The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1908-10-10
BOIL WEEv1L SITUATION.

Considered Extremely Serious by Crop
Pest Commission-Pest Can be Era
dictated by Concerted Action.
The boil weeVil situation in Louisi-
ana. so far as the crop OF next
year is concerned, is considered a
most serious one by the Crop Pest Com
mission. Secretary Wilnon Newell, of
the commission, recently returned from
q tour OF the largest cotton producing
parishes of the state, where he spent
several weeks supervising experiments,
talking with planters and merchants and
obtaining first-hand information as to
the weevil conditions throughout the
state.
tsThe experience of the farmers this
year, " says Mr.. Newell, "should con-
vince them Of the seriousness OF the
boil weeyil problem and they should
profit now from this seasons losses,
without waiting for even greater cal
amity to overtake succeeding years
crops. Weeyil damage this year has
been exceedingly severe. In some To-
ealities, owing to overfows and the
work OF weevils combined, not over
10 per cent of normal crop Is being
made. Ia the majority Of localities
not enough cotton is being made this
year to pay the operating expenses o.
the farms and plantations. In some
cases more cotton is being made than
last year, but this is true only in three
or four parishes where both climatic
conditions ana the experience of the
farmers in fighting the weevil have
combined TO produce a fair crop.
.sPresent conditions are such as to
point towards even greater weevil dam
age to the crop of 1909 than has yet
been experienced in this state, but for
tunately the planters have it within
their power 20 avert the threatened
calamity.
ssTbe cotton plants in most locali-
ties are at present putting on luxu-
RANT growth and are producing squares
by the thousands. None of these
squares can produce cotton, but on
the contrary each will produce full
grown weevil between now and frost.
1t Is the Weeyils now developing in
these squares that will successfully
pass the winter TO attack the cotton
next spring. The planter can destroy
these weevils before they get chance
TO enter their winter quarters by at
once destroying ali green cotton plants.
The yield OF cotton is so small that in
many localities it is all picked at the
present date and what little remains
can be gotten out at short notice. The
plants should then be completely de-
stroyed, either by blowing them nm
der deeply with a large turning pillow,
or by cutting them down, piling them
and burning as soon as dry.
A community of farmers in south
ern Texas last year tripled their crop
by destroying the plants in this man.
ner before the 10th of October the pre-
ceding autumn. Louisiana planters
can do equally as we'll by following
the same methods.
s'The present second growth on the
cotton plants viii furnish such a supply
OF weeyils that nothing except imme-
date destruction of the green plants
by the farmers--or the intervention oil
Providence-can avert almost total
destruction of next years cotton crop.
ssThe farmer who, through indif-
ference or negligence, fails to destroy
his pIaats early in the fall. will simply
have to quit growing cotton. ~
The Crop Pest Commission has Is
sued a circular mo. q for free dis
tribution, explaining fully how to de.
stroy Che weeviis before they entel
hibern alton. Every farmer should write
the Commission for copy at once.
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