The Marietta journal. (Marietta, Ga.) 1918-1944, 1919-09-19
Fight the Boil Weevil this Fall
E. o. McMAHAN. County Agent

By September 1st the boil weevlls
have invaded the cotton fields to the
extent to do damage as far north as
line from Chattanooga to Atlanta
70 Augusta. 1t has been estimated
by the Federal Crop Statisticlan for
the state that the damage to the cot
ton crop by the weevils in Georgia
this year will amount to S2O,O0O,OO0
Certainly the weevils have had the
ideal conditions under which to thrive
An exceedingly mild winter and a Sc
verelv wet June. July and August, the
most adverse crop conditions perhaps
in 25 years, but the most favorable
for the propagation of the weevils.
What shall we expect next year?
Must we concede that cotton is thing
of the past and become pessimistic
as some are inclined to do? Never!
Cotton is our best cash crop for prac-
tically the entire state and doubtless
will remain so for time to come. Many
middle and north Georgia farmers
will have to do, though as some farm
ers in south Georgia are beginning to
do: have other supplemental cash
crops they can depend upon instead
of dumping the whole burden on the
one-crop cotton as has been the Gus
tom. 1t is not sane to switch entirely
from cotton, for cotton can be grown
if the right precautions are exercised
in the matter of acreage planted, seed
and fertilizers used, cultural methods
practiced, and the proper control
measures carried out.
The fight on the weevil divides it.
self into two parts: The first effort
concerns itself with simply good farm
practice. That is, soil building by a
definite system of cropping arranged
in a well planned rotation, the use of
good early maturing varieties of cot
ton of sufficient vitality or cOnstitu-
ton that the plant will continue to
live and put on squares until frost,
the preparation of a good seed bed,
intelligent use of fertilizers, rapid cul-
tivation continued later perhaps than
is the usual practice.
The second part of the fight is more
direct and is divided into three or four
efforts. 1t is now the time of year to
get ready to carry into effect the first
one of these measures. Every one to
the west Of US who has tried the diff
ferent methods advocated say that
there is perhaps more in this measure
than in all the others put together in
so far as control in the next years
crop is concerned. Yet it is conceded
that it is the hardest one to get prac-
ticed. What is it? 1t is the destruc-
ton of the food supply three or four
weeks before frost The food supply
consists wholly of the juice of the
cotton plant. This does not mean
that the cotton stalks must be burned
as good farm practices will not permit
of this and neither is it necessary.
The stalks can be cut with stalk
cutter or disc harrow and turned un
der with breaking pillow, or they can
be cut and the roots ripped up with
a middle buster When the plant is
killed the weevils go in search Of a
new food supply. This means then
that they will go into winter quarters
with the man who has growing, living
cotton plants when cold weather
comes and will be with him next
spring when it gets warm enough to
thaw them out 1t may be the man
who starves them off his place before
wintering time Will not have weeyilz
until the migratory period the nett
wear, which is from the middle OF July
TO the first of August. BY this time
the man can have a fairly good cotton
crop advanced beyond the WeeVlls'
ability to purcture. This then may
benefit the individual, but is great
deal more effective if every farmer IN
community viii do the same thing in
| the matter of destroying the food
supply by killing or turning under the
stalks early. To get best results the
effort at getting rid of the stalks must
be thorough, that is, kill all the plants.
Why not then get out the crop and
kill the plants as early as possible.
Remember, this, to be effective, must
be done three or four weeks before
frost so far as the weevil control
measure is concerned, it is no good
after frost
Other control measures will be dis
'cussed next week.