The Dillon herald. [volume] (Dillon, S.C.) 1894-????, 1921-12-08
THE BOIL WEEyH.

~ - a.ng THIS in the first per-
n - Pr. L want to take Herald
- -. Mn personally conducted
= W Cough a boil weevil infested
N % give them first-hand facts.
= - 1 spent two days in Bam-
= lnty. Bamberg has been hard
; " e a county the size of Dillon
fre is very little difference in
~ aracter of the lands or the
* DIS of farming them. Bamberg
II = a normal crop of 80, 900 bales: ::
- Gyear 1T made 1000. This is Bam-
- s third year with the boil weeyil.
0>fe weevil made it's appearance there
In small numbers late in the summer
OF 1919. just the same as it made
'its appearance here the latter part
OF July In this year. Bamberg made
a snort crop in 1919. but in 1920
Sne seasons were good and the coun-
" made almost a normal crop. The
farmers tried cotton again this year.
but the drought came and then fol-
lowed the weeks of excessive rain
&all and Bamberg's crop was cut from
$4,000 to 1000 bales. From the re-
ports that had reached here concern
ing conditions in the lower tier of
counties L expected to find things as
flat as founder; L expected to find
the streets deserted, half the stores
closed. no traffic, smokeless factory
chimneys and a general spirit of de-
lection and depression. But was
agreeably surprised. The only idle in
fvin
5post of them had closed weeks ago.
Saturday morning found the streets
alive with traffic. Business men were
hurrying here and there. The usual
stream of customers was pouring in
and out of the banks, the clerks in
the stores were fairly busy and bus
mess seemed to be normal. There
was no general spirit of detection and
depression. The people were not blue.
Tin were smiling. They were opti-
mistic. They have plenty to eat-food
Is found everywhere in the greatest
abundance-many of them have a lit
tie money ahead, and those who have
no money sell hog, few chickens
or eggs or some corn when they find
it necessary to go to town and trade.
One man with whom 1 talked said
conditions as a whole were better than
they were last fall. He said the big
slump in the price of cotton was such
Il shock that it paralyzed the peo-
pie. The boil weevil came on. gradual
ly his work of destruction covered
a period of several months and the
people had in a way adjusted them
selves to conditions before the cotton
crop was harvested. They will plant
some cotton next year-about 4 to
G acres to the plow. They take a
hopeful view of the future, and are
confident that when they emerge
from the wilderness of doubt and un-
certainty by which they are surround
ed at the present moment that it will
mark the beginning of an era of
prosperity, the like of which the
county has never known
75 Per Cent. Seasons.
I talked with banker, merchant
and farmer. talked with big farm
'ers. medium class farmers and small
farmers. and as progressed from
top to bottom pessimism decreased
and optimism increased. The big far
mer has been hard hit; the small
farmer has not suffered to any great
extent. gathered opinions here and
there; I told them that in my judg-
ment reports reaching my country
concerning conditions in the low
country had been greatly exa xaggerat-
ed; that it was like the indiscretion
got away from the point of origin the
more scandalous it became. That ]
was there for the purpose of get
ting the truth; that the farmers OF
my section were facing the same con.
ditionr they had faced in 1920; that
they had had three years of the boil
weevil and we wanted the benefit OF
their experience. had related to me
a hundred different experiences
scores Of different methods for fight
ing the boil weevil and dozens of diff
ferent plans for growing other money
crops, but after adding and subtract.
ing and multiplying and deducting all
these opinions and experiences and
plans divided the sum total by per-
soal conclusions and observations and
find that the net result is rs pei
cent of season and 25 per cent Of ef-
fcrt.
There are good farmers in Billion
county. but they haven't a monopoly
on good farming methods. There are
other men who have the know
how" talked with Mr.. G. R. Brab.