The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1911-02-22
THE BOIL WEEVIL PROT.
rom the Augusta Chronicle.

fFrom the Augusta Chronicle.
Regardless of the varying opfn-
Pions as to the really serious aspect
of the Boil Weevil Plot" made
known in Atlanta several days ago,
we are inclined to think that the
whole exposure" is due to some
ones utter lack of a sense of humor
Indications are that the man who
wrote and called on Gov.-elect HOke
! Smith-conducting the prelimina-
| ries with all the care of "Old Sleuth"
is all right except in the matter
of gullibi1ity. The men who offered
to let him on the monstrous deal
were evidently bent on separating
him from some of his hard-earned
dollars, or were hunting stimulant
for the laughter muscles of their
physiognomies
II all the boil weevils in captivity
were obtained by those designing in
dividuals and were scattered broad
cast over the fields of Georgia, after
they had been lugged around a week
or so in bottles, we doubt very seri-
ously if anyone would find his cotton
crop destroyed. AS E. H. Stock
bridge, editor of the Southern Guilt
vatOr, points out it has been pretty
we'll demonstrated that the insect
will not live unless fed upon cotton.
We are not unmindful Of the claim,
as made by some entomologists, that
the weevil thrives in underbrush
and hibernates on the leaves of
small oaks. This may be true, but
experience has shown that inyasions
of the pests are best overcome by
ceasing to plant cotton in the fields
of their habitation.
In Texas and Louisiana, where
glistening fields were turned into
barren prairies, so far as cotton
culture was concerned, just as soon
as the farmers turned to corn ana
other grain crops the weevil dis
appeared Experience there showed
that the insect was spread by the
cotton itself, as wherever an abso-
Lutte quarantine has been possible
its limits have been well defined and
held impregnable
EntOmOlogists have been able TO
secure cultures only by feeding the
insects on the cotton plant; and,
while it may be possible to develop
considerable culture this way, to
grow sufficient quantity to infect
a large area Of nOn-infected sections
OF the cotton belt would not only be
exceedingly tedious, but next to i'm
possible, not to mention the diff
culties in the way OF general distri-
button.
1t is time the farmers of Georgia
were being taught the real dangers
facing them on the score of the ad-
Vancing plague; but to put forth
scares and frights based on nothing
more than anonymous information
OF little If any reasonable hypothesis
IS calculated to produce an hysteri-
cal state of mind that will retard
really intelligent measures of con-
troll or prevention.
Men who would undertake to dis
tribute boil weevils in an effort to
SO affect the cotton crop as to bull
the market would be guilty of a
crime for which a term in prison
would be mild punishment. 1t is
unthinkable that men of intelligence
would undertake such a thing. we're
1t possible, to say nothing of the in
herent fOOlishness in taking every
P"oo0lp Ny IuCo Iuelf commence.
The mysterious man from New
Orleans had better look well into
the liquor and keep careful watch
on his purse the next time he takes
several drinks with two such stran-
gers as those who sought his aid
IN what on the face would be the
most atrocious undertaking of re-
cent years.
One may wonder what would have
happened to him had he run afouI
OF couple of good sharpers in the
good old gold-brick and green-goods
days.