The Little River news., 1921-09-24
TO HELP BLOT OUT
 ALL COTTON PESTS
Pests Have Caused More Damage to Cotton This Year Than Ever Be-
 fore in States History.

Cdu0Su HUI C uolluSC Ihlo SSoooAA " cotton in Arkansas than ever before in the history of the state. The boil weevil until this year was confined chiefly to the counties south of the Arkansas river and in many of the more northerly counties had been un- known. This year, however, with an unusually long protracted summer of intensive heat following remark ably mild winter has apparently been favorable to the propagation of the boil weevil and other pests. The weevil has spread into practically every county where cotton is grown. Crittenden and Mississippi counties which are among the most productive cotton counties of the entire South report great loss due to the ravages of the weevil, in many instances era dication of more than two-thirds in the yield per acre.
 Net only has the boil weevil been actively destructive, but it has been assisted by the army worm which has invaded many fields in tremendous numbers and the boil worm which has proven serious pest. There are many instances of fields of cotton where the bolls have been ruined by the weevil or the boil worm and every plant then striped of it's foliage by the army worm. In such instances there is frequently not enough cotton left to justify picking.
 Similar conditions prevail in other states and this has given rise to many theories and suggestions of relief. Someone in Louisiana has recommend ed the passage of law by the legis- lature forbidding the planting of cot ton in the state for a year, with the idea that by this means the propaga tion of the weevil might be stopped The Texas legislature has tried the non-cotton zone idea, particularly to prevent the spread of the pink boil worm from Mexico, but experts say it has not been demonstrated fully as success. The success of the plan de- pends upon several factors, among which are:
 The enactment of proper laws for carrying out the establishment of non cotton zones.
 The enlistment of severy farmer in the crop pest corporation.
 The raising of large enough army for clean up and scouting work.
 The possibility of the complete el- imination of every bit of cotton in one year.
 The establishment of permanent cotton free zone which is large enough to prevent the possibility of the re- establishment of the cotton boil wee vii.
 The plan is not considered feasible by George E. Becker, Chief Inspector of the Arkansas State Plant Board, who says that it appears to him it |
 would be impossible to produce 100 per cent non-cotton South in one year. He says that he considers that plan "too stupendous an experiment for the South to undertake and that nothing short of an assured eradication would warrant such an experiment."
 Mir. Becker further discusses the proposed plan of organization in the following suggestions:
 But, given every condition favor able, it is very doubtful in my mind whether cotton could be absolutely eliminated in one year. As thorough as was the clean up in some of the pink bell worm areas in Texas, vol unteer cotton was found in these areas the following year if l am correctly informed. Of course, we would still have the opportunity of chOpping out the cotton after it had sprouted next year This would be a tremendous task in weedy fields, fence rows and numerous other places where a little stalk of 'bumble bee cotton ,smight be hidden. But even if the Ftields, fence rows, etc. were secuted for cot ton during the 11th year there would still be a possibility of volunteer cot ton being overlooked. The cracks of box car which had been loaded with cottonseed the season before would be potential factor for distributing seeG which might sprout and produce stalk of cotton where it would ma ture unobserved Doubtless many other possibilities of this kind might Le cited" While the destruction that has been wrought in Arkansas cotton fields has been equal to many mil lions of dollars, based upon even the present price of cotton, many believe that it will be the salvation of the South as it will force greater diver sfication of crops. The cotton that is raised this year is produced at less