Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1914-03-31
MALARIA MOSQUITO ADDS TO
DAMAGE OF COTTON BOIL WEEv|L

Washington, D. c., March 9O.-The
malarial mosquito is not only caus-
ing tremendous annual losses in farm
labor and production in the south, but
is indirectly increasing the destruct-
iveness of the cotton boil weevil, ac-
cording to statements of specialists 81
the U. S. department of agriculture.
These statements follow study of i
mosquito-infested plantation in Louis
lana made during the last cotton and
corn season by specialists of the bp-
reau of entomology as a preliminary
to a more extended investigation of the
effect of malaria on farm production
and profits.
On this single farm the specialists
found that the malarial mosquito 50
affected the workers that the equiv
alent OF 7.39 weeks of work by adult
labor were lost per family during the
seasons when crops were under cult
walton. This does not include the les
sened efficiency of convalescents or
the lack of interest and. energy re-
sulting from malarial illness.
The Louisiana farm selected for the
experiment contains 3,54O acres, of
which 1900 acres were under cultiva-
ton and 1740 acres were in swamp
land timber. The natural conditions
on the plantation, it is believed, pre-
vail on nearly 100000 square miles of
farming land in the south. Of the till
ed acreage about 1900 acres were cui-
tivated by tenant farmers who took
three-fourths of their yield if they
needed supplies mules, seed, imple-
ments, and feed, or one-half of their
yield, if the plantation owner supplied
these items. The balance of the cui-
.tivated acreage was worked with day
labor at 81 per day.
Prevalence of Malaria on this Planta-
ten.
The plantation physician stated at
the beginning of the survey that fully
IS per cent. of the families on the
plantation were afflicted with malaria
and at least two members of every
afflicted family had the disease in a
serious form at some time during the
crop season. Nine out of every ten
patients in his practice, he said, were
malarial subjects. A study of the re-
cords of the plantation show that As
out of Ga families were treated for
malaria by the doctor during the past
season. This number is probably too
low the departments specialists be-
lieve, because many families try to
avoid the cost of medical attendance,
and the negro has a natural aversion
to medical treatment.
The manager of another plantation,
which raises rice, states that the la
Dor problem, because of malaria is
acute at the time Of planting and dur
ing the harvest season. He says that
"chills" are particularly serious dur
ing the harvest season and that the
labor force then becomes greatly re-
duced In 1912 he had to go outside
his district for hands and recruited
80 men. These men were all in heal
thy condition and worked we'll for two
weeks. At the end of this time they
began to have "chills" and before the
end of the harvest 20 out of So wer2
incapacitated for work. All these
men returned to their homes. In 1873
the same man sought to recruit mea
from the same place to harvest the
rice crop, but they refused to CONF.
They stated that their physicians ad-
vised them not to go to the rice fields.
This physician informed he manager
that these men who worked for him
during the previous season returned
to their homes unfit for work in the
cane and grinding season and that he
advised them not to go north to the
rice fields. Another manager of
cane plantation also stated that men