Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1921-09-08
BOIL WEEVIL DEVASTATES
FARMS OF LOW-COUNTRY
Fort Mill Party Sees Havoc Counties
South OF Columba-Chan ce to Profit in York by Dis
astrous Experience Of Other South Carolnians


Carolina by farmers and business
men of the Fort Mill community,
which was promoted by the First
National bank of Fort Mill, was
secured by The Times reporter
and may prove of interest to the
papers readers:
The party, leaving Fort Mill
shortly after 6 o'clock last Tues
day morning. passed through
Rock Hill, Chester, Winnsboro.
and on to Columbia, having been
joined at Rock Hill and Chester
by tourists from other sections of
York county, and Chester coun-
ty. Most of the party reached
Columbia before noon. where a
stop was made for lunch, and
then proceeded by way Of Swan
sea and North to Blackville. A
stop was made few miles north
OF Blackville, where the party was
met by the county agent of Barn
well county and conducted to the
farm of Chester Matthews, reach
ing the farm about 4 30 in the
afternoon.
Mr.. Matthews is considered
one of the best farmers in Barn
well county. He welcomed the
party with the facetious remark
that he used to ride in Frankli;ns
and Overlands, but now was
wearing overalls and was walk
ing since the arrival of the boil
weevil. He showed the party Il
drove of about 200 hogs of vari-
Gus sizes with which he hopes to
ease to some extent the situation.
and his fields of corn covered
with velvet beans and stacks of
spanish peanuts in the fields. He
will make an effort to raise cat
tie and will devote more time to
vegetables. especially asparagus.
cucumbers and beans. with the
usual watermelon and cantaloupe
crops. These. he considers, will
ordinarily be profitable. but of
course much depends on getting
these articles early OH the market
in order to obtain good prices.
The Coker Seed company Of
llartsvilIr had supplied Mr.. Mat
;hews with seven varieties of
long stnpl" cotton and had furn-
ishrd the necessary fertilizer with
the idea of an experiment to see
which variety might mature ear
ly enough to beat the boil weevil.
The cotton was planted in one
field. two rows of each variety
side by side across the field. The
whole production of the field
probably would not be more than
10 per cent of an ordinary crop.
and the large part Of this was
contained in four rows of va
ricty called "Lightning Express. :"
The weevils had practically ruin
ed the entire field. Mr.. Mat
lhews stated that about $4,000
bales ordinarily We're weighed in
Blackville, and that the estimate
for this year was not over 800
bales, or one-tenth.
Proceeding to Blackville. the
party divided for the night: some
going on to Barnwcll and others
20 Denmark and Williston. A few
Of the party turned back from
'!"ckville. but most of them took
he road Wednesday morning
Tor Allendale. Here the reports
i of boil weevil damage were even
worse, it being stated by some of
'hc prominent farmers that no
effort would be made to gather
my Of the cotton from the fields.
Some of the party'procceded to
Fairfax and examined a field
which had been partly under gov
rrnmcnt supervision, in order to
lest the efficiency of poison repre-
Sented by arsenate of lead. In
Tins field section had been
wired off and this section had
been regularly sprayed or pow
dcred with the poison, but it was
noted that the appearance of the
crop was appreciably no better
than that which had not been
treated: so it was gathered that
there was no use in putting any
leDendeuce i'm the propos;tion ~