The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1909-05-12
BOIL WEEVIL NOT So BAD
May Have Proved a Blessing in
Disguise in Louisiana.
MADE FARMS SELF-SUSTAINING

Farmers Who Do Not Raise Their
Own Supplies Can't Get Advances.
Are Making More Money Than
Ever Before. Cotton Is Planted
Only ON Poor Land.
HOFFMAN, La, May S.-Editor
of The Dawson News: The last time
l wrote l had a great deal to say
in regard to the cotton boil weeviI.
However, at that time 1t had not
made Its appearance In this section
of Louisiana. Though we have had
the weevils with us now three years
(this will be the fourth year, we are
we'll acquainted with them and know
all their habits.
Made Farms SeIf-Sustaining.
We have had the cotton worm,
the sharpshooter and the boil worm,
but we find the boil weevil the worst
cotton pest we ever had-but not the
curse mat we expected. We were
expecting them, and had been pre-
pairing for them several years before
they made their appearance by de-
creasing the cotton acreage and rails
| ing more corn, hay, oats, Irish and
sweet potatoes, syrup, plenty of hogs
and other stock. There were, how
ever, some farmers who believed that
the weevil would pass us by, and
kept raising all cotton and buying
/ supplies. This class of farmers are
entirely broken up, as the merchants
| refuse to advance to farmer unless
| he has plenty of corn and meat to
supply his farm
The negroes are the worst hurt,
as the majority of them know moth
! ing except raising cotton. The white
| farmers now have them entirely I'M
der control, either for standing
wages or on shares.
Farmers Making More Money.
The farmers have organized into
truck associations, and are making
more clear money than they made on
cotton. some have quit cotton alto
gether. We have Irish potatoes
ready to ship by the goth Of May,
cantalOupes, watermelOns and Gu
cumbers by the 18th of July, and
we have sweet potatoes ready for
sale by the first Of September, and
fall Irish potatoes, fall cabbage and
syrup the 18th Of October; and by
Having sweet potatoes and syrup to
sell through the winter and spring
we have some money coming in at
all seasons Of the year
How Cotton Is Raised.
We can raise some cotton, but
there is no money in it. We break
the land deep in the fall and run
1.-THE harrow over it occasionally
through the winter, and bed and
plant as early as the weather will
permit, and as soon as the cotton Is
up we chop it TO a stand, then start
the plows and pillow fast-plow IT
leyery five or six days, the oftener the
better. The punctured squares must
be knocked off and ploWed under
and if the sand is hot the Weevils
die in two or three hours. A cul-
tivator is best, as it knocks the
Ipunctured squares off and covers
them up all at the same time.
The third crop Of weevils do the
big damage. They come about the
first Of August, and attack the boil.
Therefore, we keep the ploWs rum
ming until we start to picking.
No Cotton on Rich Land.
We make an average 81 about 400
pounds Of seed cotton per acre on
poor land There is no use to plant
rich land in cotton, as the weed
/ grows too rank. Shade is the life
/ Of the WeeyiI and hot sun is it's
death. I have seen cotton five and
six feet high with only three and
Z four bOHs on It,
J I will next tell the readers Of The
News Of the habits Of the weeyiI8,
and how they do their work.
( ~ LEnpTrtr ~