The Semi-weekly leader. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1905-1941, 1910-09-17
FIGHTING THE
BOIL NEEWL.
A COMPREHENSIVE LETTER ON THE
SUBJECT BY EXPERT B. |.
MOSS.
Some Of the Seasons Experiences and
What They Teach.

West Jackson. Miss, July 16, 1910.
Messrs. A. 9. Seavey & Sons.
Brookhaven, Miss.
a Gentlemen have your letter
of July 14th and note with interest
what you have to say relative to
our methods of combating the boil
weevil, and stating wherein lie
your points of difference with us.
| am glad to see the interest
that you are taking in this subject.
and feel sure from what you say IN
your letter that you are giving 1t
very careful thought and attention;
and, | feel sure, too, from what /
know of your attitude and that of
the other Brookhaven business men
that your sole desire in this matter
is to promote the business welfare
and farming interests of your ter
ritory. We must also always re-
member that this boil weevil prob
lem is a bigger one than that
involving mere picking of weevils
and squares or the mere destruc-
tion of cotton stalks. | consider it
a big economic problem that affects
the industrial welfare of the whole
South and if we are going to solve
it successfully. / think that it must
be looked at as such.
AS to the point relating to wee
vii control wherein you differ with
US, it seems to me that we are in
accord with only one exception,
that is, the destruction of the stalks
in the fall. l am enclosing you
herewith a copy of a letter | had
written on June Both to Mr.. d.
Humphreys at Ingleside, Miss.
touching upon some of the very
points that you bring out, and, in
my opinion, answering some of the
questions that you put. Relative
to this letter, copy of which / en-
close, 1 will say that Mr.. Proctor
was a Texas man who made an ad-
dress at Port Gibson some two
years ago, in which he rather dis
approved of the destruction of
stalks, and also, according to Mr..
Humphreys impression, disap-
proved of the picking OF squares
and weevils. DR.. Hunter. as you
know, is the head entomologist OF
the Department Of Agriculture.
and has always taken firm stand
in favor of the fall destruction of
cotton stalks, Now as to the
points brought out in my letter to
Mr.. Humphreys, you will note
that state that Mr.. Proctor stands
firmly in favor of the picking OF
the squares and weeviIs even IN
Texas territory, as is evidenced by
the $4,000 circulars with which he
covered his East Texas territory
this spring.
You will note also in the letter
to Mr.. Humphreys that l make ex-
actly the same point that you make
relative to our frequent inability
to secure the ''hot dust mulch
that is so often spoken of. Such a
thing is. of course, an imposslbility
during spell of wet weather such
as we have. just experienced; and
during sucha time if the weevils
and squares are not picked and de-
stroyed they must certainly do us a
great deal of damage for the sim.
pie reason that at this time we are
getting no assistance from nature.
gather also from y0nr letter
that you seem to think we have 9
set rule with reference to cultiva-
tion; that is, that you think that
we advocate in all sorts OF weather
the use of no other cultiYating i'm.
plement than some form of culti-
vator. This is incorrect. There
is no question but that during
period of wet weather such as We
have just had the first and main
essential is the cleaning of the
fields of grass; and whatever are