The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-06-12

cd. This method consists of the fol- lowing changes and notifications or the system of cotton raising, made nee essary by the boil weevil. It was orig inaiiy suggested by a careful study of the life history and habits of the pest, and naturally any improvements that
 may, eventually be made VIII pc d, tne It has now been tested successfully on a large scale by the Bureau of Ento-
 mology, as well as by many planters, during three seasons. Of greatest ad-
 vantage is the reducing the. numbers of the weevIls by the destruction of the plants in the fall. The advantage thus
 gained is followed up by bending every effect towards procuring an early crop First-Piant early. If possible, plant seed of the varieties known to mature as @ D; pc;ssibie. This recommendation is made as a suggestion for the beneht of those platners who have not taken care in the selection of the cotton seed far the best method for obtaining early seed Is by selection In the field.
 It is much better to run the risk of repianting. which IS not an an expensaase InI ase layed. The practice of some planters of making two plantings to avoid hav-
 ing all the work of chopping thrown into a short period Is very bad policy from the boil weevil standpoint.
 Early cotton of improved varieties has yielded from two to three times as much as native cotton under the same more. Planted at the same time, the early varieties begin to bloom much earlier than native cotton.
 Early planted fields of either native or improved varieties have almost in- variably yielded twice as much as late planted ones.
 ing small stalk and short. .tap-root, are adapted only for rich soil. They also fail to grow we'll in the very light, l drifting sandy loams of many of the seasons before the advent of the boil weevil, often produced the largest ! yields. In these situations early vari- eties will yield but little more than na-
 second--Cultivate the fields thor | oughly. The principal benefit in this | comes from the influence that such a practice has upon the constant growth crop. Very few weevils are killed by l cultivation. Much of the benefit of | early planting is lost unless 1t is fol-
 lowed by thorough cultivation, In case of unavoidably delayed planting. the best course for the planter to pursue | is to cultivate the fields In the most
 choppings and numerous piowings con | stitute the thorough system of culti- vation that is made necessary by the I boil weevil. The old plantation rule for |
 and once in the row." is an excellent l one. .z 4.ANH
 js feasible, and thin out the plants in the rows thoroughly. On land which i, in normal seasons will produce from 1 thirty-five to forty bushels of corn. the | rows should be five feet apart. Even | on poor soil it is doubtful if the dist
 ance should ever be less than four | feet.
 windrowing, and burning. all the cot ton stalks In the field as soon as the | weevils become so numerous that prac- tically all the fruit Is being punctured | the first week in October. Merely cut ting off the stalks. by means of the | triangular implement used for that purpose throughout the South, Is by cause the stumps remaining give rise te sprouts which furnish food until late in the season to many weevils that
 would otherwise starve. The blowing, moreover, serves to place the ground In better condition for early planting the following spring. In some eases turn
 ing cattle Into the fields is advisaple;
 Aside from amounting to practical
 destruction of the plants, grazing or
 the cotton fields furnishes consider
 able forage at a time when It IS gen theiess. cattle should never be turned
 into cotton fields in which Johnson l grass has become started.
 Recommendations 1, and 3 are all aimed toward avoiding damage by hast
 ening the maturity of the plants and
 do not involve the actual destruction
 of the weevils. Recommendation 4. however. reduces the numbers of the
 pests by destroying the very great pro.
 portion developing late in the fall, and is consequently directly remedial.
 Fifth--It is known that at present
 fertilizers are not used to any consid- | erable extent in cotton producing In
 Texas. There is, nevertheless, no doubt that they should be--not that the land is poor but that earlier crops may pc call attention to the fact that 1t has been the uniform experience of exper- l iment stations and planters In the | eastern part of the belt that certain | fertilizers, especially those involving Ia large percentage of phosphorlc acid have a strong tendency toward hasten- ing the maturity of the plant.