The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1905-03-24
THE BOIL W7EEEYIL
The Director of the Georgia Station
Gives Some Points.
Cotton Growers North and East OF
Texas Urged to Prepare
for the Worst Now.

COLtOn Growers North and East o.
Texas Urged to Prepare
for the Worst Now.
A dispatch from Washington to th.
Atlanta Journal says information re-
garded by officials as of great value tc
cotton growers Is contained in an arti
Gle prepared by Colonel r. J. Rsiding
director OF the Georgia experiment
station, which Is to be published in o
few days as a special bulletin of the
bureau OF plant industry of the de.
partment OF agriculture. This IS tc
be known as Farmers Bulletin No
2i7. In his introduction Colonel Red.
ding says:
In Farmers Bulletin No. IS9, is.
sued In 1904, 1t was stated that the
work OF the bureau OF entomology FOL
several years has demonstrated that
there is not even remote probability
that the boil wcevil will ever be ex.
terminated,' and that. the steady ex.
tension OF the territory affected by the
Wetvil from year to year, until the
northern boundary Is far north of the
center Of cotton produciio In the
United States, has convinced all ob
servers that it will eventually be dis
tributed all over the cotton belt. In
Ten years i5 has gradually advanced a
distance OF about 500 miles and will
undol otedly invade new territory at
about the same rate. 1t is not at all
likely that legal restriction of any
kind would prevent or materially hin
der this spread
These conclusions, Colonel Red
ding continues, must be accepted as
OF the highest authority, since they
have been reached by qualified scieu-
tific investigators after careful labor
atory and field experiments, conduct.
ed for several years on large scale
and in the older eevll-infested region
Of Texas. The matter IL, therefore,
not Il cal problem confined to Texas
and nearby states, but affects the en-
tire cotton growing region.
AT the indicated rate Of migration
1t Is very probable that within ten or
tiftet n years every portion Of the co..
ton producing region will have teen
Invaded. 1t is we'll, therefore, for the
cJttOn growers nOrthward and east.
ward OF Texas to prepare for the worst
by learning the 10, thuds that have
been found effective In minifying the
ravagss OF the weeyll, and such other
remedies or palliatives as may be de-
veloped meanwhile, and be prepared
TO apply them whenever it shall be-
come necessary. In view OF the i'm
mense Importance and value OF the cot
ton crop, the subject has indeed be-
come Of national Importance.
Toe bulletin mentioned, however,
gives assurance that although the very
large yields OF cotton of former times
may no longer be possible, it Is never
theless entirely feasible to produce
cotton at margin Of profit .hat will
compare favorablY with that involved
In The production Of most Of the staple
crops of the United States by follow
ing what have become generally known
as cultural methods.
Among the nest important Of
these methods are those directed to-
ward securing an early d, vclopment
or the cotton plant and an early ma
iurity OF the largest possible prcpor
tion Of the crop, and the object of this
bulletin Is to discuss the practical de.
tails which have been found necessary
and effective in promoting early ma.
turity.
The writer may be pardoned for
stating that most OF what appears In
the bulletin Is directly based on long
personal experience as practical cot
ton planter, and the superadded re
suits OF fifteen consecutive years of
held experimentation at the Georgia
experiment station. 1t was partly the
purpose OF many OF these field expert
mcnts to discover the conditions OF
fertilizing and culture that were ef
fective in promoting early maturity
for the crop and the particular varie.
Ties best suited for securing such early
maturity
1t may be well to state that during
the whole Of the tifteen-year period
the work has been supervised by the
writer, as director Of the station, and
the practical details have been super.
intended continuously by James M .
Kimbrough, the agriculturist of the
station"
The steps necessary to secure early
maturity are then diAcu ,sed by CulD-
mel Redding in the natural order OF
cultural succe.sioc, and in a manner
which Is at once SO complete and so
clear as to furnish tie maximum
amount OF useful information. The
Whole OF this discussion cannot lie
given here, OF course, but an idea OF
1t may be gained from the following
summary OF recommendations
Prepare the soil thoroughly and
carly, b ginnlng with fall pl )wing.
2. Fertilize literally and judicious
ly, carefully avoiding an exc s. OF nj
trogen. On rich, dark, nlluylal ami
freshly cleared soil, phosphuric acid
alone, In the form Cf acid phosphate,
may he applied
3. Apply fertilizers In the drill and
bed On them. Broadcastlng is rarely
II ever, cxpedient.
4. Choose an early maturing and
productive variety Of cotton and plant
on the beds, and az early as possible
Apply In the seed furrows 40 to 75
pounds per acre OF quickly avail bl.
fertilizer, preferably 25 20 40 pounds
Of nitrate Of soda
5. Reduce to q final stand az quick
ly as possible.
6. Let cultivation be frequent and
shallow.
Z. Narrow rows with wide spacing
OF plants In the rows will result In a
greater early yield than will wide rows
with close spacing.