the use of GER
tain portion Of his farm for the pur-
pose named. AS the boil weevil is so
much more destructive in TcXa. than
anywhere else, it was decided to eS-
tablish In that great State Ii of the
stations, ana as the pest has made it's
appearance In western Louisiana there
will be five stations in that State.
The others will be divided Is fol-
ing; Massissippi.2, Alabama 3, Geor-
gia Q, South Carolina 2, and n the
cotton growing section OF Florida.
This Is the first station which DR..
Spillman, has visited ard from here
he goes to the other places .vhe &c; the
farmers will be given an exemI lfica-
tion Of the doctrine preached byThe
State for so many years-that3 the
{ South can get along without Cotton
IS the money CROP"
GREAT is THE soUTuEEN CLINE.
In prefacing his remarks DR.. Spill
: man said that agriculture is the basis
Of the wealth OF this country. The
products annually amountFto over five
billion dollars. Large business con-
Germs employ the best talent obtaina-
Bile. 1t is not SO with agriculture
where capital Is not massed. If agri-
y culture is to have the benefit Of scien-
IS - {, tz eIsB
bring this benefit to the farmers.
At the risk Of being considered ex-
travagant, but in all sincerity, he de-
clared that the southern half Of the
United States has climate which in
-time.will enable it to become the lead
Ing agricultural section Of the world.
The south will lead in agricultural
production when all Of her Opportuni-
ties are improved. The soil here will
grow great variety OF crops and for
longer period than any other section
OF the country.
Inc government spends less than
gany other in encouraging the farmers.
The present endeavors are not over
doing the matter. He told how the
government had spent half million
dollars in stamping out a disease
among the cattle. Recently it had
appropriated $3.50, ,00O-not to fight
the boil &Gcsvil, for that is useless,
hopeless fighA At-but to provide other
me, means by hich the farmers may
BOIL w9SyvIL HERE TO STAY.
There is NIT the slightest probabil-
ity that the Roll weevil will be entire
ly eradicated, The government is
fully justified 3o spending millions of
dollars tc meet, the Invasion of the
boil weevil and so teach the farmers
OF this section ! engage in other
kinds of farming,S
When DIR. SpilDnan took I'D the
question Of the Aoll weevil he was
asked if the pest would get as far as
{ South Carolina. IN giving enlight-
ment on this subjccB the speaker de-
parted from hisi regular line of
thought but gave some very interest
ing statements. Most cmphal ically
the boil weevil will come into South
Carolina and will GJme to destroy
Wherever it has made its appearance
the country has been blighted and IL
bale of cotton couldi not be gotten
from % acres Of the most fertile land
In reply to question he stated that
1T would be unsafe to buy oats or any
thing else shipped from the country
infected with the weevil, which has
now gotten into the southern part of
the Indian Territory and the western
part Of Louisiana.
For long time the government
saw what was coming and cndcsvored
to get the legislature OF Texas 10 pass
"a law preventing any cotton from be.
ling planted on strip Of lal d 200
miles wide along the Rio Grandt river,
for the ptsv nat!. made its appc trance
In Mexico and was 3evasting he cot
ton crops there. But no precs uLion-
;ary methods were adopted an now
the entire State Of Texas is ague-
ridden. 1t has been reported that
100000 farmers are prepa ring tt leave
the State Of Texas and all on a count
of the weevil, which has ruinet their
crops. He cited an instance of a
farmer in the very best OF circum-
stances who had been reduced 20 ab-
ject poverty and would have suffered
but for little poultry yard whic ch his
provident wife was running.
q HOW THE PEST WORKS.
+ The boil Weevil stays under C, yer OF
the woods until in July, said DR.. Spill
man, and when the midsummer brings
the forms" of embryo bolls to the
cotton plant the weevjl begins his
depredations. The pest is about a
quarter OF an inch in length and has