The Thibodaux sentinel. (Thibodaux, La.) 1905-1912, 1908-11-07
No Way to Destroy the Pest,
But Pluck
THE LESSON FARMERS MUST LEARN
Interesting Experiences Related BY
Some of the Most Successful
Pianters-Plant Early, Gull
tivate Intensely.

Some of the Most Successful
Pianters-Piant Early. Gull
tivate Intensely.
Monroe, Oct. 27.-H. e. StringfeI-
low of Shreveport has presented the
report of his Investigations of the
Texas farmers against the boil Wee
vii. The report proved of great in
terest.
Here is Mr.. Stringfellow's report:
To the planters and farmers of
Ouachita. who delegated me as their
commissioner to investigate the boil
weevil situation in Texas.
Gentlemen: On September 80 in
your interest | took my departure to
the Lone Star state. The first OBJ
jective point was Dallas. First visit
ed the crop of Mr.. Rothwell, who has
$50 acres in cotton. Here found an
object lesson in double sense. Last
year. 1907, this $50 acres was a SOL
Id Johnson grass far.l Mr.. Roth
well determined 70 plant it in cotton
in 1908. The first to do was to kill
the Johnson grass, the next 10 check
the boil weeyil ravage. He plowed
the Johnson grass under with a sulky
plow, then let it stand, until a rain
settled the ground, then he turned
il deep with the same plow. After
that he disced and narrowed the land
six times and let it alone until
spring. In the spring he disced it
again, and put the soil in perfect
tilth for planting and cultivation.
Then he bought a cotton planter,
that planted in even checks three
feet apart. Every time this machine
made click, four to sixteen seeds
of cotton was planted in a hill ex-
actly three feet apart. When the cot
ton came up he never put hoe in
his crop, but let all cotton that came
up stand in the hill and went to
work with cultivator, blowing 1t in
checks first one way and then the
other. This cotton grew from waist
high to shoulder high. Was very
well fruited, except the top crop.
Boil weevil had that.
''Mr. Rothwell said boil weevils
are not so bad as in 1907. Boil vice.
wills appeared this year about the 5th
of July and disappeared after the
18th of July. He saw none again
until the 18th of August, then they
only affected his top crop. This
year Mr.. Rothwell will get LOO bales
off this $50 acres, had already pick
ed and ginned Sd bales, and will
make some money.
4 asked Mr. Rothwell il he got
the idea of leaving all the stalks in
hill from the late king cotton
planter of Georgia. Mr.. Dixon. He
said: No. it was his own idea He
said he had to keep the Johnson
grass down by intense cultivation,
and he wanted the sun to reach the
weeyil, and he had succeeded. Now
he said, | want you to understand
the wecvils were not near SO bad
this year as they were in 1Ju.. Some
years they are much worse than 9TH
ers, and If your people have sent you
here to find out how to kill or con-
quer the boil weevil, you might as
well return home. because that can
not be successfully proved in Texas.
We have our good years and our bad
years.
In 1906, I had in cotton 200
acres and made 76 bales. In 1907
had 200 acres in cotton and made
only 49 bales. had too much rain
and weevils were bad
Mr.. Rothwell works black prai-
rie land. Before the boil weevil
came he averaged about two-thirds
OF bale to the acre. Since the boil
weevil he has no average. Plants cot
ton L 9TH of March of the Mabin Trf-
umph variety, thinks it natures one
to two weeks earlier than other cot
ton and yields well. Made 1,075
pounds lint from 3,008 pounds of
seed cotton. Gathered his first bale
OF Mabin Triumph On August 26.
Mr.. Rothwell says the only solu-
tion to the boil weevil problem is to
plant early and work fast, and to
cultivate your cotton all the time. He
plowed his IL times. uses cultivators. |
works 40 acres to the hand and |
works negro labor He makes his |
living at home, raises his corn, hay |
and meat and manages to clear ex- |
penses every year. and makes money |
some years.
Il examined the stalks of cotton |
grown in the hills by Mr.. Rothwell; |
there were from to 5 stalks in a |
MIL, and averaged 26 bolls to 80
bolls in HILL While this mode of |
planting is a living success against |
johnson grass. | would not recon-
mend it to any farmer or planter who
Is cultivating rich alluvial land. |
rhink cotton would grow too rank.
| visited several other farms in
DALLAS county with practically the re-
suits.
From Dallas / proceeded to Nc
the county seat of Collin
county. Collin county is one of the
richest in Texas. Next to Ellis and
fannin it is the banner producing
'otton country. They diversity, raise
corn, cotton, alfalfa, oats, wheat.
'nions, cattle, horses and mules, al
20 hogs. With all this diversification
.hey stick to cotton as their main
money crop. and fight the boil weevil
With every method of cultivation
inown to mortal man. Some years
hey get ahead of the little pest and
some years they don't. If the sea-