The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1912-03-09

Cotton boil weevlI: Larvae at left,
pupae at right About five times nat
ural size. Or. w. D. Hunters Illus
tratlon.
lands and I know whereof I speak
when ! say that 1t is very difficult to
completely bury average size cotton
stalks. 1 have hitched three large
mules to a twelve inch steel beam
turning pillow with a log chain attach
ment and failed to completely turn I'M
der average size cotton stalks on land
clear of stumps. l have failed to turn
under large size cotton stalks with
four large mules hitched to a thirty
inch disk pillow. In fact, farmers who
have attempted to pillow under green
cotton stalks early in the fall laugh
at the advice sometimes given to plow
under the stalks at all times and under
all conditions as a means of destroy
Ing the food supply of the weevils.
However, let us use large plows and
strong teams and completely bury the
stalks wherever 1t can be done.
There is an insufficient number of
cattle on many farms and plantations
to thoroughly and completely denude
the cotton stalks of every vestige of
foliage, squares and bolls in a short
time and it is impossible to completely
bury the cotton stalks on many farms
and plantations, hence, 1t Is absolute
ly necessary to burn the stalks as
soon as the cotton is picked out
When the stalks are burned the food
supply of the adult weevils is de-
stroyed at once. The weevis in the
immature stages in the squares and
bolls are all destroyed at once, and
the large majority of the adult weevils
perish in the flames especially when
the stalks are burned after shutdown
Weevils retire for the night on the
cotton stalk piles at about shutdown.
They seldom move about at night. If
the farmers are careful not to unduly
shake the stalk piles when applying
the torch after shutdown, practically
all the weevils on the stalk piles will
be burned.
OF course, II the stalks are allowed
to remain until a heavy frost has come
and practically all of the mature
weevils have gone into winter quar-.
ters, it is not advisable to burn the
stalks. It is then advisable to turn
the stalks under as deeply as possible.
Surprising numbers Of weevils have
been found alternating in cracks and
holes In the ground ana under grass,
weeds and other trash. In January,
1907, in one instance, the bureau OF
entomology found $50 weevils pei
acre, of which 70 per cent. were alive.
Most Of the many examinations that
have been made by the bureau of en-.
tomology have shown more than 1000
live weevils per acre In the cotton
fields. Thousands Of weevils are
found alternating in corn fields in old
sorghum and cane fields, and in hay
fields.
Deep winter breaking and the turn
ing under of trash, corn stalks and sc
On means death to thousands OF
weevils. The thousand or more
weevils per acre In the cracks and
holes in the ground and under the
grass, weeds and trash and corn stalks
can practically all be killed by deep
winter breaking of the land. There
is enough rainfall in this section tc
thoroughly saturate the soil many
times and for this reason 1t is not at
all necessary to burn the corn stalks,
grass, oat and pea stubble and other
vegetable matter on the tillable land.
Every acre in cultivation In the weevil
territory should be plowed good and
deep during the fall and winter.
Many weevils will escape from the
fields but all will not fly beyond the
reach Of the farmer. Many will be
found along the fence rows, hedges,
ditch banks. and in decayed logs and
dead trees. The cleaning and burn.
ing of the hedges, ditch banks and
fenced rows and the burning Of sar
on logs. stumps and dead trees in and
around the fields will, destroy many
weevils that would live to do great
damage