Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1916-10-11
SOME BOIL WEEVIL FIGURES.
Startling Crop Decreases in Affected
TerTitOry-In s. &. in 1O10-2O.


In 1904 the boil weevil invaded
half dozen parishes or counties in
western louisiana; by 1910 every
part of the State was infested. In
1904 Louisiana produced 1,0S9,526
bales of cotton; in 1910 the State
produced 245,648 bales.
In 1904, Mississippis biggest cot
ton year, the State produced 1885,
900 bales; in 1915, with the weevil
in every county in the State, the to-
tai production was only 953,965
bales.
From 1904, Louisiana's best year,
to 1903, her worst year after the ar
rival Of the weevil, we have loss Of
S45,0 bales, or 77,5 per cent.
The 33d parallel Of latitude is the
northern boundary Of Louisiana,
and, as the writer has previously
pointed out, it is south of this line
in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi
that boil weevi' damage has been
heaviest. In the counties Of Missis-
sippi lying south of the 33d
parallel of latitude, cotton pro-
duction in 1904 was 749,S49 bales;
by 1915 this had fallen to 17O,572
bales, or loss Of 77.3 per cent-al-
most exactly the percentage of de-
crease shown in Louisiana.
Alabama and Georgia south Of
ne al;
tions practically the same as those of
Louisiana and Mississippi-sum
rainfall is about the same and win
ter temperatures are about the same.
Moreover, differences in soils, land
tenure and methods OF Farming are
very slight. Hence it would not
seem unreasonable or illogical to as
sumo that the history of the boil
weevl in Louisiana and Mississippi
south OF parallel 33 may be accepted
as an index as to what may be en-
pected in Alabama and Georgia in
the same latitude. Now let us apply
the average percentage (77.4) of de-
crease in Louisiana and mississippi
to Alabama and Georgia south of
parallel 33 and see what the results
are.
Big Losses from Weevil.
Alabama's big cotton year was
1914, when the State produced L.
751,375 bales. The same year the
Alabama counties lying south Of par
allel 33 grew 1,047,650 bales. Now
if these counties their worst year
with the weevil lose in production as
did similar territory in Louisiana
and Mississippi, production will be
only 22.6 per cent of 1914. or 1885,
769 bales-a loss Of S10,SS1 bales.
AS matter OF fact, while exact re-
ports are not yet available, indlca-
tions are that even this year the
Alabama counties under considela-
tion have fallen to a total yield not
very far above 100000 bales.
Turning to Georgia. we find that,
in 1911, the States year OF biggest
cotton production, there was a total
yield OF 2.76S,G27 bales, and that
south of parallel 33, 1,4lS.592 bales
! were produced. Now if production
in the Georgia counties lying south
OF parallel 33 is cut as heavily as
was the case in Louisiana ana Missis-
sippi. the crop will be only 22.6 per
cent Of that Of 1911, or 320,60l
bales. loss o" 1,097,991 bales.
In attempting to arrive at any
conclusions in regard to probable
! damage in South Carolina, certain
ut-of-the-ordinary climatic factors
are met with. If. as in the States to
the west, only comparatively light
damage may be expected north Of
parallel 80, then South Carolina far
! mers need worry little about the
| weevil, for very little cotton is
grown in this State south Of this line
iabout 10000 bales.)
Heavy Damage Probable, However.
But. because OF the influence of
the nearby ocean, that belt Of South
Carolina lying between parallels 33
| and 81 has conditions that would
lead us to expect decidedly heavier
weevil damage than has occurred be-
| tween these parallels in the States
to the west. For instance, United
States Weather Bureau reports show
that the mean winter December,
! January and February tempera-
lures in South Carolina south Of
| parallel 81 average AZ degrees, while