The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1911-05-06
HOW TO CONTROL THE TWO
WORST COTTON PESTS, THE
BOIL WEEvIL AND
THE BOIL WORM.
BY Paul Hayhurst, Adj. Prof. Of En-
tomoiogy.

The boil weevil il the well-known
snout beetle that passes its grub and
pupa stages in the squares and bolls
OF cotton. The boil worm il large
caterpillar that eats the big round
holes 80 often seen In the bolls In
late summer and fall, and IL often 70
ferred to incorrectly as the sharp
shooter" Tho boil weevil has ad-
vanced ~ far north in Arkansas. ac-
cording to DR.. Hunters report, as So
bastian. Logan, Pope. Conway, Faulk-
ner, Pulaski. Jefferson, Arkansas. Lin
coin and Desha counties. In the
southern section 1t makes cotton
growing Improbable on many planta-
lions. while in the northern line OF
counties its damages are slight or un-
noticed. The boil worm. ON the other
hand, IL generally present all over
the cotton growing portion OF the
state, and in those counties where the
| boil weevil Ia not troublesome 1t the
leading cotton pest This worm is
the young stage al q small moth.
| These insect pests are two OF the
| greatest discouragements which the
| cotton grower il up against In Ar
kansas. But it is fact that they can
both be satisfactorily controlled by
| making certain changes In the usual
method of growing cotton. This cir
cular is, therefore. issued to tell the
growers how to get good crops In
spite of these pests.
! How to Control the Boil WeeviI.
Success in making a crop under boil
weevil conditions depends on, two
principles, viz, the destruction Of the
weevil and the production Of an early
crop, so that the bolls will be past
the danger stage when the weevils
become numerous enough to do any
harm. The winter is the hardest
time of the year for the weevil. The
average number wintering alive undeI
favorable conditions in Texas Il
barely per cent The fall, therefore
is the time to strike the FIRST blow
at the weevils. At this time greal
hordes are entering winter quarters
many of which can be killed by the
following methods: Pick out the croI
early, and never mind the top crop
which cannot be secured under weevi
conditions. Burn all the immature
bolls and rubbish in and about the
fields in October. Not later than No
vember 1 pillow the remaining stalks
under deeply unless all have beer
burned. This keeps the weevils from
| feeding in late fall on sprout cottol
and from wintering under the debris
The longer the destruction of thu
plant is postponed the more weevll
will live over the winter to ruin tn,
early crop. Once every three or fou
weeks during the winter cultivate tn
land with section harrow or disk
so as to get it in coed shape for plant
ing in spring. Those that do success
in wintering alive will not become nj
! merous enough to do any harm unit
| | the bolls are past the danger size
, an early crop is secured.
Therefore take the following step
to get as early crop as possible
; Plant as early as you can after tn
} danger of frost is past and before tn
] spring drouth might retard germins
! ton. Select only early-maturing. vii
} orous varieties of cotton that put on
, short jointed fruit limbs near til
ground. This does not make 1t impo'
sible to grow laTge-bolled varieties I
the south. The first cultivatio
? should be deep and followed by sha
B low civilizations. one every week du
Z ing the season, thus filling the groun
fifteen times or more before the tin
!. 10 pick out the cotton. The see
. should be planted on well-draine
. land to render frequent cultivatio
4 possible. Apply commercial fert