The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1910-03-18
ANENT THE BOIL WEEV|L
Government Agricultural Expert
Gives Warning to Farmers.
METHODS OF FIGHTING PEST
Best Plan to Fight Weevil Is Said TO Be To
Raise All The Corn Possible in All Of
the Southern States.

| Columbus, Miss.-R. s. Wilson,
state agent for Mississippi, represent
ing the United States department OF
agriculture, headquarters in this city
gives some timely pointers about cot
ton, corn, tho coming Of the boil vice.
vii, how to prepare for the weevll,
and ether farm subjects. He says:
1T is no longer a question with
thinking people but fact that soon
| err or later we must deal with the
boil weevil in every part of the cot
| ton belt.
1T was hoped by many that eli
matte conditions in north Mississippi
and north Alabama were SUCH that
| the weevil could not thrive. This
hope has been blasted as the weevil
has already invaded Oklahoma and
Arkansas and wrought considerable
damage further north than any part
Of Mississippi. According to map
issued by the United States depart
ment of agriculture, January !, 1910,
based on carefully gathered facts, If
a line were drawn due east from the
northern limit of infestation in Ok
lGlOIld IL WOulu ClIlllO5l UioNNS S'N
state of Tennessee.
I'VE must now turn our attention
to the best method of meeting the
problem and minimizing the calamity
Under normal conditions we need
not expect any material damage from
the weevil under three years. In that
time those farmers who are wide
awake to the situation can adjust
their affairs in such a way that the
damage will be reduced to mini
mum.
1T has been proved by repeated
tests that no limited acreage cotton
can be successfully grown in spite
of the weevil by following the meth
DDS advocated by the department of
agriculture.
For the present the most impor-
tant step is to put the farmers on
self-sustaining basis. Bankers and
merchants cannot and Will not AFFORD
to advance corn, meat and hay in the
present large quantities on a cotton
crop after the bolf weevil arrives and
while it would always have been bet
ter to produce these at home it is
now imperative. The wise farmer
will take advantage of the two or
three years reprieve, and get in the
habit of supplying themselves before
the crisis comes"
Mr.. Wilson then says: IF | were
asked to name the most important
crop for Missississippi for the next
few years | would not hesitate to an
swer, Corn
st is claimed by some that this is
not a corn country. l would respect
fully refer those making this claim to
the origin of the plan. Corn is semi
tropical plant, requires warm wealth
err to make it's best growth. There
fore, with the proper culture, should
make better yields in the south than
in the northern and western states.
ut is urged by some that our soils
are not adapted to corn. Yet the
boys in the corn clubs last season,
taking the southern states as whole,
made an average of sixty bushels per
acre with quite a number passing the
one hundred mark.
Again it is asserted that the Ne
gro cannot be made to grow corn
successfully. 1t is we'll known fact
that negro labor is used almost ex-
clusively in the delta and yet reports
from our ucluOuoll ldl io ~
Washington county (MiSsisSippD
showed an average yield Of above
forty bushels per acre and in every
instant the work was done by ne
grOes.
"The above yields were made by
following the methods advocated by
the United States department OF aG
riculture.'
The whole theme of Mr.. Wilson's
conversation is to make a farm sup
port itself. He is thoroughly CONVEX
SAINT with the subjects he has studied
for many years. His influence in this
state has been far-reaching. He is
the successor to H. e. Saverly, trans
ferred to Washington, d. c., as assist
ant in demonstration work through
out the south.
Mr. Wilson is strongly in favor of
the diversifica.ion idea. He advances
reason after reason, ideas upon top
of ideas as to why this is the saliva
ton of the south All these subjects
are skillfully and concisely handled
in many different pamphlets issued
by the agricultural department and
Mr.. Wilson asks that he be CORES
pended with regarding the work, best
methods of farming, as taught by
tncGe who have made it life study.