Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-12-14
COSTS y CENTS
TORAISE COTTON,
EXPERT REPORTS

That cotton can be produced more
| cheaply under boil weevil conditions
! with the use of calcium arsenate in
] liberal quantities than 1t can with
| out the use of calcium arsenate, and
that the actual production cost of
cotton with calcium arsenate was
more than rs cents per pound, are
two interesting and highly important
facts established by experiments
| conducted this year at the boil wee
| vii experiment station of the Georgia
state department of entomology.
| This particular station, located
near Bailey. in Appling county, is
one of several experiment stations
operated by the department of ento-
mology for different lines of cotton
research. The operation of the boil
weevil station near Bailey was in
charge Of Ira w. Williams, cotton
specialist in charge of boil weevil
work, and one of the most expert
enced men in the south, having made
a special study of the boil weevil for
more than ten years.
T& report of Mr.. Williams on the
results of the experiment was sub
| mitted Saturday to j. j. Brown, COM
| missioner of agriculture. 1t appears
| to demonstrate conciusively that an
| investment of money in calcium ar
| senate to destroy the boil weevil re-
| turns actual dividends in the form
of an increased yield.
The report is further interesting in
| that it shows, by actual figures,
| that cotton production at this expert
ment station cost 25.4 cents per
pound where calcium arsenate was
| used, and 31.33 cents per pound
| where calciums arsenate was not
used.
The question of the cost of this
years crop Of cotton has been much
discussed all over the country since
| the market went to piece a few
months ago. Agricultural leaders
| have. contended that the cost was
well over % cents a pound. Many
estimates have gone higher than 30
cents.
Mr.. Williams believes the condi-
tions under which the boil weevil
experiment station produced cotton
this year were as favorable for econ
omy as could have been found on
any farm in the south. That is to
say, he believes it would have been
impossible to produce cotton any
| cheaper than he produced it. Hence,
if it cost him more than rs cents
pound to produce cotton with the
use of calcium arsenate, which was
demonstrated to be cheaper than pro-
| ducing cotton without calcium ar
senate. he believes the cost of pro-
ducing every bale of this years
crop of cotton throughout the south
was at least rs cents a pound as an
absolute minimum. and in many
caSeSmore.
Cotton is sellingrnow around 16
and II cents n0nr6
In his report of the experiments
| conducted at Bailey. Mr.. Williams
says:
growing of cotton with the use of
calcium arsenate under boil weevil
conditions. The station. consisting of
fifteen acres. was laid off in plots OF
one-half acre each. with two check
plots in different parts of the field.
On these CHECK plots) no calcium
arsenate was used. but all of the
other methods previously advocated
by the board of entomology were
used on these blocks. as we'll as on
the entire field.
1.-THE drift Of the calcium arsenate
the check blocks being narrow. con-
tributed great deal to the control
Of the boil weevil on the check
blocks. This, together with the fact
that the regular fight on the boil
weevil without calcium arsenate was
made on the check blocks, contrib
uted greatly to their yield. 1t will
be seen that fourteen bales weighing
All pounds each were made on the
busted area (of fourteen and one-half
acres), while 800 pounds of lint cot
ton was made on the undusted area.
This gave an increase of 102 pounds
Of lint cotton per acre."
Attached to the above report are
the detailed cost figures. These fig
ures show that the total cost of pro-
ducing 1894 pounds Of lint cotton
on fourteen and one-half acres with
calcium arsanate) was 81, 446.44, or
25.4 cents per pound. OF this cost
$50 per acre went for busting with
calcium arSenate.
The figures show that the total
cost Of producing 300 pounds of lint
cotton without calcium arsenate)
was $96.S2. or 31.33 cents per