The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1921-07-22
The Efficacy Of
Poisoned MOlasses.
MoIaSses Mixture for the
Control of the Cotton
Boil Weevil. !,

! mas DGeH COHSluSIhDl0 lhI6ISSI IA
certain portions of the cotton belt
relative the possibility o. poisoning
! the cotton boil weevil by using
a mixture OF molasses, calcium ar.
senate and water. Numerous in
quilies have been received concern.
ing the efficacy of such IL mixture
and so many reports were noted OF
excellent results being secured in
field use that it was deemed desira-
able to give the question rather SER
ious consideration. No experiments
had been conducted by the depart
ment OF Agriculture with this parti-
cular mixture but years ago numer.
Gus tests were conducted to deter
mine the possibility of attracting
weevils with large number of
sweets including molasses and the
results generally negative, although
there were a few instances OF a very
slight degree of attention being
shown. In view of these results it
had seemed useless to conduct any
further tests along this line until
the present interest developed.
The first series of tests consisted
of cage studies comparing the weevil
mortality on plants treated with the
Imolasses mixture, plain busted cal
cium arsenate and also unpolsonod
check plants. Various concentra.
tons and amounts Of the molasses
mixture were tested and the entire
series was repeated five times. In
all a total of sc different cage tests,
involving the use of about 1900
Weevils, were included in these SER
les. The first test conducted show.
ed the average mortality produced
by the molasses mixture to be ex-
actly the same as that Of busted
calcium arsenate. The second show
I'd the busted calcium arsenate to
be superior, while the third series
indicated about an equal superiority
Of the molasses mixture. The
fourth test was slightly in favor of
the busted calcium arsenate while
the fifth showed the two prepara-
lions to have about an equal degree
of toxicity, the average OF the en-
tire series showed the mortality in
all cases treated with busted cal
cium arsenate to be exactly the
same as that in the cages treated
with the molasses mixture.
Tests of different amounts OF the
moIasses mixture and also varla-
lions in the distribution over the
plant showed practically no relation
between these variants and the re-
Isultant mortality. In other words,
the weevll mortality was practically
as great in the cage receiving the
heaviest
The next series Of tests were con-
Quoted Oh more nearly a field basis.
For the purpose Of these tests five
rows of cotton were treated with
| the molasses mixture, the next five
with busted calcium arsenate and
the next five left untreated as a
cneck. These three conditions were
repeated three times III each expert
ment, thus making total OF Is
rows receiving each type OF treat
ment in each test. The entire test
was repeated four Zines under diff
ferent field conditions. After the
treatment these rows were examin.
ed carefully once a day for three
DAYS and the number of live weevils
found on each row was carefully
noted. The first series showed a
very definite control reaction for
1.-The molaases mixture and indicated
that benefite had been derived from
the application. OF the remaining
three series, however, two showed
more mortality in the rows treated
with calcium arsenate than in those
treated with the molasses mixture.
| In the four series as a whole there
| is no striking difference between
the different treatments.
To secure still further check
| from this subject series OF field