The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1919-11-20

bankers and business men generally
have viewed the approach of the
cotton boil weevil toward the State
of South Carolina with apprehension,
but until this fall it was not con-
sidered likely that our State would
be infested for another year or two.
In the past twelve or fifteen
months, however, climatic and sea-
sonal conditions have been ideal for
the spread of the weevil. Last win
ter was mild, and doubtless COM
paratively large number of weevils
lived through it, so that the multipli-
cation of the pests was very rapid
from early summer. AS the farm
ers of the counties contiguous to the
Savannah river in Georgia and South
Carolina were not familiar with the
best methods of combating the raw
ages of the boil weevil, and probably
had a larger acreage Of cotton than
could be successfully looked after
under existing conditions, it was in
evitable that millions of weevils were
ready to take wing this fall when
the time of dispersal drew near, 1t is
also probably true that the wet sum-
mer was ideal for weevil propagation,
and that the months of September,
October and November, mild and in
viting, were especially conducive to
the rapid spread Of the weevil, as
shown by the fact that they are now
found in almost every county of this
State, and have even penetrated into
North Carolina. -.
At this time the boil weevil is
present in such numbers in lower
South Carolina that without doubt
the cotton crop of 1920 will be more
or less injured by them. If the
spring and summer months of 1920
are dry and hot, it is possible that
the usual acreage of cotton in this
part Of the State would make two
thirds to three-quarters of the usual
number of bales. It is certainty,
however, that with very much ralf'
the boil weevil will destroy a large
portion Of the cotton crop of 1920,
if the experience of the farmers OF
Georgia and Alabama is to be believ-
ed. In fact we do not have to leave
our own State to obtain evidence and
testimony that with wet seasons the
weevil will ruin the cotton crop, Tor
this occurred on hundreds OF acres
in the lower section of the State dur
ing this year. I'm some instances
only one to two bales of cotton were
made to the plow.
But cotton has been and is now be-
ing grown successfully in other
Southern States under boil weevll
conditions, and it will likewise be
profitably grown in this county, If we
profit by the experience of others
similarly situated, and use good judg-
ment, not being carried away by 'get
rich quick" schemes of farming, nor
stampeded by fear of our ability to
make sensible changes in our system
of agriculture.
Experience is a great teacher, but
sometimes it costs too much to ac-
uuire knowledge by that means.
It was with a view of perhaps les
sening the cost that the writer made
a trip through South Georgia ana
Alabama to study conditions and
find out at first hand what the peo-
pie of other weevil infested regions
we're doing, and had done, to over
come the menace that now hangs over
us, if indeed anything had been ac-
complished elsewhere.
On inquiry it was found that per-
haps South Alabama would be the
section that could furnish the best
examples of successful farming under
weevil conditions, especially when it
was recalled that at Enterprise, Ala,
the people had actually raised by
popular subscription some 100000
for the erection of monument, not
in memory of some valorous hero,
of war, nor in honor Of some citi-
zen whose philanthropies we're praise
worthy. but this monument is
being erected to the cotton boil
weevil. heralded in that COM
munity as the ''1iberator Of the
people from the slavery Of cot
ton," and spoken of as "a blessing in
dlsguise.'
Therefore the writer spent enough