The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1919-11-11
Bale to Acre in Spite of the Weevil
NAL WI. GLEssNER in Southern Ruralist

in Southern Ruralist
April, and its first working was with
a weeder run across the rows. 1t was
then chopped out, leaving two stalks
to the hill, eighteen inches apart.
And right here am going to make
separate paragraph in regard to
those two stalks in a hill, for DR..
Taylor wished me to particularly
stress that point. He says two stalks
in a hill will increase the yield twen-
ty per cent. over the ordinary meth
od-not only that but it will bring
the plants to earlier maturity, which
is an important point in fighting the
boil weevil Not less than a bushel
of seed to the acre should be used
so as to get continuous stand.
Cultivation was as often as the
condition of the weather permitted.
The last blowing was made with a
turning pillow in the middle of the
row, the water following the pillow
which drained the beds.
The 10th of July the fight with the
weevil began by picking up the pune
tured squares and was followed up
twice a week until the bolls became
puncture- proof. While picking up the
squares the stalks were shaken so as
to throw the squares in the middle of
the row. 1t was to this clean and per-
sistent picking up the squares that
DR.. Taylor attributes mis- success in
fighting the weevil, for while he
sprayed twice with calcium arsenate
the rains washed it off almost as soon
as it was put on, so the effect was
not perceptible 1t will be noticed
that the picking up of the squares
was done twice as often as recon-
mended by the weevil experts. DR..
Taylor's method is corroborated by
similar results from the same method
on a plantation in another section of
Laurens county. By this method, DR..
Taylor claims, the destruction by
weevil was limited to three per cent.
Cotton picking began the 9Th of
August. There is no guess work about
the yield to the acre, as the greater
portion of the crop had been gather
ed and ginned when | saw it, Septem-
Der 22nd.
And now a paragraph about the
seed, for it has played an important
part in the story. Four years ago
DR.. Taylor procured from the state
entomoligst some seed of a wilt re-
sistent strain, which he has improv-
ed into an early live-lock variety. His
Improvement consisted of bolls from
each year the largest five-lock bolls !
from the bottom of the earliest-ma-
turing plants and planting that seed
each succeeding year, the result be-
ing a medium-sized stalk with short |
limbs and comparatively little foliage,
which natures its fruit rapidly, the /
boil being puncture-proof twenty
one days from the bloom. With an
ordinary season the doctor thinks he
can make a bale and a half to the
acre, despite the boil weevil.
This story would not be complete !
without a little sketch of DR.. Taylor, |
for | have found that success de- |
ponds a great deal more upon the |
man than upon methods. AS a physi- |
clan he was a graduate of three med |
tice until he turned his whole atten- !
ton to farming. He ordinarily runs
about thirty plows, but this year he
cut his force down, and instead of
planting 500 acres in cotton, put out
$50. In addition to his farm he owns
a general store and drug store in Dex-
ter. He is a close observer and has |
been making a study of the boil wee
vii, the results of which he has prom
ised me to give the readers of the
Ruralist.
Oh, yes, 1 came near forgetting
another important point which Dr.
Taylor wished me to impress, and that
the readers of the Ruralist, and that
is the Importance of early planting
in the fight against the weevil. He
says if you cannot get your planting
done by the 9Th of April put it off |
until next year.
@-A10NA RMR nVRIk10