The Marietta journal. (Marietta, Ga.) 1918-1944, 1919-11-28
HOW A POISON WORKS
ON Mr.. BOIL WEEv|L
Agricultural Department Reports On
Official Experiments Conducted
During This Year

Il feel justified in recommending
the use of calcium arsenate as
means of fighting the boil weevil if
the cotton is -planted on good land,
is well fortified and is thoroughly
cultivated" states Prof. Frank Ward,
of the Georgia State College of Ag-
riculture, who has just completed a
series of busting demonstrations with
calcium arsenate extending through
south Georgia and lasting during the
summer months. Mr.. Ward calls at
tention to the fact that the farmer
must use the poison according to d.
rections and that under conditions of
continued heavy rains it cannot be
kept on the plants with success.
Success at Brooklet
The best results were obtained"
says Mr.. Ward, Sin the demonstration
with County Agent J. G. Liddell on
the farm of Mr.. w. C. Crowley at
Brooklet, in Bulloch County" Here
Mr.. Ward with an expense of $16.54
for five applications of poison, seven
pounds at an application, and labor,
got an increase Of 329 pounds of seed
cotton to the acre, worth at 3 Ocents
per pound for lint approximately
$685.. This gives net profit of
$23.31 per acre for the use of the
poison. If the lint is credited at 40
cents pound the net profit would
be nearly $500 an acre.
Mr.. Ward was very conservative in
estimating all of the cost items. The
calcium arsenate used cost 1918 and
the other charges were labor $3.50,
use of machine $1.00 and picking of
extra yield 1929, giving total cost
OF 1854. The yield on the poisoned
acre was 1,455 pounds of seed cot
ton, while the yield on the check acre
next to it was 1,126, an increase of
329 pounds. The increase in yield
was more than 20 per cent.
Three applications Of poison were
used on cotton on the farm of Mr..
Bryant Davis at Ashburn and with
an expenditure of $3.50 for poison
and labor net profit of $27.17 per
acre was realized. Two demonstra-
lions on the farm of Mr. Il. G.. Will
liams at Cordele gave profit of $4.53I
from an expenditure of 1888 on one
acre and on another acre a profit of
Sl.31 from an expenditure of $3.50.
How to Use Poison
Use only calcium arsenate having
approximately AZ per cent arsenic
pentoxid and not more than 1 per
cent soluble arsenic is likely to burn
the plants. Use only as a dry dust,
for liquid spray does not cover the
plant so thoroughly as dust does.
Do not begin to use until the in
festation is rather heavy 1t is never
possible to get all the weevils and
the cost is too great when only a
few weevils are present. Dust in late
afternoon at night and in early morn
ing while the plants are moist and the
air is still as the dust adheres to the
plant best under such conditions.
Use enough poison to thoroughly
cover the WnOle plant but use 1t in
such manner as to conserve material
for the cost of the material is the
largest item of cost. Use about four
pounds per acre at each application
in June when the plants are not so
large, increasing the quantity to six
or eight pounds per acre as the plants
get larger.
Apply often enough to keep all
parts of the plant covered all the
time until you are ready to give the
crop up to the weevil This will be
about an average of once a week or
ten days-oftener if growth is rapid
and rains are frequent, not so often
if growth is slow and there is little or
no rain.