Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-07-09
Cotton UOU WeevIL May
Be Controlled by Poison
Method; Plan is Feasible

seasonal conditions, however, resulted
i'm an almost complete absence of weevll
infestation. Nevertheless, the results
confirmed those of the preceding two
years, but still left many gaps in the
information essential to outlining a
general procedure for weevil poisoning.
on one of the heavily-infested areas a
gain was made of so per cent in the
sprayed cotton over that grown on
the unsprayed area.
A number Of experiments were con-
Quoted also IN the north delta in Chi
cot county near Lake Village, Ark, and
in Washington county, near Scott,
Miss. At both of these points heaV-
Ter infestatiOn, due to different sea-
sonal conditions, was encountered and
pronounced results were obtained from
the poison. In every case the expert
ments were conducted on comparative
small areas, subject to a continual in
fluX of weevils from surrounding un-
treated cotton, but in spite of this, a
very definite wecvil control resulted
from poisoning. The open cotton in
every case showed a definite gain to
the last lOw of treatment. The gains
per acre ranged from $50 pounds to L.
COZ pounds of seed cotton. 1t is dill
cult, of course, to estimate how much
larger these gains would have been If
had been treated and thus the migration
of weevils from the Imprisoned cotton
prevented 1t is clear, however, that
the gains secured on the small areas
were exceedingly conservative.
Large Field Test Successful
A large-scale treatment was made in
August last year on a section Of an
Arkansas plantation. The cotton grew
on land of fair quality and was not
planted until late May. Weather condi-
tions had retarded the plants greatly
and they did not start setting the crop
until the latter par of July. About the
middle OF August a fair crop of bolls
had developed, but the plants were large
and leafy and the weevils had multiplied
so rapidly that a very heavy intestation
of weevils was present. Blooming had
practically ceased and the weevils had
cleaned up the squares so thoroughly
that they were attacking the bolls in
great numbers and all of the bolls, even
to the largest present, were being RID
died by punctures. 1t seemed prob
able that on one section no bolls would
be left to open. 1t was, of course, too
late to attempt to set a new crop by
poisoning, but an effort was made to
save the bolls then present on the
plants. Treatments were given from
August % to about September on
several hundred acres. Upon counting
the squares it was found that about
Sc per cent of the squares in the cot
ton to be poisoned had been weevil pune
tured. This cotton was given single
poisoning, and about ten days later 1t
was found that the weevil infestation
in these same cuts or areas had been
reduced so that only sc per cent OF
the squares were punctured. During
the same period the infestation in the
adjoining imprisoned cotton had been
increasing steadily. Practically all or
the poisoned cuts started blooming
again at this time and number of
them reached what is ordinarily termed
the flower garden" stage of blooming
5 to blooms per plant on single
day being not at all rare.
In starting the treatment of this
large area it has been anticipated that
several applications would be necessary
10 produce the desired result, but the
effect of a single application was so
pronounced that il seemed unnecessary
to repeat it, The weevils had been so
reduced that only SO per cent of the
squares were punctured, and although
thousands of weevils were being bred
out from the squares on the ground or
were coming in from other plantations
every day, it was still obvious that the
weevils would greatly reduce their at
tacks on the hollis until they had caught
up with the squares then present and
that this period would be long enough
to allow the bolls to become sufficiently
hardened to avoid weevil damage. Ow-