The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1914-01-17
RAVAGES OF BOIL WEV|l,
COTTON PRODUCERS HAVE SUI
FERED $500. coo. 900 LOSS
FROM INSECT.
South Cardinals Loss I'm Case of I'm.
Nasion Would be About Fifty Per
Ccnt-Loss Estimated i'm Various
states.


States have suffered from the boil
weeSil, according to statistics made
public today by Director w ]. Harris.
OF the Census Bureau, department of
commerce.
Searchers OF the department. of
commerce have discovered that the
loss In cotton production due to the
boil weevil has totalled 10000, 900
bales. Placing value of only $50 ON
eac hbale. the monetary loss reaches
the huge sum of half billion dol
lars. The actual loss. however, would
be very much above even that stupen-
dous figure. for. as pointed out by Di-
rector Harris. the loss resulting from
the failure OF farmers to plant cot
ton because OF the fear of the boil
weevil never can be estimated.
Here are the details of what the va
rious cotton states have suffered from
the boil weevil
Mississippi. In seven selected
counties Of Mississippi the production
OF cotton I'm 1907 amounted to 191,-
100 bales. valued at nearly s511 1,000,-
900. The boil weevil reduced this
production To S9.577 bales In 1909; to
61.432 bales in 1910; TO 37,S16 bales
in 1911; and to 30.S09 bales i'm 1912.
The aggre gate production for the four
years amounted to 219,634 bales, val
ued at approximately $4,000. 900. Had
the crop of 1907 been produced for
each OF these years the aggregate
would have exceeded 10000 bales.
valued at s4S.6O0.oO0. Many farm
ers I'm these counties abandoned en-
tirely the attempt to produce cotton.
The majority OF the farm laborers
hRxe been thrown out of employment
W nxzaAsas<s othask kplaces s-
Louisiana. Louisianas largest cot
ton crop. 1.oss.526 bales, was grown
In 1904.
The production was reduced to
245.6is bales IN 1910. This great loss
was due principally to the ravages OF
the boil weevil. In 10 OF the large
cotton-producing parishes the crop
amounted to 256.O1S bales, valued at
$l5,OOO,00O. during the year imme-
diattely preceding the advent OF the
weev,l in each OF these parishes. The
aggregated production OF these 10
parishes for the following four years
amounted To- only 2iI.25O bales. val
ued at approximately $13,5OO. 900.
Had the production equaled that OF
the year preceding the Coming of the
weevil. IL would have amounted to L.
O24.O72 bales. valued at s65.OOO. 900.
The loss To the cotton growers i'm these
10 parishes, attributed very largely to
tho boil weevil. amounted to more
than $50, 100000 for the four years.
Arkansas. During 1906. 1907. and
1908 the boil weevil was dispersed
over an area covering about third
OF the state OF Arkansas I'm four Sc
lected counties OF the state the crop
for 1906 amounted to- 73.426 bales. by
1903 the crop Of these counties had
been reduced by the weevil To Co.
s62 bales. and in 1910 IL was 35.49G
bales. The aggregate value Of these
two crops was about s4.5O0. 900 where
as had each equGled the crop or 1906
the cotton for these counties would
have brought into them more than
S1O. 700.
Texas. The boll weevil first appear
eel I'm the state of Texas i'm 1882. nnd
during the next 10 years caused an
enormous loss i'm the cotton crop of
the state. In seven selected counties
In the northeast section of the state
the production i'm 1906 amounted tu
232.063 bales. This was reduced to
1tt.7Oi bales i'm 1907; To 1894 bales
In 1905. and To li5.752 bales in 1909
Tho aggregate value of the three crops
iu these counties amounted To- about
s2t.OOO.OOO II the production or
1905 had been maintained. the value
would have been approximately siO.-
600. .oOs.
Alabama. The holl wccvil now Gov
ers tho southern portion of Alabama.
selecting six counties in the eastern
part of the state. which are i'm the di-
rect path Of the wccvil tho production
during hvc years has amounted to
112.S2j bales. which sold for about
$4,000. 900. If the ravagcs of the
weevil i'm these counties should rcsul.
In reducing the production i'm the
Same proportion as i'm the selected
counties I'm Mississippi. the cotton pro
duccd during the four seasons follow /.
.ng the spread Of the wccvil through
out these counties would amount t.
10000 bales. and the financial loss
computed at $50 per bale. would Il, /
more than $4,000. 600.
GeOrRiu getcgtiNc C,c i,,,,.r,,,,t