The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1910-04-16
FOR IMPROVED METHODS.
PRESIDENT FINLEY SPEAKS OF
RAVAGES OF BOIL WEEVIL.
In an Article Prepared for the Press
PrcsideIIt Finley Urges Preparation
For the Advent of the Boil WeeyiI.

~ 'hc IIeS'NtAI OF the southern
| Railway, Mr.. w. w. Finley:
My close business association with
| che South and my intense interest in
| everything bearing on Southern pros
| perity prompts me to write to you on
| the present outlook for agriculture
| in the South with special reference to
the cotton situation.
The world demand for cotton is
| constantly increasing. Dr. S. A.
| Knapp, Of the United States Agricul-
| tural Department, has estimated that
| it doubles once in about TWENTY-FIVE
years. This means that the farmers
of our section will be called upon for
| larger supplies in future years. The
| practical question is how this increas-
ed demand can be supplied 80 as to
yield the largest margin of profit to
| our farmers.
| Co-incident with the increased de-
mand for cotton the prices of grains,
| forage crops and meat products of all
kinds are advancing. 1 do not believe,
thereby planting larger areas, to the
exclusion of other crops or the neglect
of live stock growing. 1 would sug-
gest on the contrary, that more at
| tentlon be given to the diyersification
of crops and to live stock and that
| cotton production be increased by the
| adoption of those methods of seed Sc
| lection, soil preparation and cultiva-
ton which will result in larger yields
| per acre. There is reason to believe
| that the demand for cotton will gen.
orally maintain the price at a level
that Will make intensive cultivation
profitable, but, if conditions should he
| such as to depress the price in some
| seasons the farmer who has grown
his own corn and meat, and who has
live stock and other farm products for
sale, will he affected much less by the
| low price of cotton than will he who
| mas nothing for sale but cotton and
who must buy meat for his family
| and feed for his work animals. / be-
| lieve that the South can keep pace
with the growing demand for cotton
and can, at the same time, increase
| it's output Of other farm products.
1t may be objected that the possible
| spread of the Mexican cotton boil
| weevil east of the Mississippi River
will tend to reduce the average pro-
| duction per acre in the areas affected
| and make it impossible to keep pace
with the demand for cotton without
increasing the acreage at the expense
of other crops. I believe that a study
| Of the effect of the weevil in the local
| tiles where it has been longest present
does not sustain this objection. In
| fact, while the weevil is the most Sc
rious insect pest that the cotton grow
| er has been called upon to combat it
has been demonstrated that by the
adoption of proper methods it can be
| so far controlled that substantially as
| large yields per acre can be obtained
as before it's invasion, and, what is of
more Importance to the South as a
whole, the methods that have been
developed in fighting the weevil are
identically those which, will serve to
increase the production per acre in
those localities where the insect is
unknown. They are methods, there
fore, the adoption of which in regions
where the weevl exists is imperative,
but which may be adopted with profit
by the cotton grower in any part of
the South
The weevil crossed the Rio Grande
into Texas about 1892, but did not
attract general attention until 1894,
since which year. as the area in which
it is present has gradually increased,
the insect itself and methods Of con-
trolling it have been subjects of con-
slant study by the United States Agri-
cultural Department, State agricul-
tural officials and intelligent farmers
The direction and extent of it's
future spread cannot be predicted
with certainty but the farmers east
of the Mississippi have the great ad-
vantage of the knowledge and exper-
ience gained in the campaign that has
been waged against it for sixteen
years in the territory west of the riv-
er, where it has been demonstrated
that cotton can be grown SUCCESSFULLY
and profitably in spite of it's presence
This may be illustrated by some
facts as to production under boil wee
vii conditions. In the State of Texas
the area which it is present, as shown
pE the accompany chart of that State
has been approximately the same