Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1919-08-05


each application is sufficient. but
this advice is unSound and should
not be followed under any condition
II is impossible to distribute so small
quantity of powder over an acre
of cotton, and in order to make the
poisoning effective, every bit of
every plant must be covered with the
exceedingly fine powder. The num-
Der of applications varies to some
eXtc-.t, but it will usually run about
four. The farmer. therefore, should
provide himself with at least 20
pounds of calcium arsenate for every
acre of cotton to be treated. Farm
ers who have arranged to poison
with smaller quantities than this are
advised either to reduce the number
of acres to be treated Or to get more
poison Immediately. The supply. is
limited and probably can not be OBJ
tanned later in the season. 1t is un-
wise to make one or two applica-
tons and then abandon the project
The early applications simply de-
velop conditions to the point where
later applications can be of real bene-
fit in increasing production. The
last application is decidedly an emer-
gency proposition, and if it is delay
ed at all the situation may easily
get out of hand.
Another tremendously important
point is that each farmer be sure of
suitable machinery with which to
apply the poison. The supply of
machinery is one of the limiting fac
tors and no man should make ar
engagements for securing poison until
he knows he can get busting machin-
cry for applying it.
Only two types of busting ma
chimes have been tried out sufficient
ly to make certain of successful
buster and the other is a small hand
gun buster. An intermediate type
has recently been put out, but it is
only in tentative form.
The power buster is a horse-draWn,
l.otor-operated machine, blowing
dust through five nozzles, spaced
ALP feet apart and throwing out
bag of dust sufficient to cover seven
rows. If the cotton is very dry and
there is wind blowing, the machine
more than five rows at time. 1T
will probably cover six or seven
acres an hour, which, if operated ten
hours a day, six days in the week,
will take care of $50 to 400 acres in
a week The average allotted to one
it can safely cover every week.
Owing to the Interruptions due to
bad weather, which are bound to oc-
cur, daily operation can not be eN-
pected, and safe allotment for one
of these machines is probably about
500 to $50 acres.
Several satisfactory models OF
hand-guns are on the market. Five
acres is about the maximum that can
be expected from one OF these ma
chimes in a single day They cover
only one row at a time and are SUB
iecf to FREQUENT breaka2e and other
DELAYS, which cause considerable loss
of ii: e. 1t is best to have hand
machine for every flfteen acres ol
cotton to be treated by them.
pole and bag busting will not WORK
Considerable number of farmers 1t
is said have been planning to use
this method, good enough Tor leah-
worm poisoning with Paris green ~
a cloth sack and shaken over tHe
cotton Dlants. Calcium arsenate -
of such a nature that it is practl,
calIv impossible to secure cloth
through which it will dust prope Fly
Furthermore, a very , napli "a 1a secured a.
from this method, and as boil, Weevls
control depends upon the absoluIes
tHoroughness Of busting. ,,, it a is or
practically no benefit. me oepaI-
ment urges against the waste OF GU
ni,Ino arsenate hv attempting TO ap,
lin Il Nv the pole and bag metnod
f 41S ,yeeVii control Neither can the
noic;y,ro arsenate be successfully ap
nIied as a liquid spray. ..
It is extremely desirable to Zcon-
duet all poisonin" opero tons When
the plants are moist. and when there
speaking. these conditions are to be
had only at night and in the early
morning before the dew is dried from
the plants. AS fer as possible, the
poisoning should be conducted dur
chimes are equipped with lighting APP
paratus, which permits their oDsra-
ton during the entire night. PROP
ably the best method Of handing
the hanG-gun will be to poison IN
the late evening and the early morn
ing. In emergency, successful re-
suits may often be secured by appli-
cation when the plants are dry and
when there is considerable breeze,
but more poison is required and the
effect is greatly reduced.
Begin when weeviAs Become Nu-
On the question Of when to start
poisoning. important as it is, only
conditional advice can be given. The
time for beginning should be deter
mined by the weevil abundance in
the field and not by any particular
date or any stage Of plant growth
No poisoning should be started be-
fore the plants begin squarinS, and
it is best to wait until the WeeVlls
become fairly abundant. Owing to
the high natural shedding Of the cot
nuncturing by weevils can be per
Initted without any injury to the
crop. The squares which drop from
the plants because Of the puncturlng,
simply take the place of those that
would have been shed in the absence
of weevils. The most of the treat
lnents so far have been hased on
what is termed the percentage of
infestation." The usual method of
determining this is to go to the four
ton field and to examine 200 squares
at each point, noting the percentage
that mas been Weevil punctufed. cen.
orally speaking, it is advisable to
start poisoning when this percent
age reaches about 10 per cent, and
to continue often enough to keep the
percentage below 25 or 30 per cent
until late in the season, Wnen 1t may
be allowed to run much higher with
out any injury to the crop. The
weevils below the degree of album
dance, which would result in injury
TO the cotton plants. tradlcauon
can not be accomplished and should
becomes complete. the task Of poi
soning is very difficult and poor
risk.
If it is not possible TO make def:
mite counts for percentage OF Weeyil
injury. the best plan is to watch the
field as closely as possible for fallen
squares. It is time TO start poison
ing as soon as the yellow 1lared
squares begin to show uD in consid--
cradle numbers on The plants, and
infested fallen squares are nHmer-
Gus on the ground.
Apply Poison Once Week
When the field is Of any consid-
cradle size it frequently happens
that the weevils emerging in the
the cotton adjoining woods and
ditch banks where they hibernated
during the preceding winter. It is
often possible to confine the first one
L. ,.i1,r irfnc+nd nrna innrr the n1CA |