The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1917-08-25

blooms, and in each bloom we found
there were, from four to six weevils
We pulled up several stalks Of cot
ton that did not have single boil
Of cotton on them. No one in the
crowd estimated the yield at more
than two hundred pounds of seed
cotton to the acre, and some were of
the opinion that it would not pay to
pick it. Members of our party be-
gan to look at each other and ask if
it were possible for the weevils to
over be that bad in Sumter. Mr.. T.
o. Plunkett informed them that
they would live to see crops in Sum-
ter destroyed in a similar way. DR..
Basl;ins from Bishopville, walked
over to Mr.. Plunkett and told him
that he wished to apologize for doubt
i'g what he told us in Sumter when
we were making up our itinerary for
this trip. At this place we decided
to 60 to ThOmasville to visit expert.
ment station for short staple cotton.
We went by the way of Quitman
where we saw grain elevator ca
pable of storing and handling over
a hundred thousand bushels of grain
in q season. Very few cotton blooms
were seen along the road and nearly
every farmer with whom we talked
said that they would be proud If they
could get a half Of crop. At
Thomasville. very similar expert
ments were being conducted with
short staple as was being conducted
with long staple at Valdosta. They
showed us the cages in which they
put weevils and note how many 70
through the winter and at what time
they emerge from Information. From
Thomasville we went through by
Pelham, Camilla to Albany. Wire
fences were everywhere. and the road
was lined with velvet beans and corn
and peanuts grown in every conceiv-
able way. Peanuts in corn, in the
row. in the middle, and sometimes
both peanuts and velvet beans
planted in the same field of corn.
Then we would come to field of
nothing but peanuts. Between VAL
dosta and Albany. 1 do not believe
that twenty per cent of the land was
planted to cotton and we were told
some pitiful tales as to hoY the
wcevils served them last year, Be-
fore going on this trip. had thought
that with limited area planted to
cotton that 1t was possible to aver
age making from seventy-five to
ninety per cent. of a crop, II the best
for handling weevils were
followed. but by the time had
reached Albany had come to the
conclusion that fifty to seventy per
cent was all that could be expected
one year with another under weevii
infestation. Around Albany the bus
mess men and especially the real es-
tate agents told us that the weevils
were not affecting land values, but
nearly every one wanted to interest
some OF our pcrty in some real e3-
tate that was ridiculously cheap COM
pared with our Sumter county Farms
Farmers offered me their crops IL I
would pay the expenses. and one man
told me that he would give me two
hundred dollars on the expense Of
a three hose farm II I would take
the cotton off his hands. He said
that there was enough weed to make
a bale but that the weevil had got
ten the fruit. I had had an idea
that when you had a crop Of good
sized bolls by the first of August
they were safe. One of our party
pulled up stalk which had twenty
five bolls on it and cut the bolls open.
Thirteen were already ruined. and
others may be ruined before they
would open. I never heard q man
near Albany express himself as hop
ing to make more than fifty to sixty
per cent. of crop.
After leaving Albany we started for
Montgomery, Ala, via Dawson, Cuth-
bert. Eufala, Ala, and Union Springs
When we were twenty to thirty miles
from Albany. we did not find very
man weevils until we reached Ala
bama. We heard of them all along
the roads, but the infestation seemed
to be In spots There were some COOL
farms and some good cotton around
Dawson. majority Of the farm
ers were pinning their faith to pea
nuts and velvet beans 7 hoard ono