Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-12-12
In Spite of the Boil Weepil.

II Rumania had been as we'll advised and as
thoroughly prepared against the Teutons as Geor-
'gia farmers are against the boil weevil. Bucharest
never would have fallen. Years before the weevil
reached the borders of this State movement for
adequate defense began. so that now. the invader
having appeared. all is in readiness to resist him.
The great value of this foreknOwledge and fore
handedness and the ease with which they can be
turned to prosperous results pointed out in an
address recently delivered before the Southern Fer
tiIzer Association by Mr.. ]. A. Evans acting chief
of Southern extension work under the national De-
partment of Agriculture.
Georgia is better prepared against the boil
weeviI than any other part of the South ever has
been, says Mr.. Evans. For seven years or more the
demonstration agents representing the State Col
Iege of Agriculture and the national Department
have been counseling the farmers of Georgia ito
adopt the very methods which are necessary to
meet weevil conditions, and their efforts already
have met with a large degree of success" When
the weevil entered Texas and Louisiana and other
States to the west this far-reaching educational
work had barely begun. Georgia thus has the ben
eft of the costly experience of those States and OF
long period of careful experiment and instruction
BY applying the principles and methods thus de-
rived farmers can continue to grow cotton, within
reasonable limits. despite the boil weevil. Mr..
Evans dismisses as nonsense the idea that this
parasite may force a general abandonment of cot
ton planting.
Under weeviI conditions he says, 1.-The
farmer can't plant as much cotton as before,
because he is unable to give large acreage
the necessary care and attention Where the
larger part of the cultivated land is still de-
voted to cotton, il will be absolutely necessary
10 reduce the acreage. Probably the first year
or two at least until farmers become familiar
with the methods of fighting the weevil and
through experience gain confidence in their
ability to grow cotton in spite of this pest, it
will be best TO reduce the cotton acreage to not
exceeding eight or ten acres to the pillow, and
in sections. perhaps, to even less than
that"
After stressng the importance of early-maturing
varieties of and of proper cultural methods
Mr. Evans discusses the means of direct attack on
the weeviI, such as the destruction blowing I'M
der of cotton stalks Immediately after the crop has
been picked, and by manual labor freeing the young
plants and blooms of weevils But this careful
student and noted authority on the subject con-
cludes his advice with this recommendation:
1T is all important under weevil condi-
tiOns, that the farmer grow his own food and
feed crops as far as possible. that the cot
ton he does raise will be a cash crop. not mort
gagged in advance for supplies For years
have maintained that the weevil is in fact
ticaIly every part of the weevil belt because
after three four years. at most, of infesta-
ton every section has generally found itself
more prosperous than il was before the weevil
came. Undoubtedly the total production of
cotton in Georgia will be considerably less J
der weevil conditions than it was before, but
it will be found that five bales of cotton grown
by the farmer who has also grown all his neces-
sary food and forage crops and is giving atten-
ton to live stock and poultry, is worth more to
him. to the merchant, to the community and TO
the State than ten bales produced under the old
order OF things"
The mercantile and banking interests of Georgia
can assist materially in the campaign against the
boil weeviI by encouraging crop diversifcation and
live stock raising. II is to their interest less
than the farmers do so. for upon the soundness
of our agricultural system depends the prosperity
Of all other affairs.