Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1913-09-26
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE,
nAno ~ fho Cooo.of<rs.a,

once OF the Secretary.
Washington, September Is, 1918
Hon. Walter Elder,
House of Representatives.
DEAR Mr.. ELDER-In the absence OF
DIR. Galloway, am replying to your let
ter of August 30th The two agencies con-
cerned in the boil weevil situation have
been consulted. The Entomologists are
of the opinion that the insect enemies of
the cotton boil weevil have been factor
OF some importance in the increase OF
cotton production in the Red River dis
trict, and are making further investiga.
tons in this direction. They intimate that
plans will be made, if feasible, TO increase
the insect enemies in recently invaded
districts. II is clear from the Entomol-
ogist's note that the editorial which You
enclose gives undue emphasis to the de-
structive influence of parasites.
Mr.. Evans Of the Bureau OF Plant In
dustry, in Charge of Farmers Cooper
alive Demonstration Work, expresses the
following opinion, which substantially ac-
cords with the views of the Entomolo-
gists, as to the effect Of insect enemies,
and attributes the increase in cotton prin-
cipally to other causes, such as recov-
cry of confidence and the demonstration
work:
THE principal cause of the increased
production in the counties mentioned was
returning confidence on the part OF the
farmers, due to the thousands of success
ful demonstrations conducted by this Of
fee in the parishes named.
'DeSoto parish, Louisiana, was com
pletely infested with weevil in 1906. Dem
onstration Work was begun in that par
ish in 1907, il being the first parish in
the State to employ Local Agent. The
farmers were thoroughly demoralized anil
the acreage in cotton was very small. Our
Local Agent, Mr.. Cowdin, established and
conducted something like 200 successful
cotton demonstration farms that year. The
result was almost a complete restoration
of confidence, and production took big
Jump upward the succeeding year and has
continued to increase eyer since. Demon
stration Work has been carried on con-
tinuously in that parish all this while.
Booster parish, Louisiana, was the sec
ond parish in the State, and the third in
the entire South, to employ Local Dem
stration agent, the merchants and bust
ness men in both De Soto and Bossier
parishes putting up about $500 per an
mum TO help maintain these agents. We
started intensive demonstration work in
Bossier parish before the weevil had
thoroughly covered the county, and were
able to prevent az great a degree Of de-
moralization in that county as had &C.
CURED i'm De Soto, as statistics show. Our
records disclose that not only in these
particular counties but in every county
in Louisiana where substantial gain has
been made, Demonstration Work has been
carried ON intensively.
Mr.. Evans is definitely OF the opinion
that such editorials are misleading and
materially interfere with the efforts to
aid the farmers.
Very truly yours,
D. F. HOUSTON, Sec'y.
We are a little surprised at the
statement in this letter that the ed
itorial was misleading and mater
tally interferes with the efforts Of
the department to aid the farmers. !"
We had no disposition to criticize
or minimize the value of the dem
onstration work of the department,
nor did we do so. We merely sug-
gested that possibly a parasite or
enemy of some kind to the boil vice.
vii was factor in the result COM
mented on.
This suggestion was, in our opin-
ion, quite reasonable one in view
of the fact that here on the Missis-
sippi we have not obtained the re-
suits from following out the meth
DDS advocated by the department
which it claims have brought about
he enormous increase in yield which
.ava taken nlace on the Red.