The Dillon herald. [volume] (Dillon, S.C.) 1894-????, 1920-04-01
SWEET POTATO BORER
AN ALARMING PEST
ALMOST AT SOUTH CAROLINA
BORDER SAYS SENATOR DIAL
Senate Amendment Places $40, 600 i'm
Agricultural Bill for Expert
mental Purposes.

Washington, March 80. - South
Carolina and Georgia, according to
Senator Dial, have vital interest in
an amendment by which the Senate
has added $4,000 to the amount
which the House allowed in the pend
ing agricultural appropriation bill for
investigations of truck-crop insect
pests.
The patron of the amendment is
Senator Harrison of Mississippi, and
as Senator Gronna, of South Dakota,
chairman of the committee on agri-
culture, is understood to be acquies-
cent, Southern Senators have strong
hope that the item will be retained
in conference.
This appropriation said Senator
Dial today, finances investigations
which the Department Of Agriculture
in cooperation with the States, is con-
ducting stored vegetable products as
we'll as certain of our important truck
crops, including potatoes. cabbages,
opinions, tomatoes, beah.. peas and
sugar beets.
Must Stop Potato Borer.
But the feature in which our peo-
pie of the Southeast are mainly inter-
ested", continued the Senator, "is that
the Department of Agriculture has al
lotted, from the sum provided, $685.
900 to fight the sweet potato borer.
This pest is the worst enemy the sweet
potato has. 1t has invaded Florida and
has reached Charlton county, Geor-
gia. Our state entomologist, Mr.. A. F..
Conradi, tells ME that owing to the
habits of the pest it can be kept with
out bounds and very likely can be
eradicated. But unless prompt meas
ures can be taken to check its advance
we may expect it in South Carolina
very soon, and it will inevitably ruin
our rapidly developing sweet potato
industry.
"The borer now exists in seven
states. The sweet potato crop OF five
of these states has an aggregate val
ue of $4,000, Sweet potato
culture is one major item in a new
scheme Of production which we are
developing to offset the advance Of
the cotton boil weevil. Already we
have built many potato warehouses,
and hope that we shall go on now to
build up sweet potato packing in
dustry such as is centered about Al
bany, in Georgia.
Quarantine Advocated.
This pest can survive tempera-
ture conditions which exist in every
state producing sweet potatoes. 1t Is
best controlled through quarantine
while eradicative measures are being
taken; and through the researches OF
tho federal experts, including over
sight Of more than 10000 farms,
adequate quarantine laws have been
put in effect in Georgia, Florida and
Alabama, while Mississippi has what
may be regarded as model crop-pest
law and Louisiana has one only lit
tie less excellent. Field laboratories
maintained IN Florida, Mississippi,
Louisiana and Texas have studied the
history and habits of the pest, test
ed various insecticides proposed and
studied methods Of economic control,
fumigation of stored potatoes and
tho eradication of wild plants which
furnish food to the insect.
Finding that the borer thrives on
the wild morning glory, the depart
ment has experimentally cleared of
these plants zone Of about thirty
miles long between the infested coast
al region of Florida about Daytona
and an uninfested area in Flagler
county. 1t has been demonstrated
on the experimental plants at Kings
vile, Texas, that the insect may be
held in check by spraying or dusting
several times with arsenate OF lead
Destruction of wild food plants over
the many several thousand acres is
under way at New Orleans. The lab
aratory at Ocean Springs, Miss, has
determined that heat is an important
control measure for stored potatoes,
temperature Of 10 degrees destroy
ing the weevils with little effect on
the potatoes. Eradication work proper
is done mainly in the Baker-Charl-
ton region of Georgia and Florida
comprising about 800 infected farms;
in Alden County. Alabama, where
there are about thirty farms, and in
Southern Mississippi, where there are
about 200 farms. *. F. NJ. in News
and Courier.