The Dillon herald. [volume] (Dillon, S.C.) 1894-????, 1921-11-17
HARD TO BEAT THE wEEvn.
Native Dillonite, Now Georgia Resi-
dent, Says Weevil VIII Get Us.

rival or the morning train several
men in this little city met at the post
office for their mail.
My Herald was in my box and al
ways comes first for think it is the
best county paper between here and
North Carolina.
/ hurriedly glanced over the pages
and saw much space was devoted to
the discussion of the boil weevil.
called attention to some gentlemen
and remarked that the weevil was oc-
cupying the attention of my home
county just now. But some thought
cotton could be grown any way. Some
one spoke up and says ''yes, that's
what we said and all fools say, but
very likely they will find OUT
1 then called their attention on
front page where a farmer of Siloma,
Ca, who had grown a good crop of
cotton by keeping chickens in the
fields to destroy the weevil, and
these men were about to push me off
to Dillon at once to sell chickens.
These men are convinced there is
nothing on earth to destroy the Wee
vii.
promised last week I would tell
you what these people did to over
come the loss sustained from this
bug. However, 1 fear have not
made my position plain in telling the
facts as they happened here in South
Georgia and l want it understood
fully that I base every statement on
what 1 have seen and know to be
tue here in this section and do not
know what advantage the cooler eli
mate OF Dillon county will have over
this section, but surely there will be
some difference in your favor.
We have had few very cold DAYS
i'll the past five years. 1 have seen the
land freeze and water pipes burst,
but the bug lived
L know Dillon county boy who
had purchased little farm and built
a nice little bungalow in Coffee coun-
ty when the weevil was, Just begin
hing to put in his work here. This
young man knew how TO cultivate
tobacco. got busy building barns. AT
ter his barn was about half complet-
cd there come an unusual freeze.
rms young man was crowded with
MS work and feeling sure that the
cold freeze had made away with his
enemy he left off his tobacco barn
and turned his attention to prepar-
ing his land for another cotton crop.
But in few days his neighbor came
over with handful of the frozen
bugs and after keeping them by
warm fire few minutes the weevil
moved and soon was crawling in ev-
cry direction. The Dillon county boy
left off cotton and completed his
tobacco barns.
L came to BroXton, Coffee county in
1914. AT that time We had no weeviI.
Cotton was all the go and saw a bale
grown to the acre with two hundred
pounds of cheap grade fertilizer. I
saw Glenn Day of Broxton gather a
bale per acre where he only used 200
pounds of IN S-2-2, and this after a
crop Of oats. However, our soil is
built up and kept up with velvet
beans. cow peas and other soil build
ers, and just here let me say if is a
sad mistake for the Dillon farmer to
strain his land to the limit growing
cotton and plant nothing to help his
soil. 1t is fact that I regret but have
t" admit, that Dillon, the leading ag-
ricultural county in the south is so
slow to adopt this much important
part of their crop and plow up the
land in the spring naked and so clean
and destitute of any plant food what
ever. and rely on fertilizer to supply
everything at a cost too heavy to be
borne. And then these soil building
crops will feed more cattle and hogs
than you will care to keep all through
the winter months. Then you need
standing markets for live stock.
But the weevil is my subject now.
When / came to this section gins
were running all over the country.
Some gins were kept going all night
and day and farmers were looking for
cotton pickers and often at the break
OF day many wagons were standing
in the negro quarters ready to carry
every one that could pick cotton to
the fields in the county, but these
days are gone and most of the gins
are standing idle. Many stand year
in and year out and not a wheel
turns over.
Very likely most of The Herald
readers know this was a great long
staple cotton section and that Valdos-
ta, Ga, was the leading staple cotton
market in the world, but if there is
All acre of long staple grown in South
Georgia now. I do not know it. The
weevil did away with this variety all
together. don't think it is possible
to grow hundred pounds in seed per
acre.
think the advice given in The
Herald good and If you will plow un-
der all old stalks. stubbs and trash
for the winter freeze. then burn all
ditch hanka hoIoxac