The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1918-02-23
COTTON BOIL WEEviI.
TIE PEST is STILL \ MENACE
TO COTTON GROWING.
Department of Agriculture Warns
FARMERS That Cotton Field Pest
HAS Not Been Extcrminated by
Record Breaking Cold Weather.
Urges Planting OF More Food.

STSSS AitnttllS Oh More rood.
washington, Feb. 2O-"It is eX-
tremely unwise for cotton farmers to
assume that the freezes Of the las few
weeks have eXterminated the cotton
DOH weevil," the department of ag-
riculture announced today in an an
sswer to many inquiries from the
ESouth.
4 The department said it was to be
Shoped that planters would not be le,
pinto increasing their cotton acreage
Et the expense of raising foodstuffs
hnd thus not only fail in their patrio
pic duty. but at the same time suffer
Financial loss from boil weevil The
snccessity for the South to produce its
Iown food this year was stressed.
/ During the past winter the tenn
Eperatures have been lower than at any
ltime since 1899" the statement con-
Htinued, land there can hardly be any
Bdoubt that this extreme cold has re-
pduced the numbers of weevils in
fmany sections of the South It is too
much to expect, however, that the
| temperatures have been uniformly
cold enough to absolutely eXterminate
the wevil from large areas. The
trecords Of the department of agri-
lculture indicate that there is at least
III or
fvil in those sections which have been
! thoroughly studied as against a
normal of 10 per cent. survival This
percentage of surviving weevils can
restoc!S the cotton fields of the South
before the end Of the growing sea-
son.
The experience of 25 years with
the boil weevil in this country has
shown that one or two weevils surviv-
ing in field can easily produce
iehough offspring to destroy all but
sthe earliest portions of the crop
! No reliable prediction can he
made on the basis of what happen
'i"5 'i'c winter, the depart
ments announcement said, and told
how heavy rains in the early summer
might prove favorable to breeding %
the pest or tropical storms carry them
INTO sections where the cold had
greatly depleted their number.
In the opinion of the department
of agriculture" said the statement.
IT would be very unfortunate if the
prevailing impression concerning the
Doll weevil should increase the
acreage in cotton at the expense of
FOOD crops. AT the present time what
~ most urgently needed throughou,
the South is an increase production
OF food and feed crops. There is ev-
cry indication that the normal acre
age in cotton, with proper cultivation
Will give supply Of the staple sufi-
cinet for all purposes 1t is clearly
matter of patriotism as we'll as
sound Judgment for the planters to
increase the acreage in food crops
The planter who increases his cotton
acreage can not be assured that his
| crop will not suffer greatly from tho
Ioll weevll attack. and will be utiliz-
ing his land i'm way which does not
best serve the necessities OF the coun-
try.
Director General McAdoo has al
ready issued a warning that transpor
tation difficulties in 1918 NAV make
it difficult, if not impossible to SUD-
ply food and feed promptly to COM
munities that neglect to provide thor
own necessities. TO say the least.
the drain on transportation is so
heavy that any exceptional require
ments for hauling food and feed to
the South will be an actual embar-
rassment to the government in the
prosecution Of the war.
The department of agriculture is
not asking the South to contribute
materially to the nations food and
iced supply. but is asking the South
only to fed itself so that it may not
pecome burden upon the food pro
oucing sections of the country which
must strain their energies TO the ut.
most in order To feed the animals aud .
maintain the civil populations behind
them"