The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1919-11-01
PEANUT In PLACE
OF COTTON CROP
Farmers of Blackville Tell, of
Methods Adopted in Sections
of Georgia and Alabama to
Outwit Boil Weevil

Outwit Boil Weevil
The following article is reprinted
from The Columbia State at the re-
quest of Secretary Reardon of the
Chamber of Commerce:
Blackville, Oct. 1S.-"I made the
trip from Blackville into the boil wee
vi4 infested sections of Georgia and
Alabama to find out how could grow
cotton with the boil weevil here in
vast numbers I did not want to be
persuaded that I could not make one
more full CROP. declared Bob Flick
ling, farmer and former member Of
the legislature of South Carolina, at
the largely attended meeting held in
the auditorium of the high school
Thursday afternoon. "Frem' what /
saw and learned on this trip, 1 now
know we can never again grow. cotton
as we have grown it, and that the
man who attempts it will go down
In ruir.'
% Farmers and business men, Of
Blackville, who last week made the
trip by automobile from Blackville
through Augusta. Thomson, Milledge-
Vile, Macon, Montezuma, Albany,
Ga, to Dothan. Enterprise and Anda-
lusia. Ala, returning by way of CO.
[1umb bus, Ga, were. the speakers at this
meeting, presided over; by Harry G..
,Boylston. who, since his graduation
four years ago in the agricultural de-
partment at Clemson, has been the
energetic county agent for -BarnweH
ounty.
This meeting was the first held in
;Barnwell county in the crusade to
save the agricultural situation since
the advent Of the boil weevil. A third
of the seats in the auditorium were
set aside for negroes and were filled.
and never have. better listeners been
geens in any meeting. Successful farm
ers.~were to talk to t.lem-men they
had known and worked with all their
lives-who had carried them over
poor crop years and through an era
of .6-cent& cotton.
If the agricultural situation in the
Blackville area is saved fro.a the hor-
rors that followed boil weevil inva-
sion in Alabama. despite the warn
ings from ands narrowing experiences
of, the cotton growing States from
Texas to Mississippi, it will be accom-
-plished only through the most COM
plete and harmonious cooperation not
only between the white land owners.
but also between them and the ne
gro farmers. whether renters, share
croppers or land owners.
Mr. Fickling detailed the progress
of the party. their stops at various
farms, big and little. and the results
secured this year by good farmers.
who, a year ago, were in the same sit
uation as now are the Blackville farm
ers and. tempted by higA-priced cot
ton, tried to grow one more full
crop" and had one bale to so acres as,
their reward The names and loca-
tions Of the farmers were given, in
latitudes farther north than Black
vile. and much farther from the
ocean At the farm of Mr.. Watson.
Byron. Ga. who average one bale to
SO acres. the cotton looked like an
okra plant, the absence of branches
leading them to believe different
seed had been planted. but they found
out he had obtained his supply from
Montnlorency. S. g., but the bob
weevils had been on duty waiting
for every form as it appeared, and
promptly puncturing it, the plant had
gone to weed. This was characteristic
of nearly. every field where extensive
cotton planting had been undertaken.
In no case did they see a profitable
crop of cotton where a man was
renter En- number of instances
they had seen. half a crop on very
good land, under the wage or share
cropping system, where the. land own
er completely controlled the situation.
''On the finest farm I ever saw
said Mr.. Irickling. "at Dothaa. Ala.
owned by Spann brothers. formerly OF
Ranberg. on. the richest spot Of high
Hand. that without boil weevils should
make at least two and one-half bales
to- the acre. Spann brothers this year
made six bales of cotton on seven
acres. And this is how they did it.
Land prepared early and thoroughly;
| the full cooperation of large family
lof the most competent negro cotton
farmers. and the supervision OF a
United States department of agrieui-
ture expert. who lived on the place.
Punctured squares were picked every
day and there was no other cotton
near it. On this big 60-plow farm.
cotton patches were SO few and small
they looked like flower beds around
your home.
ION this Spann farm the depart
ment of agriculture had a big latest
improved. seven row busting machine
| to distribute calcium arsenate. The
application was Under the direction OF
an expert. and the field it was used
| on looked poorer and yielded less than
on the other fields Of this fine place.
= "Boll weevils come out early. feed
! ing until about 10 o'clock. and then
go into hiding until about o'clock. so
that from 10 uEtil 4 one sees very
few in the fields. At the sale OF the
! hudson Hair estate here this week !