Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1919-12-24
sriHH SPREAD Oh BOIL wEEv1L..
In Mversifying Crops Lies the Hope
of South's Future.

Columbia, Dec. 19,-The spread
of the cotton boil Weevi1 throughout
tho South has been seized upon,by
the South Carolina Landowners AS.
ISOLATION as affording an opportunity
for dts best constructive work. 1t
has been advocating diyersification
of crops and especially urging the in-s
troducttonrhnd expansion Of the live
stock industry.
adopting these. methods, it Is
asserted, the damage done by the
boil weevil to the South Carolina
farmer can be, counteracted and por-
tons of the State can be turned from
q one-crop system Of agriculture with
of{farming that will enable the State
to feed itself to a large extent and
help feed the rest OF the nation as
we'll as supply a portion of the fibre
that clothes countless millions CT the
worlds population.
TO tina extent, according to some
authorities, the boil weevil has not
proved to be an unmixed evil. Gle
ment S. Ucker, executive vice presi-
dent OF the Southern Settlement and
Developments Organization, with
which the South Carolina Land own
ers' Association Is affiliated, says
that the weevil Changes the whole
agricultural situation Of the South:
the first two or three years he causes
acute suffering, but then cotton
raising is taken UP on a improved
basis, other forms Of agriculture are
entered upon, and the region in
vaded by the weevil begins to- get
rich"
Having started in. Yucatan or Cen
f,.ol A ~ N,,too xr,I,ox.@ 1>kl~rs 49,
originated, the -weevil advanced
through Mexico and crossed the Rio
Grande at Brownsville about 1892.
1t has spread since then, extending
Its range annually from 40 to 100
miles, depending upon weather con-
dition, until 1t has invaded most of
Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas, has
overrun completely Louisiana, Missis-
sippf and Alabama; Is approaching
the tip Of the Florida peninsula and
the northernmost limit Of the cotton
belt In southern Missouri, Tennes-
see and Georgia.
The boil weevil entered South
Carolina last year and this year 1t
spread practically throughout the
southern and central parts of the
State. 1t has ven crossed the line
into North Carolina and. has been
found in the vicinity Of Wilmington,
N. G., the United States department.
OF agriculture, states. There seems
to be no doubt that the insect will
spread to the limit Of the cotton
belt.
Nothing has been found so far to
stop the progress Of this pest, which
has caused millions OF dollars Of
damage to the cotton crop, sometimes
to the extent of SO per cent In GER
tain sections, but government scien-
fists, suggest, as q means Of control,
certain methods Of cultivation and
land clearing and fertilizing, the use
SofSearly varieties Of cotton, and othor
= methods OF control, Poisoning has
sATSii<3cr t9UccHgaful to y certain extant
tS8 The situation created by the adj
OF the boil weevil in South
ACaroltna is being met by tho South
Carolina Landowners Association
with a constructive program to en-
courage diversified farming by Gre
ating home cash markets for farm
products other than cotton. To that
end the Association has been active,
assisting IN the organization Of cor
porations to operate meat packing
plants, grain elevators, grist mills,
sweet potato drying plants and stor-
g warehouses, syrup mills, peanut
mills, velvet bean crushers or SINH
lar establishments at points such as
Orangeburg, Beaufort, WATERFORD,
Brunson, Bamberg, Sumter, Harris
vile, Kingstree and Georgetown. BY