The Port Gibson reveille. [volume] (Port Gibson, Miss.) 1890-current, 1909-03-18
THE COTTON wEEvIL.
Experience of Cotton Growers In
Louisiana and Texas With
the Pest.


DR.. S. A. Knapp. who has charge
of the Farmers Cooperative De
monstration work in the South
selected w. B. Lundy of Lexing'
ton, Miss, Thos. Bridgers of Ray
mond,. Miss, and the writer to
visit Louisiana and Texas and
learn what the Mississippi farmers
must do in order to be prosperous
in spite of the boil weevil. We
left for Shreveport, Louisiana, on
March the first.
We talked to hundreds of farm
ers in Northwest, La, and east
and central Texas. The following
statements received from number
of planters and farmers visited
contain the substance of all the
information and advice obtained.
Mr.. w. E. Glassell OF Shreve-
port, La, is large planter and
commission merchant. He said:
"Two grave dangers confront your
people, viz: stage fright and in
difference. / don't know which is
the worst. If your business men
and farmers become over-excited
the result will be disasterous.
If your farmers treat the boil
weevil as joke, very little
cotton will be made until they
change their minds. However,
if your people can be made to
realize right now that they have
for their solution one of the grav-
est problems that has ever present.
ed itself, namely how to be pros
porous in spite of the boil weevil,
and will live at home and practice
the most rigid economy, plant
early maturing varieties early in
the spring on light well drained
land and cultivate rapidly they
will win a great victory"
Mr.. P. P. Keith, Keithville,
La, plants cotton only on hill
land. He said: eff you are a
cotton farmer, don't quit growing
cotton. Stay on the farm where
you are and grow your home sup
plies. Plant your upland in cot
ton by April 10th and cultivate
every week with large heel sweeps,
harrows, and cultivators. Late
cotton is no good: Don't plant
moist rich bottom land in cotton.
Don't waste any money trying to
poison the weevils. | have tried
paris green and find that it does
not pay for the application. In
1905 and 1907 my cotton crop was
cut at least so per cent by the Wee
vii. Last year the damage was
about rs per cent"
Mr.. S. E. McMichael, Grand
Cane, La, about 40 miles south of
Shreveport, said in answer to
questions: "The weevil has been
here six years. After the first two
years of the weevil, I'have planted
very little cotton. This year / will
have so acres in cotton, 40 acres
in corn, one acre IL cane, and one
andsone half acres in sweet .pota-
toes. I breakAmy land in theswin-
ter as deep-as my team can pull
thelplows. sI~use 200 pounds Of
commercial fertilizer per acre,
plant Rowden and Triumph cotton
deed on or before April 10th.
use. heel sweeps and riding cult,
vatorss and cultivate once each
week until the cotton begins to
open. | was a prosperous farmel
before weevils come. | am now 2
financial wreck. The weevil j:
now great curse, but believe
that in the long run it will be
blessing as it will learn us how tc
farm and will learn US to live al
home. My advice is to live Al
home and keep on growing cotton,
Cut your cotton acreage and plan
your upland in cotton and cult
vate fast. Tt takes nice clean
farming to succeed. Don't foo
with large crops of sugar cane
potatoess or truck. have los
more money growing crops that
could not sell than ! have by try
ing 6 grow cotton in spite OF th'