The log cabin Democrat., 1916-09-21
FALL IS TIME 10 FIGHT THE WftY|L HARD WORK NECESSARY Arkansas Farmers Must Take Elab- crate Precaution, Says United
 States Expert.

If excessive damage by the boil weevil is to be avoided next year, Arkansas farmers must take elab- crate precautions next fall, says w. C. Lasseter, assistant director of agricultural extension in an article written for the Arkansas Profitable Farming Bureau.
 'The only method of preventing excessive damage next year is to destroy the places where the weevil
 will be protected during the cold
 winter weather,' writes Mr. Las setter. This can be done by blowing under stalks, trash, grass and weeds on the land. They should be plowed under so deep that they will not be available as hiding places for the weevil. Also the fence rows and corners should be cleaned up Ditch
 banks should be moved. Grass and
 weeds around old stumps should be removed or burned and trash around cotton houses should be disposed of. All this should be done not later than November. This will expose l the weevil to the cold and kill them toff.
 "The boil weevil has cost Arkan- sas farmers thousands of dollars this year. Last fall, the weevils were numerous and mild winter p ermitted them to survive in large numbers. This fall the weevils are more numerous than ever and it is highly improbable that the weather this winter will be severe enough to kill all of them. The weevils can withstand the most sever cold if they are protected by cotton bolls, trash, weeds, grass, old stumps, etc.
 "The most valuable practical method of controlling the boil weevil is fall breaking, The Arkansas cot ton crop is opening very rapidly this fall and the greater part of the cot ton will be picked quite early. Every cotton farmer should start a break ing blow in the cotton patch just as soon as strip has been cleaned of cotton, it should be broken and all stalks, grass and weeds should be plowed under deeply.
 "Also fall breaking is the only practical remedy for the anthracnose or boil rot which is becoming wide spread in Arkansas. Flowing under the cotton stalks bures the old burrs and bolls so deeply that they will be we'll routed before spring and the germs of anthracnose will be with cut place to live If stalks are left on the surface, the germs will live in the stefs and old burrs and will infect the cotton planted there the following year.
 Another great value of fall breaking is the increased yield on the land the following year. Fall breaking provides storage for moisture which will help carry the crop over drouth the following year. Deep fall breaking brings plant food to the surface where through exposure to weather and air, it becomes available for the use of plants. Fall breaking introduces air into the soil and that is very i'm portant.
 Break as much land in the fall as possible. By getting this done early. cover crops of rye, wheat, oats and possibly some of the clovers may be planted to advantage. It is true that most of the labor is needed in the fall for harvesting crops, but most farms can afford to assign one or two men to good breaking blows and to have these blows running every day in the fall when the land can be broken.
 Fall breaking means less work in the spring and earlier planting of crops. It is a decided advantage to plant cotton early because it has a better chance to escape the ravages of the boil weevil.
 Farmers should not get the idea that fall breaking and cleaning up the weeds and rubbish will kill all the weevils. There will be some that will find hiding place in some spot that has been overlooked.
 Early planting of early maturing varieties of cotton will help to avoid damage by these surviving weevils.
 By taking these precautions, it is possible to reduce the weevils suf- fciently so that the picking up of the fallen squares in the spring is less eXpensiYe and more effective"