The Dillon herald. [volume] (Dillon, S.C.) 1894-????, 1921-10-27


crossed the cotton belt. but there has
been no starvation. In 1915. ten years
after the boil weevil reached the cot
ton belt. the south made a record
breaking crop. and the biggest crops
the south ever made have been made
since the coming of the weevil.
The boil weevil does damage, but it
does not clean up the cotton fields
like horde of army worms. II it
did North and South Carolina would
have been the only states in the south
last year to make cotton crop. The
entire crop would not have been more
than 100000 bales. but the other
ten million bales were made in states
where the boil weevil has been oper-
ating for Is years.
For the past three months we have
heard only one side OF the boil wee
vii question-and that has been the
worst side. We have heard of the
man who planted 500 acres and got
so bales. News like that travels, be-
cause /. is newS-it is startling. We
have not, however, heard of the far
mer in boil weevil territory who
made 500 bales on 500 acres. There
is nothing startling about that be-
cause it is being done every year.
That has been done so many times
right here at home that it is nothing
unusual We have heard the story so
often that ii does not attract atten-
tion and news that does not attract
attention does not travel very fast nor
very far
We had heard so much about
the poverty-stricken counties of lower
Georgia, lower Alabama, Mississippi.
Louisiana and Texas that of curiosity
We took the other day late copy of
a commercial rating book of the SOU
thern states and went over the
ratings of the merchants and manu-
facturers in these sections.
The result of our Investigations was
We found that merchants
and manufacturers in these sections
had just as good ratings as merchants
and manufacturers who were out
of boil weevil territory. We could
not tell the difference so far as credit
and rating We're concerned. They were
doing business at the same old
stands" If the boil weevil leaves pow
eIty in its wake there were no evi-
donces of it in these sections where
the boil weevil made its appearance
years ago.
We are not trying to minimize the |
of the bolf weevil situa-
tion. If next year is an unfavorable |
year the boil weevil will cut down |
the cotton crop in Dillon county from |
20 to 40 per cent. Where we have |
oeen making 10000 bales of cotton |
VIC will not make more than 10000 |
% $4,000 bales, but the cotton crop
n Dillon county will not be a total
oss. There will be good crops on
some lands and poor crops on others.
'ut where a man plants no more than
le is able to cultivate properly the
experience has been that normal crops
ave been made, except during excess
lively wet or very unfavorable seas
ms.
There is nothing alarming about
he situation. While less cotton will
6 planted, there will be a correspond
1gly smaller amount of fertilizers
sed, and heretofore the fertilizer bill
as amounted to one-fourth of the to-
al value of the county's cotton crop.
here will be more food and feedstuffs
aised which means that less cash
loney will be sent away from home.
nd taking it as general average the
Cunty will get along fairly well. But
, far as want and suffering are con-
are matters not worthy
{ consideration
A 10 MnnAo,