The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1905-11-03
LOUISIANA NEWS.
,ylI COTTON FARMERS FACING
~. AN EMERGENCY.
.,,omoIogist Newell Gives Expert Ad.
vice as to the Warfare This.
Fall on the Pest.

wv
:, nnen letter to the hill farmers of
eastern Louisiana, urging that they
,,ta immediate active measures
Gains the boil weeyil. Mr.. Newell, in
10 letter TO the farmers, says;
ION the upland farmers in the west.
~ portions of De Soto Sabine, Yer.
am and CaIcasieu parishes the cot.
-, holl weeyil has now become fairly
.hndant-sO abundant, in fact, as to
hove destroyed practically all Of the
Top crop in those sections. The weeviI
.lso occurs, although in less numbers,
:, the eastern parts of these same
o.rishes and in Caddo Parish, and in
M western parts Of Red River, Match.
4orbps and RapideS parishes. The
MIL weevil occurs in practically every
.otton field in the territory mentioned.
although last winter was cold
and wet one, and, although it gave the
uoovtI a severe setback, the wet sum.
mar Of 1905 has offered almost per-
Tort conditions for the rapid increase
., the weevil to enormous numbers.
1.-THE farmers should not allow
,,omselvas to be miSled by the SuppO.
sit',p that the boil weevil will not
thrive in Louisiana. for it will thrive
snd do untold damage if allowed to
mpltiply unchecked. Nor should the
brmer be indifferent to the WeeVil in
tbe home that some new remedy will
Fbe brought forward that will dispose
n the boil WeeVil without work or
sypense on the part of the farmer.
Every detail of the weeyiHs life his
tory and development haw now been
carefully studied, and every possible
view to a remedy has been followed
no with painstaking and exhaustive ex
perments, with the result that the
cultural method or remedy, as devised
by Dr. L. 0. Howard and Prof. W., o.
Hunter of the United States Depart
nent Of Agriculture, Bureau of Ento-
nology, has been proven the only
feasible and practical method Of re-
ducing boil weevil damage.
Briefly stated, the cultural meth
Cd consists in: Destroying the cotton
stalks early in the fall; getting cot
ton land in good tillable condition be-
fore planting time arrives the follow.
ing spring, planting an early-maturing
variety of cotton; using a reasonable
amount of fertilizer where the land IS
yo0r, and cultivating the crop frequent
" and thoroughly in order to produce
crop early in the season.
"0f the steps in the cultural remedy
the early fall destruction of the cot
ton stalks is of more Importance than
all other steps combined.
THE last generation in the fall pro-
duces more boil weevils than all Of the
preceding generations put together. If
the stalks, with the squares and the
leaves are destroyed two to four weeks
before the first killing frost, the de-
yelOpment of the last brood of weeyils
Is prevented.
In addition to preventing the de.
TelOpment OF this last brood, many OF
the weevils in the field at the time
stalks are destroyed must die of star
Vation before the time arrives for them
to enter Information. The Weevils that
DO survive until frost and then enter
winter quarters will have to do with
cut food from the time the stalks are
destroyed this fall until the cotton is
above ground next spring. Naturally
much smaller per cent Of them Will
survive under these conditions than
would survive if the stalk were left
sanding until late after frost, and the
yeeTil permitted to go into winter
quarters sleek and well fed and with |
square meal just before retiring for
their winter nap.
The hill farmer in Western Louis
ana, so far as cotton production IS
concerned, is now facing an emer'
selcy and he must rise to the occa'
son and meet it successfully. Ii
good crop of cotton is to be produced
upon the hill farms of this section next
rear, the cotton stalk must be de-
MOyed now. Many merchants in
western Louisiana have already sig
Alied their intention of limiting, or |
cutting off altogether, the credit OF
afnlers who depend upon cotton and
slo fail to carry out the necessary
measures to secure crop OF cotton
ia the weevil section.
In cotton fields where the cotton
as already been completely stripped
raves and squares by caterpillars
ue ploWing and burning of the stalks
wei the entire field is not necessary.
y such fields, however. there Is
Usually square eand leaf remaining
aae Or there. Such fields should be
Nteinlly gone over and every such
burned.
Hnere the cotton held is still green
wei tae major part it is a simple
IG comparatively inexpensive matter
piow up tn the stalks, rake them
y with a hay rake or a silk rake,
~ ourn them. A two-horse turning
gOW will bring them out rapidly, and
= expense of destroying them in this
4aaler on most hill farms will not
sssr at the outside 80 or DO cents per