Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1920-02-10

about one week. 1t will generally not
be advisable to continue the work
later than the middle or last Of
August for fruit saved after that
date will seldom mature before frost.
7. Be as economical with material
as conditions will permit. The cost
of the calcium arsenate is always the
largest single item of expense, so it
must be used with economy to make
the practice of poisoning a success.
If proper busting machinery is used
the cotton can be covered complete
ly with an application of about hVe
pounds per acre. The use of calcium
arsenate powder as control for the
boil weevil is comparatively a new
thing and machinery for applying
the powder rapidly and economically
on a large scale is having to be de-
signed and made. When the expert
mental work was begun only hand
busters were available, but since thal
time power busters have been made
Power busters are more satisfactory
under most conditions because the
greater force of the blast Of air
and the greater spread of the dust
cloud make it possible to cover the
cotton with less waste of powder.
The first of these machines were
mounted on four-wheel wagons or
frames and were operated by small
gasoline engines. These machines
were drawn by two mules or horses
and had pipes for busting five to
seven rows at a time. They were
in a measure successful where the
fields were large, level and free OF
stones, stumps and bitches, and had
d capacity of thirty to fifty or
more acres a day under such con-
ditions. These machines had few
disadvantages that make them unSat-
3sfactory for general conditions.
They are so heavy that it is not
practicable to use them in fields that
are wet or soft. They are so large
that it is difficult to handle them
/ on turn rows and terraces and in
irregular fields. 1t takes men with
better understanding of gasoline en-
glnes and machinery than the aver
age farm labor has to operate them
without great deal of expense ana
| loss Of time. Another disadvantage
| is that the first cost is too high tor
| the average farmer. A much better
machine for most conditions is the
cart type Wheel-traction machine that
| has recently been designed and which
| will come on the market during the
winter OF 1919-1920. This machine
has two wheels instead of four,
| which makes it much easier to han
die in small, rough, or irregular
| fields. The power for operating fan
| oito clIIrOliad from fhn
wheels. This machine is to be drawn
by two mules or horses and will
carry three or four rows at a time.
| There will probably not be as many
machines of this type on the market
this year as there will be demand
for, but other companies are plan
ming to manufacture them in time
to be used on the cotton crop of
! 1921.
Hand Busters Expensive
Several companies have satisfac-
tory, types of hand busters on the
market but it is not economical to
use these because the cost of hand
labor is so great and because it
takes a much larger quantity OF
calcium arsenate to cover the cot
ton than when power machines are
used. They are adapted to very
small or irregular fields and to fields
either stony or covered with stumps.
8. Do not think that the use of
calcium arsenate will make it no
longer necessary to use control meas
ures such as early, destruction of
stalks in the fall, the planting of
early maturing varieties, early plant
| ing, heavy fertilization, rapid Guilt
walton, and hand picking the first
weevils and the first punctured
squares. Cotton will hardly be a
profitable crop under boil weevil con-
ditions unless ali these control
measures are used, but if all are
used cotton will probably continue to
be the most profitable crop for the
cotton belt farmer who does not
plant all cotton but uses the safe and
business-1ike scheme Of diversified
| farming.
| Calcium arsenate is poisonous to
man and to livestock as well as to
| the boil weevil, and it will be nee