The Tupelo journal. (Tupelo, Miss.) 1876-1924, 1912-03-08
Cotton Culture and Boil Weevil.

N.Y. Wv opCohiuS louoy VI WIN
first years work of the Cotton
Culture Department maintained
by the Southern Railway, the
Mobile & Ohio Railroad, the Ala
bama Great Southern Railroad,
and the Georgia Southern & Flor
ida Railway, said:
1.-The primary purpose OF the
organization of the Cotton Gull
ture Department by the railroad
companies which contribute to Its
support was to cooperate with
farmers along the lines OF those
companies in territory along the
advance of the Mexican cotton
boil weevil for the adoption Of
those CULTURAL methods recon-
mended by the late DR.. S. A.
Knapp, of the United States Ag-
ricultura' Department, for grow
ing cotton under boil weevil con-
ditions. DR.. Knapp also advised
that it would be advantageous to
adopt those methods independ-
entity of the presence of vie Wee
vii. Theresults of the frs year.
work of our Cotton Culture De
partment have demonstrated the
soundness of his advice in all res
poets.
<@In a circular. under the date
of February IL, 1912, prepared
by DR.. w. D. Hunter, the boil
weevil expert of the Bureau of
Entomology. and issued by DR..
L. o. Howard, chief of that bu-
reau, with the approval of the
secretary of agriculture, 1T Is
pointed out that the Weevlls were
less numerous in 1911, owing to
adverse weather conditions, and
that the insec twas eXtermlnated
in an area covering about 20, GOO
square miles in the northwestern
portion of TeXes and the western
portion of Oklahoma, where con-
ditions were particularly unfav-
orable. DR.. Hunter shows that,
notwithstanding these conditions
the insect continued to spread to
the north ward and eastward in
Arkansas, Mississippi and Alaba-
ma. He says that the reduction
in numbers in 1911 was due a
combination of climatic inf1uen-
ces which can only be expected
to recur at infrequent intervals,
and, that, with the return of fav-
orable seasons. the we.vil will
again multiply. He urges, there
fore, that it is necessary for
planters to cotinne their fight
against the weevil according to
the methods that have been COM
merded by the agricultural de
partrnent These are the meth
DDS advises by the SouthernR :
way Cotton Culture Department.
1t should be borne in mind
that the cultural methods recon-
mended by the late DR.. Knapp
and advised by our Cotton Gull
ture Department involve inten-
sive farming. This is important
not only as to cotton. but also as
to ether crops, and we areurglng
farmers to produce all of the
grair S, fruits, vegetables meats,
dairy products, and poultry used
on the farm so that they may not
have TO sell CO. ton regardless OF
market conditions ia order to buy
these things, but may be able to
market their crop when there is
an economic demand for il. 1t
will thus be seen that the agents
of the Cotton Cultued Depart
ment are giving advice as to
operations generally. Theirsuc-
cess in this is shown by the rec
ords made in thirty fields of corn
grown in accordance with their
advice. The average yield OBJ
tanned under improved cultural
methods was AZ IL bushels per
acre. as compared with an esti-
mated average of IA bushels per
oo~o ~, o;,~>;to~ /, ., dc -, : h<, "a, ~, O