The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1921-09-22
SEAELAND COTTON
SPlTESBOLL WEEVlL
GROWING PERIOD REDUCED BY
EARLY MATURING BREED.
Profit Shown in Georgia.
Conference at Valdosta Is Told That
the Scourage Can Be
Defeated.

Natural home of the finest cotton
in the world, the Charleston region
is always interested in forward ex-
periments with sea island, or long
staple. With the active coming Of
that scourage, the boil weevil, sea
islands in this neighborhood have
been in quandary, their bread
winning crop being attacked.
From Valdosta comes the report
that sea island cotton ''can be grown
despite the boil weevil at a profit.
The growing period has been reduced
by the development of an early ma
turing breed of cotton, while the
yield per acre is now placed at more
than half a bale, as compared with a
much smaller amount previous to the
advent of the boil weevil.'
AS published in the Savannah
Morning News, the report from VAL
dosta says:
Visitors representing Savannah,
Jacksonville, Live Oak, Lake City,
Jasper, Jennings and all sections of
South Georgia., numbering, perhaps,
100, met in Valdosta today to discuss
future cultivation and marketing of
sea island cotton. Farmers, cotton
factors and business men, all closely
interested in sea island cotton, COM
posed the gathering.
The consensus of opinion expressed
by all was that every reasonable effort
should be made to revive the industry
on reasonable and safe basis with
cultivation of such acreage as would
permit growers to follow methods es-
tablished by entomologists who have
conquered the boil weevil.
State Entomologist A. c. Lewis, B.
NJ. Gaddis, local experiment superin-
tendent, and W. F. Turner, assistant
entomologist, were all present and
delivered addresses. These experts
showed conclusively that sea island
cotton can now be grown, despite the
boil weevil, at a profit. The growing
period has been reduced by the devel-
opment of All early maturing breed of
cotton, while the yield per acre is now
placed at more than half bale as
compared with much smaller
amount previous to the advent OF the
boil weevil. The only additional cost
is an average of $3.50 an acre for the
entire seasons busting, according to
the experiment farm records. This
farm has been in operation for seven
years, during which time the expefss
have worked patiently and carefully
breeding up the cotton and determ-
lining the best method of dusting with
calcium arsenate.
The visitors were carried to the ex-
pertinent farm and shown carefully
over the entire work in which they
were deeply interested, minute rec
ords bearing out every claim made
by the state experts who have worked
so continuously in an endeavor to
| produce long staple cotton under boil
weevil conditions.
After all of the information had
been laid before the visitors together
| with the results, it was determined
that the growers in every section
should be encouraged to again en-
gage in the staple culture on a reas-
enable scale. Leading factors from
Savannah and Jacksonville as well as
other places stated definitely that sea
island would always bring at least
three and four cents pound over
Egytian and Arizona long staple cot
ton, because Of the very fine texture
of the sea islands as compared to the
other and that there was no adequate
substitute for staple cotton as pro-
duced in the sea island belt.
Bankers and business men attend
ing the meeting will use their best
efforts to get farmers to grow crops
of sea island cotton and the state will
furnish a supply of the early matur-
ing variety and will also give exact in
structions for cultivating and dusting
in order that the boil weevil can be
held in check to such an extent that
the average land yield more than half
a bale to the acre. On the experiment
farm this year ten bales were gath
cred from eighteen acres of land and
! the entire season was regarded as a
most ideal boil weevil season.-NeWs
and Courier.