The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1912-03-13
DOING 4 GREAT NIUH.Ez
CONDUCTING CAMPAIGN TO
FIGHT BOIL MEEIlL.
President Finley Tells of Cotton Gull
ture Work by the Southern Rail
way in the South.

tUre Work by the Southern Rail
way il the South.
The Southern Railway is conduct
ing campaign in the South to en-
able the farmers of the cotton belt
10 overcome the boil weevil. The
campaign is educational in its nature
and it is planned to introduce i'm
proved cultural methods. President
Finley, discussing the work recently
said:
The primary purpose Of the organ
ization Of the county culture depart
ment by the railway companies which
contribute to its support was to CO.
operate with farmers along the lines
Ct those companies in the 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 agricultural de-
partment, for growing cotton under
boil weevil conditions. DR.. Knapp
also advised that it would be advan.
tageous to adopt those methods inde-
pendently Of the presence OF the
weevil. The results o. the first years
work OF our cotton culture depart
nlent have demonstrated the sound
ness Of his advice in all respects.
In a circular. under date Of Feb
ruary y, 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
bureau. with the approval Of the Sec
rotary of agriculture. it is pointed
ont that the weeviis were less NUM-
erous in 1911. owing to adverse
weather conditions. and that the in.
sect was exterminated IN an area
covering about $4,000 square miles
in the northwestern portion OF Texas
and the portion Of Oklahoma. where
conditions were particularly uHfav-
orable. Dr. Hunter shows that. not
withstanding these conditions, the IN
sect continued TO spread to the north
sissippi an Alabama. He says
the reduction in numbers in 1911 was
cue to combination Of climatic in
huences which can only be expected
10 recur at infreQnent intervals. and
that. with the return Of favora hi"
seasons. the weevil will again multi
r!y. He urges, therefore, that it is
necessary for planters to continue
their fight against the weevil accord
ing to the methods that have been
recommended by the agricultural de-
partment. These are the methods
advised by the Southern railway cot
ten culture department.
at should be borne in mind that
the cultural methods recommended
by the late Dr. Knapp, and advised
by our cotton culture department
involve intensive farming. This is
important not only as to cotton, ouf
also as to other crops, and we are
urging farmers to produce all of the
grain, fruits, vegetables. meats, dairy
products, and poultry used on the
farm so that they may not have to
sell cotton regardless Of market con-
ditions in order to buy these things.
but may be able to market their crop
when there is an economic demand
for it. 1t will thus be seen that, the
agents Of the cotton culture depart
ment are giving advice as to farm
operations generally. Their success
in this is shown by the records made
in thirty fields Of corn grown in &C
cordance with their advice. The aV-
erage yield obtained under improved
cultural methods was 47k bushels
per acre, as compared with an. es-
timated average of "A bushels per
acre on similar lands in the same
general localities. The best corn
WELD reported by our cotton culture
department was SO bushels per acre
on a field Of 65 acres.
''I desire again to call attention to
the fact that the services Of the field
agents Of this department are given
free of charge to all farmers along
the lines OF the participating COM
nanies. Farmers residing along the
lines OF these companies in localities
where a field agent has not yet been
stationed may obtain literature de-
scriptive Of the methods recommend
ed by addressing T. Q. Plunkett, gen
e-al agent, Chattanooga, Tenn