Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-09-12
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER IL, 1911.
PROTECT THE BIRDS.
The Situation Is Growing Desperate,
According to James Henry Rice.

The Situation Is Growing Desperate,
According to James Henry Rice.
Editor Yorkville Enquirer:
The approach of the cotton boil
weevil is fraught with danger to the
principal industry of South Carolina,
the planting of cotton. Incidentally
il must affect us all, since general
prosperity is dependent on the success
OF agriculture.
have recently visited the region
i'm Alabama and in Mississippi, which
is infested by the boil weevil. More
over 1 have kept in touch with all
field work being done by the field
force under Mr.. w. d. Hunter, who Is
in charge for the United States gov
ernment with headquarters at Dallas,
Texas.
The pest is worse than reported;
the damage done grows greater as
the boil weevil comes eastward and
the rate of travel has been enormous
ly increased, owing to more favorable
conditions in states east Of the Missis-
sippi. Texas has escaped on account
of a greater acreage and further on
account of climatic conditions which
subject the insect to harassment
from years end to years end. The
hot dry summers, the sharp, hard
changes in winter, the absence OF
winter cover, and the shifting of the
tton belt westward to where 1t Is
n dryer and hotter, are the main
s. tors which saved Texas
= louisiana, however, suffers loss
three-fourths of her usual crop;
gr are conditions in the infested por-
= Mons of Alabama and Mississippi any
Dbetter.
All authorities concur in the posi-
tive statement, based on facts or eX-
perience and observation, that plros
are the chief and in the end the only
check to the cotton boil weevil. Thls
is disputed nowhere, except by ignor-
ant persons, who should not be need
ed when the state faces crisis IN us
every authority in this country STANDS
by that belief in the efficacy of birds
in checking the boil weevil. l saw
evidence enough Of 1t while in the
boil Weevil territory recently; ana II
should be remarked that farmers In
the same territory have not the slight
est doubt as to the value or blrds 10
them. A.,
Moved by the great danger the
state Of Georgia has within the past
fortnight passed stringent ana
sweeping law for the protection OF It's
birds and the legislature of that state
has created a department with the
means of raising ample revenue,
whose business shall be to protect
birds and game.
This was done by passing the resi-
dent hunters license which has been
urged on the general assembly OF
South Carolina for five years past, but
without securing action on the same.
No politics whatever is in the meas
ure. 1t is aimed for the public sate.
iva measure to provide rel1er
against an insect invasion.
1t is necessary that l call your at
tention to the fact that for many
wears / have striven to forestall the
work of the pine bark beetle, which Is
now destroying thousands Of dollars
worth of pine timber and has become
a grave menace. insomuch that the
national government has estaDllshed
a station at Spartanburg to fight 1t.
All the destruction of pine timber
might have been prevented, and would
have been, If the general assembly
had taken action, giving the depart
ment means to handle the outbreak
The general assembly Of South Caro-
lima is morally responsible for every bit
of this loss.
am writing this with the hope
that you will arouse your readers 10
action. The experience OF the pine
bark beetle will soon be repeated
- n
people of South Carolina force action
out of the general assembly
The only way to save the birds is
TO vigorously enforce the laws for
their protection. The only practical
way to enforce these laws is by pass
ing a law, laying a license on hunters.
No other plan has succeeded any.
where; and now, with the action OF
Georgia, there are but three states In
the Union without a law licensing
hunters.
that eat the boil weevil. Most OF them
are not game birds, but are the small
birds which are peculiarly In need or
protection,
The boil weevil will enter South
Carolina within three years time
This gives a bare breathing spell; but
II protection Is given to the birds at
community In South Carolina, there
will be gratifying increase within
three years.
1t must be remembered that birds
will be required to fight the weevil.
not only at the time Of its introduc-
ton. but for every year the insect re-
mains within the borders OF the state.
In the last place, be kind enough to
reflect on the fact that nobody knows
ANYTHING about even ordinary insects,
except those of US who devote our
lives TO It; and it is fair to conclude
that the average farmer will know
less about an imported insect like the
boil weevil, which he could not tell
by sight from scores Of others.
Every day lost gives opportunity TO
misfortune. The situation would cas-
ily justify calling a special session OF
the general assembly for the purpose
Of providing against so terrible ca
lamity as the boil weevil invasion.
The quarantine Is merely tempor-
ary makeshift and is justified only by
the awful necessity of the case. When
the boil weevil gets ready to come
into the state, he will fly right in, and
all the Quarantines in the world will
not affect him one iota.
Dealing with ignorant politicians
has been to me a distasteful job but
have stuck to 1t for the issue means
everything to South Carolina.
Now II comes squarely to the peo-
pie. They are on the brink OF
precipice, the very rim Of a volcano.
There Is but one thing they can do
and the Lord have mercy on their
souls If they fail to see 1t and see II
quickly.