The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1916-10-27
With Agricultural Depart
ment Leading, Campaign
for Preparation Was
Pressed-Matter of Seed
Breeding Considered of
Very Highest Importance.
(By Joe Sparks)

(By Joe Sparks)
Realizing that the boil weevil was
sure to make his appearance in Geor-
gla, the officers of the State DEPART
ment of agriculture and the State en-
tomological department began a cam
palgn of preparation several wears
ago.
One of the first matters to be con-
sldered by the department experts
was that of seed breeding. Manv ex-
perlments are being carried on now
at several points in the State.
The boil weevil appeared at Thorn
asvllle August %, 1915. A careful
investigation established that it had
spread over about "a counties. oc
curing as far east as Pidcock in
Brooks county, and as far north as
West Point in Troup. That it spread
so Tar at this time was due no doubt
to the tropical storm with high winds
which blew from the southwest.
After the discovery of the boil
weevil the State chronological depart-
ment in conjunction with the Farm
ers' association of Thomas county
called meeting for the purpose of
discussing the methods of control to
be adopted before the period of hi
bernation. At that meeting "a coun-
ties were represented by we'll known
citizens. Plans were perfected for
conducting campaign in each of the
infested counties. BY October the
weeVll had become very abundant in
very large number of counties, and
1T was thought wise to conduct a cam
paign in those counties so as to come
in touch with the farmers and busi-
ness men in order to explain the
progress of the weevil and to explain
the damage done, and urge them to
begin fight.
Wage War on Weevil.
Many meetings were held and two
tours were made in Ford cars and
attempts made to advise the Farmers
or the seriousness of the ravagcs Of
the boil weevil. The parties held
about two meetings each day. The
campaign was extensively advertised
through the local press and by means
of circulars. The Southern Bell Tel
ephone company, operating in weevil
counties, also gave valuable assistance
in the campaign to spread informa-
ton. eve had the operators" said
Mr.. Worsham, State entomologist of
Georgia "to call every subscriber to
rural phone and urge his attendance
upon the boil weevil meeting"
Large crowds met the speakers at
every place and the campaign was
carried into about 40 counties 1t
was distinct success. Bulletins de-
scribing the fight to be made on the
boil weevil were distributed at every
stopping place, one of them contain
ing this paragraph:
"It is impossible to forecast the
damage to the cotton crop of Georgia
this year by the boil weevil, but by
the end of the past season when the
first frost occurred, weevils were just
as abundant in some counties as in
Mississippi and Louisiana. The aver
age area covered annually is about
1000 square miles and the territory
covered in Georgia in 1915 was about
$4,000 square miles,"
The work of breeding cotton in
Georgia for resistance to wilt or
black root, boil rot or anthracnose
and testing of different varieties for
boil weevil conditions has been con-
Quoted by Ira w. Williams and valua-
BILE results have been obtained. Mr.
Williams was formerly State farm
demonstration work agent for South
Carolina.
Work of Breeding.
The breeding work on cotton for
the past eight years by the depart
ment is now showing up to the best
advantage. The wilt resistant types
have been developed to a point where
they are more resistant to wilt; dis
play some resistance to anthracnose
and are as prolific as any other va
rieties and fruit sufficiently early to
enable the growers to produce a good
crop of cotton under boil weevil con-
dtions.
at is we'll known fact" said Mr..
Worsham, "that the right variety of
cotton is so per cent of the boil wee
vii fight. The problem of the best
variety must be worked out for each
section Of the State"
For the breeding work on Sea Is
land cotton against the boil weevil,
a station will be established in Val
dosta in the heart of the Sea Island
belt. In view of the late maturing
qualities Of the Sea Island cotton it
will be necessary to establish a va
riety that will mature earlier than
the present variety. Georgia pro-
duces more Sea Island cotton than
any other section, and it is the finest
staple cotton in existence, experts de-
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