The Mena weekly star., 1916-06-29
l5oII 1laeeDiI Js q C5reat Dellace 10
 Cotton farmers


 As predicted, by Geo. c. Becker
 State Etomologist at FayetteVllie' there is every indication that the Doll weevil will cut the cotton crop again this year. Farmers should do everything to protect their fields against this pest, says C. w. Watson, State Agricultural Agent. Farmers may expect the boil weevll m great numbers in July and August Il there is an average rainfall. The people 'of central and southern Arkansas should prepare for the raVages ol the WeeVll now. There are oIlly lWo ways to fight the weeVil successlul- ly; First, by intense cultivation III order to hold sufficient moisture III the soil to insure rapid and Vlgof- ous growth and frultlng before the weeylls increase in suilclent nun bers to destroy the crop or before they increase even to the second ana third generations. The second way to control the ravages of the weeVl is to collect the first fallen ana punctured soll forms and carefully destroy them. Another way to check this pest is to look for the admit weevil and destroy as many as possible. One female weevil de- stroyed at an early date will m most cases save as many as l4U polls anu destroy from 125 to i4O weeNlls lat CT in the season. 1t IS a well known fact that one female weevil will de- posit on an average of t40 eggs. In looking for the weevil 1t IS best to look in the open blossom from i0 2 n. to 7.30 D. m This suggestion seems absolutely absurd since 1t ap- pears that to hunt for the weevll would be an endless job and most farmers will say that they do not have time to do this kind of work. However. if they are to protect thelr most valuable cash crop and If they are to avoid it's complete destruc- tion, they should use every effort to cheek the weeNil and this IS one or the mest>effective means available. This work is not as difficult as It seems and farmers should realize that the weeVil does not infest the entire cotton field at this time, or in fact, at any time. The weevil damage is found usually in spots around an old stump, near the fence rows, in the fence corners. around old houses, along ditch banks or near the woods It can easily be seen, therefore, that 1t is only ne- cessary to locate these infested places and collect all forms EVERY week and continue this for a month or six weeks. This work will keep the weeVil from increasing rapidly and will decrease the numbers to the minimum. If our farmers are to do any effective work, they must not wait until the cotton begins to shed and a new crop of weevils have bred If they do, the infestation will be too general and the expense too great to think of controlling the pest m4 this way
 The question has often been askt If one farmer gathers the bulk of the fallen squares found on his land land has a neighb0r who. does not will the one doing the work be bene- fitted? The answer is yes, as weev- | ills that come out of Information rarely go very far from where they have wiDFred. It is only the new generatInp-' that migrate from one field to another. consequently, it can easily be seen that it is important to take care of the weevils that hi- bernate on given area. This work will help each farm, as the migra- tory period-when the weeVils go from one farm to another-is usu- ally sometime from August 1 to i0 By this time, if proper cultivation has has been ora 3if ettiieced and fertilizer has been iudiciously used, the farmer may expect to have the cotton bolls well set and practically out of dan- ger. If not. he may expect material damage to the crop as the weevils multiply rapidly. Br. Becker says that one pair of weevils may infest 75 acre field, calculating one weevil to the square foot, during a season. If We expect to fight the weevil, do it now, don't wait, To do so may prove fatal to the cotton crop.