The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1916-12-07
THE DREADED
BOIL WEEV|L.
Mr.. BAKER DESCRIBES ITSRAV-
AGES AND URGES DIVERSE
FICATION OF CROPS.

! When is the boil weevil going to
reach South Carolina? What is the
extent of the damage that he is go.
ing to do when he does reach the
State? And what are the best meth
DDS for control?
To the first of these questions l
will state that it is believed that he
will reach parts of South Carolina
next year and will be likely to ap-
pear in the Pee, Dee section in the
course of two years. And thereafter
we shall have him for our unwel-
come guest to either make Us better
farmers or abandon the farm entire
ly.
To the second of the questions, the
answer will largely depend upon the
Individual farmers. The Bureau of
Entomology has conducted numerous
Investigations to find the extent of
the damage done by this pest in in
tested territory. They estimated
that the damage done for the first
few years was so per cent, but that
after the first few years the farmers
generally resorting to proper means
greatly reduced this loss. In Texas
the average yield per acre between
1893 and 1901 when the weevil had
not done damage to affect the gen.
eral production) was 4-l0 bale. Be-
tween the years 1902 and 1911 the
average yield was 34-100 bale. By
comparing the figures the extent of
damage done by the weevil can be
estimated. The loss to every acre
planted in cotton was 6-l00 Of a bale
or 80 pounds of lint each year. If
we consider the loss of the lint alone
at So. 70 per acre and the average
acreage planted in cotton in Texas
as 10, 100000 acres. that State has
lost S27, 100000 annually from 1902
! to 1911. 1t will be noted, however,
from the Year Book that in places
where the weevil has been for quite
time the production of cotton is
about normal. That is because the
! farmers have become educated to
the methods of control. But in ev-
cry place where the boil weevil first
makes its appearance there is a great
decrease in the yield of cotton for
the first few years. 1t is with this in
view that am writing this article.
so that the farmers of Williamsburg
will make preparation and not have
/ this enormous decrease in cotton pro-
duction when the weeyil does come.
! 1t has made farmers abandon their
farms in the State of Mississippi and
hunt other work. A few fine plapta-
tons in that State can still be seen
grown up in broom sedge and not a
sign of life on it. A minister in this
county told me less than three
months ago he had sent money to
his brother in Mississippi to pay the
taxes on his farm. The boil weevil
does its greatest damage in the hu-
mid sections of the country and that
is the reason the damage was so
great in the above State. The coast
al section is where he will do the
greatest damage in this State. Our
county is in the coastal section, and
we are expecting very heavy loss
the first few years.
The answer to the last question l
will give somewhat in detail. You
can hardly find any farm in South
| Carolina today that does not get its
cash money from this crop. Is this
the crop for US, or isit the best cash
c~,p that we know how to grow very
extensively? l will give you a copy
O: Il chart I splayed in the Corn Club
eyaibit at t recent county fair, as
| am sure t. at everyone was not i'm
pressed with it as | was when | got
L. Voor PnnE.