The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1909-12-28
WILMON NEWELL
DESIRES TO CORRECT A FEW
ERRORS.
CRITICISES MARSTON
An Attempt to Take from Him Much
of the Credit for the Work He Has
Accomplished-This He Graves I'm
Justice to All Concerned"
Baton Rouge, Dec. 70, 1909.


Dear Sir: In your issue of Decem-
Der 81, under the caption "The Boil
Weevil and Poison" are few errors
which, in justice to all concerned,
should be corrected. The statement is
frankly made in your editorial that the
recently announced work of the Cros
Pest Commission, in successfully de-
stroying boil weevils with powdered ar
senate of lead, is "an indirect endorse
ment of Capt B. w. Marston who has
experimental successfully in killing the
boil weevil with Paris green"
We do not wish to detract from any
credit which may be due Captain Mars
ton for his persistent attempts to solve
the problem of dealing with this dread
ed pest; nor do we desire to secure any
particular credit for the work which has
been so successfully accomplished by the
| Cros Pest Commission. 1t is, however,
important that the true facts in the case
be given proper consideration.
In the first place Capt. B. w. Marston
did not originate the method of using
Paris green for the cotton leaf worm.
The use of this poison for destruction
of the cotton worm was advocated and
advised by the United States Patent Of
flee, in its reorts, before the same dis
covery' was made by the senator from
Red River.
Neither did Captain Marston origi-
nate the idea of using arsenical poisons,
or even Paris green, for the boil weevil
Long before the boil weevil reached
Louisiana and long before the captain
made his famous trips to Texas after
the $4,000 reward" the entomologists
of the United States Department of
Agriculture were experimenting with
Paris green in southern Texas. If the
editor will refer to Insect Life" Vol
", No 4, published by the United
States Department of Agriculture in
March 1895, he will find the following
statement:
Paris green or London purple, ap-
piled in solution of one pound of the
poison to $50 gallons of water when the
bolls first begin to form, may kill GER
tain per cent of the weevils, if good
judgment is used in its application.
From 1906 to 1900 the publications Of
the United States Department of Agri-
culture literally TEEN with descriptions
of experiments made with Paris green
and other arsenical poisons for the boil
weevil. Unquestionably, credit for orig
mating the "arsenating of the weevil'
nut lie with the United States Depart
ment of Agriculture, and nowhere else.
Later, extensive publications were is
sued by the State of Texas, covering the
same ground. Many pages devoted to
poisoning the boil weevil with arsefiical
poisons will be found in Report upon
the Boil Weevil," issued at Austin,
Texas, in August 1902.
Captain Marston did not originate the
idea of poisoning the boil weevil with
arsenical poisons. He merely loaded the
idea into his band wagon and waxed
eloquent over it, just as he had pre-
viously done with steamboating" and
free silver"
Of course the senator is entitled to
much admiration for his pluck and his
persistence in trying to overcome the
pest, but, had he been little less hard
headed he would long ago have seen
what we saw four years ago, viz, that
the presence of soluble arsenic in Paris
green, by reason of it injuring the cot
ton plants, was serious obstacle TO the
use of Paris green for this pest. Had
he been impartial and fair-minded in
his consideration of the problem he
would have done exactly what we did,
set about to find an arsenical poison that
would kill Just as many boil weevils as
would Paris green, but which would
not, at the same time, injure the cotton
plant. Doubtless he would himself have
developed powdered arsenate of lead
long before we did. We could not find
any poison meeting the requirements,
so we had to make one. 1t has taken
four years TO do it, and to prove its
worth, but the farmer is now to be con-
graduated on the fact that it has been
done. Neither the writer, nor any other
entomologist, has ever denied that Paris
green would kill boil weevils. Captain
Marston's claims in this direction have
always been cheerfully acceded to. We
preferred, however, to keep the good
OF Paris green and discard its bad feat
urss and Disadvantages This We have