Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1916-11-29
BOIL WEEVIL A BLESSING ?
Rev. Is. II. Grier Talks Interestingly
OF Conditions In Alabama.

Rev. Boyce Fl. Grier, of Camden,
! Ala, who attended the meeting of
the \. II. p. Synod at York last week,
In an interview with the Yorkville
, Inquirer. said that the boil weevil
will eventually prove blessing to
the farmers of his State. He is quo
| ted as follows:
Your lands here in York county,
with which ! am familiar, are moth
| ing like 50 fertile as those around
Camden, Ala.,' said MIR. Grier. Far
mers in Alabama have been making
ten bales of cotton to the mule with
out the aid of any fertilizer whatever
until the approach Of the boil weevil.
But this year an average of only one
| bale to the plow will be secured. The
boil weevil has devastated the crops
in our section and in every portion of
Alabama. There is little that can be
done to check his advances. Agents
OF the Federal Department of Agri-
culture are teaching the farmers ro-
tation and urging them to plant early
varieties Of cotton and to get it
worked early with a view to getting
1t into mature stage OF growth be-
fore the weevil makes its appearance.
'Thcse methods are having the ef-
feet Of checking him to degree, but
not great deal. Alabama has acres
and acres Of timber lands. and after
the weevils have destroyed the crops
they hibernate in this timber. The
farmers are becoming discouraged
| over the outlook and there is a grow
ing inclination to devote attention to
| crops other than cotton. Many far
mers are going in for stock raising,
others are increasing their produc-
ton Of corn and there are numerous
| families. especially negroes, who are
leaving the country. The negroes are
working in the mines of West Vir-
ginia and on the railroads in the
Southeast. They are being offered
free transportation to their new fields
of labor and $3.50 day in wages,
and scores of them have been attract
ed thereE' leaving their families
back in Alabama to get along the
best way they can. In some instances
these negroes have sent back for
their families after they have be-
come established; but there are
many who are left helpless.
'For instance, I have never known
colored servants to be so plentiful
around Camden, as at present" con-
tinued Mr.. Grier. Negroes are will
ing to work for most any wage
anything to get bread. A liberal por-
ton Of the Federal fund for food
sufferers in Alabama has been dis
tributed in our section OF the State
and numbers Of persons who were
destitute were given work temporar-
| lily. This fund has been exhausted
and with the Shortness Of the crop it
is going to be a proposition through
out the winter for many persons to
get bread"
In the opinion OF Rev. Mr.. Grier
! the coming Of the boil weevil into
| y ''btlll Is SolHS W prove DlpSSlnS.
Most Of the farm lands in our
state he said. "are owned by men
who live in town. These farms in
clude from 1000 to 5000 acres-in
fact a man who does not own a farm
OF that pr0ro' ton is considered a
very small farmer. These landown-
erS intrust their farms to negro ten
ants, in most cases. and only visit
them when the time comes to collect
| the rent. AS result Of this method,
| these farms are not worked as they
| should be and the lands yield moth
| ing like they could he made to yield.
Now since the boil weevil has become
such a factor in conditions, a change
is coming about. Numbers Of these
farms are being cut into small tracts
and the owners are beginning to evi-
dence an Intention to give their per-
sOnal attention to them They real
izc that they must raise something
other than cotton hereafter. The
raising Of cattle and grain and hogs
has increased, and diversified farm
ing is now the slogan"