The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1921-10-12
What the Boil WceviI Has Done

The New York Evening Post sug-
gests that While the ravages Of the
boil weevil this year have exceeded
those Of any previous season and
the pest now covers virtually the
entire cotton area. nevertheless
there is no reason to believe that
these facts point TO a permanent
cotton shortage" In support of
this view The Evening Post. in it's
excellent column Business Today"
says: The State of Texas, which
produced from a fourth to third
of the total crop. has been afflicted
with the weevA in some sections
for about thirty years and most
Of the coton-growing area has
suffered from it for about twenty
years. Yet this State (Texas) has
produced larger crops with the
weevils infestinG the whole of this
area than it was able to raise before
their appearance. e.
The Evening Post is mistaken.
1t is true that last year Texas grew
approximately 100000 bales Of
cotton, one of four largest crops
in the history of the State. but for
five or six years the average crop
in Texas has been smaller by some
thing like million bales than the
average crop ten years ago or
thereaboutS In 1911 Texas grew
4.110.000 bales: in 1912 4.650,000
bales in 1913 3.77O.000 bales. in
1914 4,350,000 bales. Then the crop
dropped to around 100000 in
1914 100000 in 1916. 100000 in
1917, 2,6O0.00O in 1913, 2,96O,O00
in 1919 The acreage in Texas
has not varied greatly during this
period.
a study Of the figures for Ala
hama and Georgia show very
strikingly the effects Of the boil
weevil on cotton production. In
Alabama ten years ago the op
was averaging above 100000
bales a year. 1t dropped to 1000
900 bales in 1915, to half million
bales in 1916. to around 100000
bales in 1913 and 1919. to 100000
bales in 1920 and the forecast for
this year is 46S.00O bales.
In Georgia the cotton crop has
been cut from 2.720.000 bales in
1914 to 1.400. 90 bales in 1920. with
the Government forecast for this
wear at 90 600 bales
OF course. as -he New York
Evening Post says. the weevils are
worse some years than others and
this is an especially bad year; new
ertheless as the weevil has made
it's way across the cotton belt it has
steadily reduced the size of the
American cotton crop. The reduc-
ed use Of commercial fertilizer
has been a factor also in reducing
the cotton yield but the main re-
sponsibility rests upon the weevil.
1t seems clear for example that the
size of the the Alabama crop has
been permanently cut by approx
imately million bales and the
same lulIS ID ~ it e'sS ~ >ISoi Sc
indeed the cut in Georgia may be
we'll over a million. Good judges
in South Carolina are Of the opin-
ion that the crop in this State will
never again reach a million bales.
unless happily the boil weevil is
eXterminated. The forecast for
South Carolina this year is GG4.00C
bales as against | 100000 bales last
year. 100000 bales in 1919 and
1.3SO,000 bales in 1918.
For the five years 1910-191l the
average cotton production in Amer
lea was 13.643.0G0 bales. The world
was consuming about 20.000.000
bales a year and the world produc-
ton was a little over 21.H0O.000
b a1cs. During the past five years
the crop in America has been under
600 900 bales and q surplus has
accumulated only because would
consumption has been greatly re-
duced. With the boil weevil active
throughout the entire cotton belt.
and with the buying power OF the
world improved, SO that consump-
tion would approximate the pre-
war figures. there would he cot
TON shortage Of very considerable
nronor1ionS and one which II
would be difficult to make good.