The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1910-11-12
american News Service)


San Antonio, Tex, Nov. 12.-Among
the most recent suggestions for the
elimination of the boil weevil is the
planting of peanuts. This is but one
OF the hundred or more suggestions
that have been made during the last
three years, but it is becoming in
creasingly apparent that no campaign
against the boil weevil which calls for
the planting of any other crop besides
cotton will be generally adopted
throughout the South. This is not due
to the ignorance of the Southern
planters. The cause for this anti
PATTY to any such means of fighting
the boil weevil can be seen in the
daily reports of any newspaper. With
cotton prices as they now are and
with the trend steadily upward as it
has been during recent years it is
quite easy to see why the Southern
cotton farmers refuse to plant any 9TH
err crop. The Standard oil company
and the steel trust and all the other
alleged monopolistic corporations
could never boast such complete con-
troll of any necessity of life as the
Southern cotton farmers have.
When crop conditions are ideal the
Southern cotton farmers can make a
bale to the acre and such a crop will
pay large net profit compared with
any other crop in the world, but when
crop conditions or the boil weevil re-
! or even less than half of bale to
the acre. cotton prices Immediately
soar and what is lost in cotton is made
up in higher prices; India, Africa and
Asia strive in vain to supply sufficient
cotton to effect materially the monopo-
ly now so firmly held by the Southern
States. II any progress is to be made
in the way on the boil weevil 1t must
be made by the use of enemies of the
boil weevil.
Some progress is now being made
along that line. Early planting of
the crop gives it such an advance in
growth before the boil weevil becomes
active that it is able to withstand the
insects attack. Destruction of stub
BILE in the fall is helping and the Unit
ed States Department of Agriculture
is furnishing many suggestions which
aid In the destruction of this very ex-
pensive crop pest.
Some idea Of the profits from cot
ton can be gathered from the record
made by Southwest Texas during the
season which Is now drawing to
close Early spring frosts reduced the
crop In many Southern States by as
much as fifty per cent. In Southwest
Texas, however, there is no frost. A
large number of the farms particular
ly in the vicinity of San Antonio, made
from half bale to bale an acre.
With cotton prices lowering about
fifteen cents pound and cotton seed
prices higher than ever before. owing
to the heavy demand for the various
cattle feeds produced from this seed,
these farmers have made fortunes tlis
year. In fact so profitable has the cot
ton crop been that a great many of the
homeseekers who are purchasing lands
in Southwest Texas are becoming cot
ton planters instead Of growing citrus
fruits or trying numerous other crops
which during recent years have be-
come popular In this semi-tropical ter
ritory. This year hundreds OF farm
ers planting their first crop Of cotton
have made net profits sufficiently
large to pay for their land and all the
agricultural implements necessary for
its tillage. While possibly larger
profits are made from onions. garden
truck, fruit and alfalfa, the difference
between the cost Of preparing land for
these crops and for cotton is very
big consideration.
So great has been the demand for
cotton that ranches Of from 10000 to
$4,000 acres In Southwest Texas are
being broken up by colonization COM
panies and rented in farms of 16O
acres to the farmers on the share
plan. On this plan. If no crop is made,
the owner of the land receives no rent
for his land. This is an indication
Of their absolute faith In the cotton