Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1909-06-11
ADVICE TO COTTON PLANTERS
From the Louisiana Crop Pest Com
mission.


mission.
Baton Rouge, La, June THE
State Crop Pest Commission is re-
ceiving innumerable letters asking
advice as to blowing up the cotton
now in the fields and planting corn
instead. 1t appears that hundreds
of planters on both sides OF the Mis-
sissippi river, and in some OF the
Florida parishes, where the weevll
made its first appearance last sea-
son. are becoming mreasona6ly
alarmed over the appearance OF the
nest in their fields now, and In
their alarm are blowing up many
fields of advanced cotton, which
with proper treatment have good
show of making a fair crop.
The Crop Pest Commission to-day
authorized the following statement
relative to conditions along the Mis-
sissippi river:
The presence of boil weevils in
the cotton fields at the present time
should not cause any undue
alarm. In weevil-infested sections
| it is the perfectly normal thing to
find weevils in the young cotton at
this season. They will always be
found in the cotton fields at this
time of the year and there is no
reason at present for believing that
|they are any more abundant this
lspring than in an average spring.
| In reply to the many letters we are
receiving regarding the present con-
ditiOps, we invariably advise our
correspondents that if their cotton
lis not far enough advanced to put
on forms ond if it is on well drained
} mixed or sandy land, Of an early
variety. tbs best thing to do is to
work it frequently from now on,
giving shallow civilizations. rather
than pillow it up and plant some
thing else. With cotton now in the
square forming stage the planter has
as much of a chance tor q crop Al
, he is likely to have In any future
season, for conditions, 50 far as the
lweeyil IL concerned, are always 60.
ing to be what they are now. The
farmer who plows up his cotton nov
is certain to lose his seed and fertil.
Iizer and the work he has already
expended towards a crop, On thu
lother hand, with cotton well adj.
vanced now. he is reasonably GER
9 tain to make enough cotton to covel
b his cotton crop expenses and with
8 favorable summer weather he may
. even make as much az hree-fonrthi
Iof a crop. We cannot, unfortunate
lily predict q full crop for any one
linasmuch a. experience has clearly
shown that the very best cultura
methods cannot possibly secure |
Icrop in the face of the heavy weevi
damage experienced in the alluvia
!. lands Of Louisiana. where the sum
A Imer rainfall makes the best ia
n more serious one than in the up
Hands Of northern Louisiana ant
, Texas.
I'll Where the stand Of cotton j
/. uneven or poor, owing to unfavor
n able spring weather, but where th
h few plants remaining are now put
n ting on squares, we are advising tn
|, farmers not to pillow up the field
but rather to plant Mexican Jun
% corn in the "skips." This will in
n sure all of the area in the field Civ
!. ling return in either corn or cot
r. ton and the cost of cultivation vii
not be increased by reason of tn
r corn being present. 1t is ais
!. worthy of note that corn plante
i. in cotton at this date will serve
II decrease the amount of damag
# done to the cotton by the boil worr
- mot boil weeviD.
!. However, in cases where hail O
Il storm has destroyed the entire stan
of cotton and the planter asks GU
II opinion as to the advisability G
.. replanting in cotton, we counse
0. against it, as cotton planted at thi
late date has not the ghost of
Ia show against the weevil.
A. Much Of the alarm over tn
"a weevil il due the fact that the farm
ers have not informed themselve
IN as to the habits of the weevil an
W have overlooked the fact that a
* the boil weevils now in the feel
n are over.wintered ones, that il
" weevils that have remained in win
n ter quarters since last fall. Youn
N weevils of this season cannot b
= produced until about % days afte
Q eggs are laid in the first squares
y In the meantime the old over wint
y cred weevils are dying of rapid
: and there will come time present
q ly when the bulk of the over-wint
y cred weevils will be dead and bu
y few Of the young weevils of the cur
y rent season will be mature. In tn
y interval the cotton will have oppor
ILL Il