Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1915-03-03

the past two seasons, in that they
have been such as to cause the Next
can boil weevil in southeastern Ala
bama to recede instead of advance.
While the weevil has advanced at
about his average rate in northern
Alabama, and right up to the Ten
nessee line, State Entomologist E.
Lee Worsham calls attention to the
fact that the cold weather of the win.
tiers of 1914, as well as the long
dry spell of the summer of 1914,
and the fact that a heavy top
crop last year furnished plentiful
food, have had the effect of retard-
ing his progress in southeastern Ala
bama, whereas, if weather conditions
had been right the weevil would long
since have been in Georgia cotton
fields.
Latest investigations show, says
Mr.. Worsham, that the weevil is now
two miles from the Early county,
Georgia, line in Henry county, Ala
bama, and Is also close to the Georgia
line in Jackson county, Alabama. 1t
ia certain that the boil weeyil will
soon reach Georgia, but the particu.
lar time at which it will come will
depend, as heretofore, upon weather
and food conditions.
This weather retarding process
has been fortunate not only for south
west Georgia, but for the entire
state Entomologist Worsham said,
because it has materially delayed
the spreading of the weevil over the
entire state. This has given Georgia
farmers the very opportunity they
needed to prepare to meet the condi-
tions with which they will have to
contend when the weevil gets into
their fields.
Good Preparation Made
This preparation has already been
largely made in the counties of south.
western Georgia, where cotton breed
ers' clubs have been organized by the
department among the farmers for
the purpose of developing varieties
that will meet Georgia conditions.
To do this it has been necessary to
develop early maturing varieties that
are. wilt-resistant, since early matur-
ing cottons heretofore have always
been more or less susceptible to
black root or wilt disease.
"The. departments variety tests
have, in large measure, succeeded
in overcoming this difficulty and
through its experiments there are
now available the seed of some va
rieties which are both early maturing
to meet boil weevil conditions and
show adequate resistance to the wilt
disease. The department recon-
mends diyersification and the plant
ing of more food crops as first es-
sential cement in meeting boil wee
vii conditions The next, and it is
equally important, is the planting of
demonstrated early maturing varieties
that are wilt-resistant Proper culti-
walton inducing rapid growth is i'm
portant
To Get a Better Yield.
1.-THE important thing for tie Geor-
gia farmer is to grow better cotton.
1t is up to the farmer to improve the
staple and TO make the pant yield
more and more so that he will have
more land than ever before to devote
to food products 1t is possible to
cut the Georgia cotton acreage in
half, and yet get the same yield.
This department has succeeded in
inducing many growers to pay more
attention to seed selection for resist
ance to disease such as wilt and an
thracnose, as we'll as selection for i'm
provement of the plant generally.
The most important point, as already
indicated, is to get an early maturing
variety to meet boil weevil conditions
that will at the same time resist dis
ease: and the next point In view is
, to increase the percentage of lint to
the stalk and the yield per acre.
| Though following the plans indicated
by the department some of these
Georgia growers have been able al
ready to produce anywhere from one
/ to three bales per acre on lands upon
which they formerly produced half
bale or less; and in some instances
through the cultivation Of the upland
| long staple variety, they have sold
| their product at to cents per
DC und more than the ordinary upland
cotton brings
The question Of the best variety
depends entirely uponfthe section of
tie state in. which the seed is to be
planted The only way to determine
which Is the best variety is to test
out the best known varieties in diff
fe-ent rections and this is what the