Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1911-09-26

This is the second of the series o.:
articles on the boil weevil as seen by
Mr.. G. v Cunningham, of the faculty
Of the Agricultural College, during his
recent trip to Mississippi, to study
the cotton pest as a representative of
the Farmers COOPERATIVE Demonstra-
ton Work of the United States De-
partment Of Agriculture.
How Farmers Fight the WeeYil.
Oh G. V. Cunningham
The next place We visited was Sill
Yer Creek, Miss, in Lawrence county.
This county is typical of the eastern
par tot Sumter and the whole of Crisp,
Turner, and Tiff in surface features
and soils. If any difference it is Slight
ly more hilly.
We went out to the farm of Mr. ].
NJ. Armstrong, who lived about two
miles from Silver Creek His field
was badly infested with weeyils, there
being but few blossoms in the field,
as high as ten weevils being found
in one square, and not more than a.
half bale cotton per acre where there
should have been a least a bale and
half. And to get even this much re-
CURED a cut in acreage to about four
acres to the pillow. We were in this
field from nine to ten o'clock in the
morning. At this time of day we
found the weevils most readily in the
blooms, and We We're told that the
Weevils could always be found in the
blooms at this time of day and that
the farmers took advantage of this
fact and went into the fields and
picked the weeyils. We noticed that
the ground was covered with young
squares and that half-grown bolls and
even grown bolls We're punctured and
ruined which is always true after the
weeyils become so numerous and there
are not enough squares to supply
them.
We We're told that the weevils could
be found sitting in the top of the cot
ton waiting for a square to form even
at chopping time, and that the farm
ers went into their patches at this
time and caught them, because they
knew that when they destroyed a Wee
vii they would prevent the raising Of
several thousand during the season.
This was all the more important, be-
cause but few of the weevils are able
to pass the winters alive and that the
destructio nof even one weevil meant
so much in the making of a seasons
crop. From the time the egg is laid"
they said, until a full grown weevil
is ready for work, is only fifteen
days"
l found one of the greatest argu-
ments in favor of getting out stumps
while out in the boil weevil terri
tory. Where there are stumps the
weevils hide in them during the win
ter, and the first appearance of weevils
is usually near the stumps.
Mr.. W. J. Bass, Silver Creek. Miss.
one of the best farmers in that county.
started his conversation with us by
saying, "The sleeper must get out
when the weevil comes. l grow some
cotton yet in spite of the weevil though
grow it only as surplus crop. This
year | run three plows. I have IA
acres in cotton, II acres in corn, 3
acres in wheat followed with corn. 9
acres of sweet potatoes, 3 acres of
oats followed with peas, and acre in
sorghum. l also have 80 head of hogs,
3 mich cows, and l expect to buy two
Percheron mares for breeding pur-
poses"
When asked how he fought the wee
VII in his cotton, he said that he al
ways breaks his land we'll in the fail
and cultiyates his crop rapidly and
tate He said he plants very early
patch Of cotton in the field where be
expects to plant his regular crop. The
Yeeyils. he said, would gather there
first. Then he would go and catch
these weevils. By doing this. lie
said, he could help keep down the
rayages in his regular patch. When
the squares begin to fall in his field,
he goes in and picks UP the squares
and burns them once a week. He has
his rows five feet wide and plenty of
distance between the plants so that