Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1911-07-14
BARRETT URGES FARMERS
TO FIGHT Boil WEEVIL
Says II Is Almost Criminal
Folly to Wait for Its Ar
rival
Especial Dispatch to The Journsl)

Especial Dispatch to The Journal)
Union CITY. Ca. July 1S-'It is
almost criminal folly to await the active
advent OF the boI weevil before starting
a preventive campaign" says President
: C. : Barrett. OF the National Farmers
: Educational and Cooperative union. in
statement issued here, The statement
follows:
STATEMENT OF BARRETT.
ITO the Onioers and Members Of the
Farmers Union: Reliable and nom
alarmist experts calculate the cotton
boil weevi win cover the entire cotton
(. belt within I'VE years IL will probably
be in Georgia in the fan Of 1919, perhaps
sooner
..The northumberland policy is
foolish. almost to the point Of criminali-
a.. II is better to face facts now than
10 suffer the penalty later
Southwestern cotton states have. by
the loss OF many million dollars. discov-
erred the most feasible methods yet de-
svised Cor combating the boil weevil.
Their experience IS ours for the taking.
UNLESS THE PORTION OF THE
lection BELT AS YET UNTOUCHED
BY THE BOIL WEEVTL TAKES STEPS
IN TIME THE ADVENT OF THIS IN
SECT IS GOING TO PRODUCE TEN
PORARY PANIC BY WHOLLY DE-
RANGING COTTON CULTURE. AS
YET THE FINANCIAL BACKBONE
Dc THE SOUTHERN STATES.
( 4 deem it my duty to issue these plain
warnings. and 10 urge every farmer in
the territory likely to be affected TO go
about putting up defenses this year and
without delay.
The detail remedies will be generous
~ furnished you BY your state sgricul-
tural departments. experiment stations,
or the federal department of agriculture
Roughly speaking. they are few and
simple. They consist IN using an early
maturing variety OF cotton, that the
crop may be gathered before the weevil
has attained It's greatest power for
damage; intensive cultivation. which will
produce q maximum fiber 10 the acre:
burning over OF old fields after the crop
Is gathered: and. above all. cULTIvA-
TION OF OTHER CROPS NOT SUS-
-cEPTIBLE TO THE wEEvIL.
STATE SENDS MONEY AWAY.
s~rhe Farmers Union News, published
at Union City. recently published Stats
tics showing that Georgia spends annu-
ally for products other than cotton more
than Sl7u. 0oQ0o0 year Every bit OF these
products can Be grown In and every
dollar OF that sum should be kept in
Georgia The amount We virtually give
away 10 other sections for the food and
farm products our own acres should
bring forth Is nearly so 100000 in ex-
cess Of our return. in Georgia. for the
cotton crop
What is true OF Georgia Is relatively
srue OF other states not yet touched by
The weevil- As 1 have previously COM
tnnented. the trend toward scientific agri-
culture. diversification and intensive cul-
ovation Is impressive But il Is only ON
The THRESHOLD OF WHAT 1T
SHOULD BE
And the boil veevil Is forcing our
Bands. II Is compelling US. in self
preservation. to turn to a system we
should long ago have embraced volun-
Aarily in self-interest
II feel that the peril is so real that
The warning should be commensurately
solemn Begin TO fight the boil weevii
now. II you do not il is going TO dig
great holes in southern progress and
prosperity