The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1908-10-01
BOIL WEEvIL IS HERE.
Farmer" Submits Some Per
tinent Queries Relative to
the Pest.

Hlnds county none will scarcely
doubt. What will be the result
next year and for the years to
come. | have taken the trouble to
write to a district where they have
been for seven years, and they are
now there, still buttng in their de-
struction of cotton. The parties
there write that the first year it
does not destroy all the cotton, but
does great damage. The second
year it destroys practically all the
cotton. Is tlais the first'year for
all of Kinds county? Certainly the
first year for the western half of
Kinds county, and there may be a
few all over the county, for our
people are not we'll acquainted
with it. Certainly we can cal
cuIate on its doing great damage
the next year, and perhaps destroy
all of the cotton. Has the public,
and especially the financial part of
it, walked up to what this means.
1t is said by a reliable man who
has been in it for seven years that
after the first year 1t Injuries the
cotton never less than 25 per
cent and from that to complete de-
struction. Already we are told
that the Natehez banks have re-
fused to loan money in those
districts where the Weevil exists.
Can county merchant or farm
er afford to advance supplies on
cotton to be made with the risk
that the boil YWeevll buries9
Practically all the money used
anywhere in this state comes
through the cotton plant. A de-
struotion of it means revolution in
farming. But an entire change of
system of crops adds to the already
existing risk. The writer has
never had any confidence in the
early cotton system, because if we
could get an early crop we could
not get anything like full crop
and unless we can get something
like full crop there is no profit in
planting cotton. Even a cutting
off of rs per cent would practically
destroy all profit in cotton farming.
| have always had more faith in
those things which God has made
to destroy the boil weevl than in
anything man has suggested And
| have absolutely no faith in the
subterfuge of early cotton and
farming.
You can use intensive farming on
a little patch, but not on a whole
cotton field. And an intelligent
white man might do it, but can you
get the negro to do it?
For some years have felt conf
dent we would sooner or later have
the boil weevil and have tried to
forestall it by the preserved loin Of
the birds. They were made, among
other things by God, to destroy the
weevil, and | have felt that if any,
thing could prevent the ravages it
would be the birds. | have there
fore, forbidden the killing of birds
and destroying of their nests on my
plantation, but unless my neighbers
did this also | could not have the
desired results. Around the edges
of my farm has been paradise for
hunters | appealed to the board
of supervisors to probe the hunting
of birds for years, but the hunters
had the long end of the lever and
that effort was futile. appealed
to the legislature, and asked that
hunting be prohibited for a few
years and that the owners of dogs
should be required to keep them
confined during the nesting season,
for they are as destructive as the
hunters. But there again the hun
terS had the advantage, and noth-
ing was accomplished. Now have
no war to make on the hunters, but
| thought the financial interests Of
the county was more important
than the pleasure of hunting, and |
thought the birds might relieve. US
of the boil Weeyil when nothing
else could. Now the partridge,
quail, or Bob White. is usually
sought after for hunting, and orni-
biologists give this as one of the
birds which are destructive to
worms and bugs.
F. E. 1. BeaI, B. S., assistant in
the agricultural department, says
it is destructive of the cotton boil
weevil, and during the height Of the
insect season feeds almost entirely
on insects, bugs, etc. DR.. Sylves-
ter p. Judd, connected also with
the same department, says Of this
bird: "Boll weeviIs are greatly
sought after; n cotton boil Weevils
having been eaten in a morning by
one Bo', White" Now the boil