The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1919-10-23
STUDY WEEYIL
AT CLOSE RANGE
CITIZENS OF BLACKVILLE TELL
WHAT THEY SAW.
Cotton is Done For
Poison Has No Effect On the Boil
Weevil.-More Money in Pea
, nuts and Livestock.

Ten of Blackville's business men,
consisting of bankers, merchants and
farmers, made a trip through the boil
weevil infested territory of Georgia
and Alabama, going through Mil
1edgevil,e. Macon, Americus and on
across the Chattahoochie river into
Dothan, Ala, then up through Enter
prise, the county seat of Cocee coun-
ty, and then to Montgomery and back
by way of Columbus and on back
home again.
The party reports an extremely
short crop of cotton in both States
and that it is almost entirely gather
ed. They report having seen only
one gin running on the trip through
Georgia and one in Alabama on the
trip going.
In some cases the crop is almost an
entire failure. The boil weevil has
done TIE worst damage he has ever
done. Many farmers state they will
never plant cotton again. The party
talked with numbers of men who said
they had lost everything they had
ever made trying to make big crop
of cotton this year, regardless of the
boil weevil.
Around Dothan, Ala, they found
some very fine farming land and
very progressive and prosperous peo-
pie. They visited the plantation of
Spann Brothers, two former Bamberg
men. They have the finest farm the
members of the party had ever seen.
Mr.. Spann stated he had sold s12,-
600 worth of hogs from their farm
last year.
The folks in that section are max
ing cotton regardless of the boil wee
vii, but by new methods and by plant
ing only six or eight acres to the
plow.
Many of them are making their
money from peanuts, corn, velvet
beans and hogs. One progressive
farmer stated that he wouldn't re-
turn to making cotton II it was so
cents a pound and he had guaran-
tee that there would never be an
other boil weevil. His principal
money crop is peanuts, with the by
products that come with it of hay,
hogs, etc.
The peanut is grown with so much
less labor and practically no ferti-
lizer bill when compared with cot
ton. They are getting on the market
there from $3.50 to $3.50 a ton for
their peanuts, and many of them
make a ton to the acre. Then they
get the hay which is made of the
vine, which is baled when the peanut
is picked with the Benthal pickers.
They say it is an excellent food and
they have very fine, fat mules. Then
the hog runs on the field and gets
the peanuts left in the ground and
fattens on them.
Many make a wheat crop and fol-
low it with peanuts and then make
around a ton to the acre, thus, with
the hay, making three crops on the
land.
With one accord the banks, mer-
chants and farmers advised the party
very strongly to come home and cut
the cotton crop to six and not more
than eight acres to the plow. To
break land very early and thorough
ly, to plant as early as possible not
to be killed, to plow rapidly, plowing
it at least once a week, to pick up
the squares that are punctured and
fall to the ground by all means, then
apply a late application of top dress
ing to make the late forms for him
to feed on and thus let the early
bolls alone. Then plant the rest of
the farm in oats, wheat, peanuts,
corn, velvet beans, and raise hogs
and cattle and grow prosperous.
These people are surely doing this,
and the banks are full Of money.
They impressed the party with the
fact that next year would be the try
ing year with them, and that the
farmer who went on and tried to
make IL or IS acres of cotton to the
plow would surely go broke.
On Spann Brothers farm at Do
than, Ala, a government expert was
stationed during this year and made
experiments with the boil weevil. A
machine was used that carried seven
rows at a time and put out calcium
arsenate as a poison for them. Mr..
Spann states that it did no good and