Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-04-03

the farmers OF the south during the
present year will be that of making an
adequate and determined fight against
the boil weevil The south is not In
position 10 abandon the cultivation OF
cotton. and II is gratifying to realize
that this will not be necessary provid-
ing the farmer performs his part of the
task satisfactorily. Because some
strange and unusual method of fighting
the weevil has not been discovered farm
ers are disposed to make light OF the
methods by which ii can be controlled
in a practical and successful manner.
II seems unfortunate that so many can
not be convinced until they have suf-
fered very heavy financial losses that
in fighting the weevil the new methods
Of practice essential to success are nei-
Their costly nor difficult 10 put into oper-
alton. On farms in Decatur, Colquitt and
other counties in southwest Georgia last
year where the advice of the county
agent was carefully followed from one
half to one bale OF cotton per acre
was obtained. On farms opposite these
demonstration patches a bale of cotton
was not obtained I'm some Instances
from six to twenty acres. This shows
how effectively and successfully this
pest can be fought by the man who is
willing to heed and act on the advice
and instruction which the county agent
is in position to give him.
In dealing with the weevil promptness
and persistency are two OF the chief
means by which success can be obtained.
In the first place, the farmer should de-
stroy the stalks I'm his cotton field.
This. of course, should nave peen done
two or three weeks before frost falls,
for the weevil feeds only on cotton. and
hence. the sooner his food supply can
be destroyed the sooner his breeding
operations are stopped ana the number
of weevils which will have a chance
TO hibernate thereby lessened material
". While the weevil as a rule may
not go through the winter in the cot
ton field. some of them do hibernate
successfully in old bolls and a good
many of them may find sufficient cover
in the field to protect them. If the
stalks are destroyed by running over
them. say with a large 2O-inch disk, and
then blowing cut she middles so as TO
uproot the plants completely, the weeviIs
food supply is Immediately cut off and
he seeks other quarters. Early in the
season he will travel a long distance
in search of food. Late in the season
he may attempt to hibernate in the vic
unity of the field where he developed;
hence a definite effort should be made to
I'm fence corners so as to lessen the
chance of his passing through the win
ter successfully. The weevil will inhabit
hay barns and other out buildings and
live through the winter Where these are
situated i'm the vicinity of cotton fields
they should be carefully watched and
the first. weevils which come out In the
spring destroyed.
In fighting the weeviI the farmer must
get the earliest maturing variety of cot
ton possible. Plant il just as soon as
weather conditions will permit, and fer
tiIize the ground highly so as to force
growth forward as rapidly as possible.
Under boil weevil conditions. the acre
age must be cut down TO about five to
the pillow. IL may be possible to go back
TO ten later. but il is fatal to try to
cultivate too large fields. The land
cannot be made too rich under woevil
conditions: hence the best soil on. the
farm should be devoted TO this crop.
Chop the cotton TO a stand as soon as
possible. leaving the plants eighteen
inches apar: in the drill Then Guilt
vate shallow and rapidly so as to force
development forward as quickly as pos
sible
The type Of cotton selected for Guilt
walton should be as nearly devoid of
produce fruit at every joint and should
set the fruit early and close to the
ground and continue 10 grow up in
rather yonical form through The season.
When il does this the weevils will feed
on the new squares and will leave the
bOIls at the bottom OF the plant 80 .
ture. II &, does not 90 this they Nin
attack th- bOlls first set on, and in many
Instances will succeed in destroying the
whole crop; hence the selection OF
variety is a very important matter. Only
seed should be planted from strains
which are known To mature in five TO
five and half months. Farmers can
be certain that the top crop Of cotton
viii never trouble them any more. The
weevil will get all Of that. The phil
osophy or producing cotton under boil
weeyil conditions lies i'm the development
OF a crop al the bottom of the plant ear
" IN the season. There is marvellous
difference in varieties as TO size, shape,
method of fruitinS, length of time re-
quired for ripening and persistency of
growth throughout a long period OF
time. The farmer should be certain not
10 make a mistake about the type of
cotton he selects. If delinted cotton
seed are planted. they will come up
day or two earlier than the ordinary
kind. This is an important matter to
bear in mind for the saving of few
days at this season of the year MAJ
mean the difference between success and
failure.
The minute the cotton is out OF the
ground II should be gone over and the
weevils picked of. The weevil energies
slowly in the spring and Is not active. He
il rather of grayish color. He attacks
the young leaves or the bud of the plant,
and IN passing down the row il is an
easy matter to see by the blackened bud
Just where he is at work. IF picked reg
ularly once or twice a week at this sea-
son OF the year thousands OF weevils can
be destroyed and the damage greatly mi
tigated thereby. 1t will be found, for
instance, that in most fields there are in
lection spots In other words. the weevil
may first come out from an old building
and attack a limited area In picking
weevils early In the season anywhere
from 200 TO 1900 weevils may be found
on a five-acre tract. OF course. the num-
Der varies greatly with seasonal cond:-
tions and the methods employed on the
owners land and on the neighboring
farms the previous year. The weeviis
should be picked every week up to the
first OF July. Then the squares which
drop of or the damage squares should
be picked persistently for sometime Ia
II e.