St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1909-04-10
Reducing Boil weevil Damage.


States Department of Agriculture
These methods are based upon extern
siye studies and much field expert
mentation. They represent PRACTICAL!
the most important enemy of the cot
ton plant. They form a system con
sisting of several parts. The plaster
can insure success in proportion tt
the extent to which he combines the
different essential parts.
u Destroy the vast majority o.
weevils in the fall by uprooting and
burning the plants. This is the all
important step. It results in the deatr
of millions of weevils. It insures q
crop for the following season.
(2) Destroy also many Weevils that
| have survived the preceding operation
and are found in the cotton fields and
along the hedgerows, fences and
buildings. This is done by clearing
| the places referred to thoroughly.
go AS far as possible, locate the
fields in situations where damage will
be avoided This can not be done in
to good advantage.
(4) Prepare the land early and thor,
oughly in order to obtain an early
crop. This means fall blowing and
winter working of the land
60 Provide wide rows, and plenty
of space between the rows and the
plants in the drill, for the assistance
of the natural enemies of the weevil,
which do more against the pest than
the farmer can do himself by any
known means. Check-rowing, wher,
ever practicable, is an excellent prac-
tice.
60 Insure an early crop by early
planting of early maturing varieties,
and by fertilizing where necessary.
Cd Continue the procuring of an
early crop by early chopping to a
stand and early and frequent cultiva-
ton. Do not lose the fruit the plants
have set by cultivation too deep or
too close to the rows.
90 Where the labor is sufficient,
pick the disappearing weevils and
the first infested squares Do not de-
stroy the squares but place them in
screened cages. BY this means the
escape of the weevils will be prevent
ed, while the parasites will be able to
escape to continue their assistance on
the side of the farmer.
(9) Use crossbar of iron or wood,
or some similar device, to cause The
infested squares to fall early to the
ground, so that they will be exposed
to the important effects of heat and
parasites.
00) Do not poison for the leaf
worm unless its work begins at an
abnormally early date in the summer.
(11J Do not go to the expense of
buying special preparations for de-
stroying the weevil Disappointment
and loss is certain to follow. In case
of doubt communicate at. once with
the Bureau of Entomology, Washing
ton, D. c.
In some cases, where, for instance,
farmer has small area of cotton
growing for seed selection it is prac-
ticable to resort to special means of
control that would be impossible in
general field practice. For the bene-
tit of the many farmers in the infest-
ed area who are beginning to improve
their cotton by selection, the follow
ing suggestions are made: The plat
or plats should be far from timber,
hedgerows, seed storage houses, and
other protection for alternating weey-
lis. On the appearance of the earliest
WeeVils the plats should be carefully
picked over by hand. This should
be continued until well after the
squares begin to fall If the falling of
the squares continues it will be found
practicable to rake them by hand to
the middle or entirely outside of the
plats to bare place where the sun
will soon destroy the larvae within.
OF course all other general sugges-
lions that are applicable in the field
should be added to these special ones.