The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1911-07-20
Coming of the Boil Weevil.

The boil weevil is on a steady
march to the cotton fields Of South
Carolina which they will reach and
devastate in the next two or three
fears If calculations made by the Ag-
riculrural Department are correct.
This being the case 1t behooves our
farmers to get all the facts in regard
to the life and habits Of these pests
that have been brought to light by
years OF experience and careful study
for by taking advantage of, some of
them much can be done to lessen the
damage to the cotton by these pests
A correspondent of Home and Farm
says the leading authorities upon the
boil weevil all agree that one Of the
most important steps in the control of
this insect is the destroying of the
stalks early in the fall.
He says as soon as the weevils be-
come so numerous that practically no
more cotton will be produced, destroy
the stalks so as to kill many of the
insects and to cut off the food supply
Q th eotners. Hasten the picking Of
the cotton, aud as soon as It is pick
ed out destroy the stalks. The earli-
er the stalks are destroyed the few
er weevils will survive to damage the
crop next year. Some very valuable
experiments made by the secretary of
the Louisiana State Crop Pest Com
mission two years ago show clearly
the value of the advice given by this
correspondent and our farmers
would do well to remember it as well
as other facts about the boil weeyil.
He found that where the plants
were destroyed before October IS on
ly per cent. of the weevils surviv-
ed the winter to infest the next years
crop. Where the cotton plants were
destroyed between October Is and
October 27, and about Is per cent. of
the weevils survived the .wintel
Where the cotton plants were de-
stroyed between November / and %,
about 23 per cent. of the weevils sur
vived. Where the cotton plants were
destroyed between Nov. Is and De-
cember 7, % per cent of the weeils
lived through the winter, but where
the destrcution OF the cotton plants
was put off until the middle of De-
cember or later, over 4S per cent.
of the boil weevils survived the win
ter and were ready to attack next
years crop.
Destruction of the cotton plants
before October Is allowed but 8 per
cent. of the weevils to live until the
next crop was subject to their attack.
Against this small number of over.
wintered weevils as has been repeat
edly proven the planter can make a
good crop by the use Of proper early
maturing varieties, ard by the adop-
tion of the intensive cultural meth
DDS. BY leaving the cotton plants
standing until after the milldle or
December the ia, mer invites certai,
destruction of the next years crop,
for when he starts the spring VITA
43 per cent as many weevils as he
had the previous fall he cannot hope
to make crop by any means under
the sun.
these figures are so convincing
that it is incomprehenslble that any
farmer should continue to try to
grow cotton where the weevils are
without picking out his crop early
and completely destroying the cotton
plants ts-stalks, leaves, bolls and roots
long before the first autumn frost.
There are hundreds of other facts
concerning the boil weevil that the
farmers Of this section should famil-
iarizc themselves with before the ar
rival of the boil weevil, in order to
more intelligently meet the situation
and to continue to raise cotton on a
profitable basis after the boil weevil
comes to this section of the cotton
belt, which they are certain to do,
sooner or later.