Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1904-06-02
FARMER AND PLANTER.
WAR AGAINST BOIL wEEvIL.
The Campaign OF 1901 Against the
Pest, Conducted by Prof. Mally,
of Texas, Recalled.

N1dllf pOlsOH campaign VI low. ~
Mally, then state (Texas) entomologist,
conducted number of poison trials on
cotton and announced the results,
telling just how to kill the weeyii 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 pol
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 no
poison, was not hurtful to weevil and
passed quietly away.
Many farmers used poisons success
fully on very young cotton in 1901 at
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. Marston's recommendations, the
arsenate of lead campaign was expect
ed to kill the weevil by inducing the
pest to partake of poisoned sweets
sprayed upon the foliage Prof. Mally
said in his report Up. "a, Farmers Bull
letin 100, U. S. D. Az: at should be
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 the
involucre or shuck. Even here they do
not feed upon exposed surfaces, but eat
a small hole to the inside and feed on
the inner portions"
The next statement of his observa-
tons has caused many to stumble, viz:
"In the spring, before squares are
formed, they feed, when driven by ne
cessity, upon almost any portion OF
the plant, but almost invariably the
outer bark is rasped and peeled off be-
fore feeding underneath. On account
of this peculiar habit it is at once evil
dent that poisons and powders sprayed
or busted upon the plants can be of
little or no service, because the sur
face on which they are found is taken
off and thrown aside"
This ingenious description settled
the matter with thousands of farmers
and amateur experimenters. But nu-
merous dead weevils found upon and
under poisoned stalks of cotton busted
with Paris green in the open field by
Capt Marston disprove the accuracy
of these observations as applied to
hungry weevils emerging from winter
quarters. Just how long these weevils
will continue to feed upon the outer
surfaces of the leaves and stems of
cotton there seems no doubt existing
In the minds of the farmers who have
poisoned the weeviis for three years
past. They assure us that the pests
eat the poisoned surfaces until the
squares begin to form. After this time
all agree that poison5 are useless.
1t is to be regretted that early appli-
cations of poisons were not largely
tested during the spring OF 1902 and
1903 How important such work is may
be seen by the following extracts taxi
en- from F. w. Mally's report as pro-
fessor of entomology, page 50: 1T
should be conceded that spraying as
practiced by cotton planters, the sea-
son of 1901 was in numerous instances
avail themselves Of cultural methods
earlier in the season, and suddenly
realizing that they were threatened
with the loss of the crop, their only
hope then lay in successful spraying.
This they seemed willing enough to do;
but having waited until the last mo-
ment about hundred thousand farm
ers wanted proper spraying apparatus
and proper poisons at once and all the
same day. The Weakening of
the farmers occurred about May 10, In
plenty of time to have sprayed sue
cessfully for the alternating brood,
= the first car load of sprayers
was distributed no earlier than the
first week in June, or just about tie
time the alternating brood had COM
pleted its spring operations"
Had this poisoning been done in
early May before squares began to
form freely, there is no doubt that
many weevils, feeding at that time on
the bud and tender leaf stems would
have been killed The formula recon-
mended at that time is effective for all
biting insects and consists of the fol-
lowing: "One ounce white arsenic, one
pound arsenate of lead, and one gal
lon of molasses to % gallons of water.
Dissolve the arsenic by boiling in
gallon of water until dissolved. Put
the arsenate of lead in suspension in
small quantity of water. Then pour.
the arsenic water, arsenate of lead
water and molasses together and mix
thoroughly. Then sod water to make
twenty-five gallons"
There are large quantities or arse
nate OF lead now ON hand in Texas.
and the above form,.la is given to per-
nit its use as it is known to be