The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1916-02-09
How Far North Will the Boil
Wceyil DO Serious Damage!

With the boil wccvi making an un-
usual eastward advance in Alabama
ana Georgia a very considerable
northward movement from Oklahoma
eastward to north Alabama, many cot
ton growers arc asking as to the prob
able effect of the wccvil in the north
crn half Of the Cotton Eelt.
or course, in attempting to answer
this question, the only safe guide
must be the experiences OF similar sec
tons to the westward that have al
ready had the wccvil for a number Of
years While it cannot be unqualified
asserted that two counties possessing
Identical climatic, soil and labor con
ditions will be affected by the weevil
IN like degree, it certainly can be as
serted that such will probably be the
case. Granting that this is reason
able supDosition, let us see what has
been the experience of the western
part OF the northern half Of the Cot
ton Belt under weevIl conditions.
A very careful investigation of the
ginning reports issued by the United
States Census Bureau shows that no
where north of parallel 33 - north
latitude Ca line running each and west
approximately through Atlanta, Ga,
Birmingham, Ma, and Paris, Texas
has any county suffered because of
The wccvile a greater decrease in cot
ton production than occurred during
adverse seasons before the wccvil
came. If this has bccn the case in the
humid, timbcrcd areas Of Arkansas
and north Mississippi, il certainly
seems reasonable to expect about the
same results from the wccvil in all
newly invaded Sctions north of par
allcl 33l-2
1t must not be inferred from this
that the wccvil will not do damage in
the territory under consideration; for
in all likelihood, the wcevil wilr even
tually go as far north as cotton is
grown and will particularly during
wet seasons following very mild win
ters, affect the crop very considerably.
However, on an average this damage
will be far less serious than in the
extreme southern part Of The Cotton
Belt. In fact, if VIC assume that the
wccvil is 100 per cent efficient" in
dcstructivcncss along the Gulf Coast,
this efficiency in dcstructvcncss"
gradually and regularly decreases to
the northward until the extreme lin
its of cotton production arc reached in
Kansas. Missouri, and Kentucky,
where it is very close to zero.
1t must be understood that what
has been said here does not apply to
strip from 70 to 100 miles wide
along the Atlantic Scaboard, for eli
matte conditions along the South At
antic Coastal Plain are considerably
modified by the influence of the ocean
Winter temperatures average higher
than in inland sections in the same
latitude ad the summer rainfall is
heavier. These factors, Of course
will prove favorable to the boil wccvil
and it ravagcs will very probably be
more severe than will be the case in
land in the same latitude
However, fortunately for the future
Of Cotton production in the Carolinas,
ii appears that the modifying influence
OF the ocean is not SO marked beyond
% or 60 miles inland In this narrow
belt only comparatively small pro-
portion Of the crop OF these two states
is grown; but here wccvil damages
will likely hc very severe approXi-
mate!y perhaps 90 per cent in cXtrcmc
southeast South Carolina and gradual
~ decreasing northcastward AS in
Georgia and Florida, the Sea Island
cotton crop of South Carolina is grown
under climatic conditions favorable to
the wccvil, and unless the most de-
termined and concerted action is taxi
en- against the pest 1t is probable that
production will be heavily curtailcd.
Progressive Farmer.