The Washington herald., 1921-09-27
Just Once, Not Again.
TOR ONCE a curse has proved blessing Ii
r. the past it has never been a blessing whei

TOR ONCE a curse has proved blessing In
- the past it has never been blessing when
i there was any kind of a crop failure. No
price-raise helped those who got no yield; and price,
as rule. is measured by foreign supply But the
cotton growers generally have prohted this year by
the ravages OF the boil weevil Even those who lost
half their crop will get better than double the price,
and what is quite as important, will be able to SELL
while it has put a handsome premium on the very
large holdover from the last crop, most OF whicn
was still in the hands of associations OF growers
This most persistent of agriculture's pests has
spread until it now nearly the whole cotton
area 1t seems to have destroyed from fourth to
a half of this seasons crop. Cotton growers hope
for cold winter which would help the northern
section, but not the more extreme South. Outside
of weather conditions, the only known remedy is
poison spray which costs from S. to SIS per acre
and added labor and to the cost OF fertilizers, is
regarded as an almost prohibitive expense.
The experts of the Agriculture Department,
however maintain that poison is effective. If so,
the price certainly is not should not be allowed
to be prohibitive. Certainly saving the cotton crop
is of sufficient importance to warrant duplicate OF
what is done by the Federal government and in
dividual States protect timber from forest fires
/, II is a big enough problem to call for State and
Federal action. In this way, by State appropria-
tons in the cotton States or by fund provided by
determined fight should be made to down this pest
.. The Department of Agriculture might we'll be
asked to take charge of the campaign. Wholesale
action is always less expensive than that by in
dividuals. The poison could be bought by car loads
il necessary. The application could be made in the
same way by organized bodies of men who made it
a business. The poison has to be used un-
derstand at night when the dew makes it stick. 1t
must be renewed after a rain. 1t is systematic
Job which can be effective only when systematized
and that cannot be when it is everybody's job, no
matter how much everybody has at stake.
-, One thing is sure, it will be quite certainly
disastrous to sit and wait. The boil weevil does
not do this. 1t keeps busy. Cotton is the only
product of the land of which one-half is
ported. This raises It above being local ISSUE"
it,makes it national. The South cannot change to
other crops. The cotton area is too enormous. 1t
would not be we'll if it did, though it is of course
that the South should raise of its own foods.
assured market. 1t is noncompettve nationally and
less in world than any others and be-
longs where it is. o. ...
1t is to the interest OF the North we'll the
South to preserve it and if there-is a poison which
will dispose of the boil weev of the potato bug
the small fruit worm and destroyers OF so many
other land products it should be used. Spraying is
not new process. Every Northern gardener has
to use sprays constantly, and it, some other
equally veng process, has to be used annually for
some crop. The South should make the weevps
control the issue of States 1t should be attacked
with State funds and with Federal assistance.