The Dillon herald. [volume] (Dillon, S.C.) 1894-????, 1920-10-21


, of years since they first entered Texas
There have been periods when they
have given US little concern. During
the years of severe drouth when the
hot suns, and the long, dry days and
nights have prevailed, they have
not multiplied so numerously, and
have not been so effective In their
disastrous results; but during the
wet wears, and when the conditions
have been favorable for their multi
pl;cation and for their devastating
work. they have wrought havoc, and
have continued their destructive
work.
think they are here to stay now,
and believe that the average
farmer In this country, who expects
to continue his farming operations
for a livelihood, should equip himsei'
with the implements necessary u
their destruction, just as naturally
as he provides the implements neces-
sary to the proper cultivation OF MIS-
crops. g..
conducteds sgoy certain parties on q
big scale, sy 60 into the crop year
with their oysters, and their poison
az part of their crop work, and crop
eynenditure, and the records snow
that these people always make
good crop of cotton; but where tney
do not poison they fail to make IL.
The farmer Is loath to undertake any
effort or expense unless ne Is eom.
pelled to do so. He waits until tne
last minute in the hope OF being aoie
! to save that expense and effort. Even
when the weevil appears, he fancies
that his cotton Is going to pull
through without assuming that ex-
pense, and almost before he realizes
# the insects have partially, or COM
pletely, destroyed his crop.
In the later part Of July l mace
q trim over east Texas and Soutn
Texas, to make an official visit and
inspection Of the various agricul-
tural experiment stations over there
being president of the Governing
Board of the Texas Agricultural Ex-
pertinent Stations. I had previously,
in June, visited some of the west
Texas Experiment Stations. l never
saw such a magnificent prospect TOT
an abundant crop in all my resi-
dence in Texas at that particular
time. I'm every section visited the
cotton fields appeared to be one
continuous bloom, the stalks Delng
loaded down with squares ana
blooms, and continually putting on
as abundantly as the stalk coulo
stand. Everybody was jubilant over
the prospects that Texas was gong
to make the most tremendous crop
in her history. Within the last thirty
TWO
days the crop in this immediate sec
ton has deteriorated at least twenty
five per cent, and possibly more, and
reports from other sections confrm
this conclusion. At some points the
crop has been completely destroyed,
while in other sections the crop was
so far advanced and the bolls SUI
ficlently matured to prevent sucn
serious inroads by the pests.
The only salvation for the cotton
farmer, in my opinion, is to get his
cotton planted as early as possible,
and to matrity at the earliest pos
sible moment, before the insects can
become sufficiently numerous to resi-
ously attack it. Some will contend
that the weevil cannot be, subdued by
poison; but the results Of the actiyi-
ties at the Experiment Station at
College Stasluu. and in other sections
where the work has been intelli-
gently directed, conclusively proves
that the work Of destruction can be
prevented through such poisoning. At
the Experiment Station Of the A. &
M. College certain plats that have
been poisoned showed that the crop
has turned out abundantly, while ad-
joining rows that have not been
poisoned, show the crop to have been
destroyed. Where the large busters
drawn by mule power have been very
beneficial on the larger plantations,
the smaller busters carried on the
shoulders, and operated by individ-
uals have proven successful in the
smaller crops. Arsenate Of calcium
has nroyen IN he the most fOrmid-