Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1911-02-17
CAMPAIGN
CAN ALONE PREVENT
RAVAGES OF WEEV|L
President Charles S. Barrett,
of Farmers Union, Says
Pest Has Placed South in a
State of Seige
tsUec,al dispatch to me .Journal.)


"onsweeping boil weevil that places the
entire southern agricultural system in a
state Of SIEGE" His statement follows:
To the officers and members of the
Farmers union: In the eastern half OF
the southern states there is a noticeable
apathy among our farmers to one of the
greatest menaces in the history of agri-
culture-I refer to the steadily encroach-
ing Mexican boil weevil.
Had this visitation, which in it's dras-
tic destruction Of values Is entitled to
rank with the plaques OF Egypt, first
shown its head in any Of the trained and
disciplined nations OF Europe, the con-
certed wealth and skill of the threatened
government would have been mustered to
stine the danger.
Had the officials of the German en-
pire. for instance, received word that
this tiny pest had crossed, or was about
TO cross, the Russian frontier, they
would have stamped out the danger at
its very start.
/ "CRIMINALLY INDIFFERENT"
In the south we have been almost
criminally Indifferent. Not until the boil
weevil had gained a virtually impregna-
BILE foothold in the state OF Texas were
either state or federal officials reused to
the enormity OF the peril.
Now that It has spread over large
portions not only OF Texas, but as well
of Louisiana and Mississippi, with pre-
monitory manifestations even in Ala
bama, the farmers of these states begin
to recognize the fact that their entire
agricultural system is in a state Of
siege.
The practical world monopoly OF cotton
southern states has created an agricul-
tural system In this section with cotton
Ia Inn Z d hat
prior to the civil war the south produced
most of its own feed stuffs and used It's
cotton as a means to bring revenue in
from the outside But with the up
| heaval following the civil war this we'll
balanced method was more or less aban-
doned and until recent years the ready
money value OF cotton has warped the
southern Imagination to the exclusion OF
other staple products.
Within the last decade constant and
wholesome agitation, reinforced recently
by the campaigns Of the Farmers union,
has modified this condition and caused
the southern farmer to turn more large
ly to the production OF food crops
To an almost controlling extent, how
ever. cotton Is still the backbone OF
the agricultural south. a fact that Is
more conspicuous in the eastern than in
the western half of the section.
II ID NAAAb COHOilAOn NndN AnlCnBAnSS
the menace OF the boil weevil. Any In
nuence that threatens to reduce the cot
ton output of a southern state by one
third or one-half is an influence Of a
most revolutionary nature. And such are
the dimensions Of the tribute taken by
the Mexican boil weevil.
WARNINGS IGNORED.
From washington and from the various
capitals Of the southern states warn
ings regarding the weevil have multi
piled during the past four or Ave years.
But there are evidences that the farm
ers of q portion OF the gulf and all
of the south Atlantic states are not
taking seriously the nature Of these
warnings.
It is simple logic that II the boil weev-
/ II Is going to reduce the cotton yield
of every southern state from one-third
to one-half that some subst itute must
! be found II the soil is to continue to be
a reliable source of wealth. There Is.
moreover, no denying the realness of the
menace. It is estimated that within two
years at the farthest the boil weevil will
appear in Georgia and from Georgia 1t
/ is destined to invade every other cot
ton producing state, unless some new I'M
foreseen measures can be discovered.
Science, so far has failed to find any
means for definitely exterminating the
weevil. The one proven hope as demon
strated in Texas and other infested
states, is in the use of such early ma
turing varieties of cotton as will enable
the staple to be harvested before the
/ weevil has reached it's maximum power
of destruction.
In other words, the problem is reduced
Il to q race between the weevil and the
farmer. other palliative methods are the
burning over of fields in thef fall and
the abandonment of infested districts un-
til the weevil shall have been starved
into surrender.
Perhaps the most practical method lies
1 ,ombining the use OF early maturing
cotton and intensive cultivation, with
the giving over OF a large percentage
of the southern acreage to such crops as
are immune to the weevil. Fortunately,
the range of southern soil and climate
make comparatively easy these sweeping
readjustments in our agricultural sys-
tenn. Corn, wheat, oats, vegetable truck,
fruit, forage crops, and, as In the case
Of Louisiana, the ordinary peanut, all
Ger auxiliary means Of lighting the
weevil.
4 II on half of the acreage usually de-
| votd to cotton the farmers can produce
a fair cotton crop, with the early ma
turing varieties and intensive cultivation,
setting out the other part OF the acre
/ age IN one OF these Crops not
only will the depredations OF the weevil
/ be nullified, but the individual and ag-
Ngregate yield OF southern farmers win
be increased.
This is not 3 theory. 1t has been
demonstrated beyond argument In in
tested districts in the western half of
the southern states.
| TAKE MEASURES AT ONCE.
! The notice of this present appeal Is
to stress upon southern farmers every
where the absolute necessity of taking
precautionary measures at once. Had the
/ farmers Of Texas and Louisiana adopted
this plan they would have avoided mill
lions of dollars in losses due to the
/ boil weevil. The only sensible procedure
is to recognize that the entire south
seems destined to be afflicted by an un-
escapable pest and to go about lessening
or removing its possibilities for evil be-
fore 1t shall have reduced US to panic
! by it's sudden appearance.
I have always held that the southern
states are so fortunately endowed by
nature that they should be absolutely
Independent of other portions of America.
The boil weevil is the blundgeon that
is going to make us come into our herit-
age sooner than we had expected. In
this respect II is a blessing in disguise.
but Il Is essential to act in time IL we