The Port Gibson reveille. [volume] (Port Gibson, Miss.) 1890-current, 1909-06-03
A WINNING FIGHT.
Success That Has Been Won in
Claiborne County Against
the Boil WeeViI.

the Boil WeeVil.
Mr.. G. H. Afford, the Commits
sioner of Agriculture in Claiborne
county, reached Vicksburg yester-
day on the noon train, and spent
the afternoon at the Hotel Carroll.
He was seen here by number OF
planters and business men, who
talked with him concerning plant
ing conditions in Claiborne. When
seen by a representative of the
Herald and asked about crop con-
ditions. Mr.. Afford said j:
eyes, sir, the business interests,
professional men and planters in
Claiborne county have united in a
determined effort to whip the boil
weevil to a FRAGILE. They are not
acting foolish. They have studied
their subject and have learned just
how this pest can be successfully
combated. And they are not cow
ards. They were born and raised
in Claiborne county, and they ex-
pect to live and die there. The
boil weevil will rot succeed in
driving them from II cir homes.
tLast November the Board Of
Supervisors established a county
department of agriculture and ap-
pointed me as their commissioner
of agriculture. The following
interview from Hon. ]. McC.
Martin, of Port Gibson, gives some
idea of sesults already obtained:
''Mr. Afford got in touch with the
officials at Washington, who are in
charge of the boil weevil invest
igation, and learned just how that
pest can be successfully combatted.
"This information was already
available to every framer who
would request it, but the point of
the whole matter is that as a body,
our famers are not approachable by
the agricultural scientist. We have
proven conclusively that through
the medium of live, progressive
man who is right on the ground ev-
en- the most ignorant and unletter-
ed farmers will take hold of modern
methods, and will carry them out
according to instruction. Under
Mr.. Affords direction SIX small
experimental farms have been es-
tablished in each of the five dis
tricts of the county. These farms
range in size from one to twenty
acres and on them practical demon
are being carried out to
show our people how to fight the
boil weevil, how to diversity their
farm crops, in other words, how
to get out of the old rut and to
take advantage of all modern meth
DDS that will apply to the farming
requirements ola Mississippi coun-
ty
81 firmly believe that the crea-
ton of this Office is the greatest
thing that has ever happened to
the farmers of our county-and
ours are just like those of every
other cotton county in the south.
The national government, through
its experts, offered our farmers the
results of years of study, but our
methods of farming remained in
the main unchanged. The state
maintains most excellent agricul-
tural college, and experimental
farm, but only the most progress
i've of our farmers profted by its
work and publications. Here and
there we have had progressive spir-
its but the great body of our farm
population remain untouched by
modern methods. The men in the
field making the crop, which fur
nish the commerce of our land,
and who pay the taxes, which sup
port these governmental institu-
lions got no real benefits from