The Savannah morning news., 1904-06-18
COTTON FARMERs

/
In all parts of the South the cotton
| farmers are so alarmed about the boil
weevil that bugs and insects appearing
! on the cotton plant that would have
| no more than local mention under or
\ binary circumstances are now called TO
| the attention of the entomologist Of
the state in which the insects appear
and an opinion requested as to whether
or not they are the dreaded enemy Of
the cotton plant that is running the
cotton crop in Texas.
A few days ago we published an ac-
| count of an insect that is appearing in
the cotton fields of Pulaski county, and
from all accounts is doing a great deal
OF damage there to cotton, and soon
after we published another account
from Randolph, and one from Sumter
and one from Spalding county. Yes
terday we published a dispatch from
Selma, Ala, in which the statement
was made that a worm or bug was do
ing vast amount of damage to the
cotton in that vicinity, and doubtless
we shall have many other dispatches Of
like nature before the crop is out of
the reach of insects.
1t Is safe to say that in none Of the
cases mentioned was the insect COM
planned of the boil weeviI. In every
one of the cases in this state in which
the insect was submitted to the state
entomologist a reply was received that
1t was not the boil weevil There is
no reason to fear that insect in this or
adjoining states yet awhile, though If
it is possible to take precautions
against it from which there is reason
to expect beneficial results, they should
be taken. The Legislature is to be
asked to make an appropriation to be
used in the keeping the weevil out of
the state and for other legislation to
accomplish the same purpose.
Unless means are found to check the
progress of the weevil 1t is reasonable
to suppose that in the course of few
years it will reach Georgia, and while
it is doubtful that much could be ac-
complished by legislation in the direc-
ton of protecting the state against the
pest, no means that promises protec-
ton, however little it may be, ought to
be neglected.
There has been so much talk about
the boil weevil that the cotton farmers
all over the South are nervous and APP
prehensive. When an insect appears
in their cotton fields their first thought
is that the Texas pest has arrived. It
wouldn't be surprising if, in the parts
of the cotton belt in which the drought
OF May and the early part of June pre-
vailed. there should appear an unusual
number of insects of the kind that is
destructive to the cotton plant. These
will doubtless disappear without doing
a great deal of damage, now that the
drought has been broken. 1t will be re-
called that a couple Of weeks ago we
published articles relative to the enor-
NOUS number of caterpillars that we're
appearing on the trees in the section
of country between here and Columbia,
5. c., but it seems that these worms
have about all gone, though, while they
remained, they did great deal of dam
age to trees.
When the boil weevil gets into this
part of the South, If it ever does. the
fact will be heralded abroad quickly.
Therefore there is no occasion for the
cotton farmers to worry about the mat
ter until they get word that the weevil
has actually come. Then there will be
reason for worrying.