The log cabin Democrat., 1921-08-29
.fXPLA|NSPO|SON|NC
 OF BOIL WfEy|LS
GOVERNMENT MAN HERE
J. E. Humpht-ys of Tallulah. La, Shows in Pictures Success of
 Calcium Arsenate Plan.

lures J. E. Humphreys. of the United States experiment station at Tallulah, La, Saturday afternoon explained in detail to about 50 Faulkner county farmers at the courthouse the use of calcium arsenate i'll poisoning boil wesyils in cotton fields.
 The poison, he said. is not an eN- terminator of boil weevil, but it has the effect when properly applied of holding the weevll in check and per hitting a normal crop of cotton to be made. Repeatedly he cautioned his hearers that the poison must be pre- perly applied. in strict accordance with directions, else II were better lett alone. II will not pay to use 1t. he said. on land which would normally produce less than a half-bale of cot ton to the acre.
 The calcium arSenate, which Is poisonous powder, is applied by means of guns which blow the powder on the foliage of the plant. Several diff ferent types of guns" are made. Mr. Humphreys said, ranging from small apparatus to be carried by hand 10 large power machines.
 The first application of the calcium arsenate, the speaker said, should be made when there is a boil weevil in festation in the cotton of 10 to 15 per cent; that is, when 10 to 15 of every 100 squares are found to have been punctured Four applications should then be made, at intervals of four days, which covers the life cycle of the weevil, 15 to 20 days. The powder must be applied when the cot ton is very damp, either early in the morning, at night, or shortly after a shower. The boil weevil, Mr. Humph- reys said, is a very thirsty insect, re- quiring a great deal of water. It's drink is obtained from dew or rain drops on the cotton foliage. When the poison is applied it adheres to the damp leaves of the cotton and poisons the moisture. causing immediate death of the weevils drinking it. The motion pictures shown by the speaker were entitled, Let the Boil Weevil Drink Himself to Death"
 ! The four applications, under ordi- nary circumstances, will hold the weevil in check, MT. Humphreys said,
 a sufficient length of time for the
 maturing of a normal crop of grown
 bolls. If, however, a rain falls be- tween the time of application of the calcium Grsenate, it must be immedi- ately repeated, as the rain washes the
 poison from the foliage and renders it ineffective. Should heavy infesta- i tion of weevil develop later in the sea son, it will usually pay to make one or two more applications of the poison. Care should be taken to secure calcium arsenate which is manufactured ac- cording to the proper formula, and i free tests of the material will be made at the Tallplah laboratories, Mir. Humphreys said
 From five to seven pounds per acre of calcium arsenate is required for each application, or about 26 pounds per acre for the season. The price of the poison this year has been 13 to 15 cents a pound, but MT Humphreys said he expected it to sell mach cheaper next year. The cost of one-man gun" is $15 to$20, and with it a man can poison eight to 10 acres. With a one mule cart, costing about $125, 60 acres can be poisoned and with a two-mule cart, costing 1925, 100 acres can be poisoned. The cost of poisoning this year has averaged about $5 per acre, the speaker said
 MT. Humphreys said there was no danger to person applying the pois- on if he kept his mouth closed and had no open sores or abrasions on his skin. If the person kabitually breath es through the mouth he should wear a mask while applying the poison, and all broken places in the skin should be covered. There is no special danger Tn the poison, except that it might ir- , ritate the skin, he said, and everyone using it should bathe as soon as pos sible afterwards. Cattle should be carefully kept out of fields in which the poison has been used until there has been rain sufficient to wash the t4r