Fitzgerald leader enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ben Hill County, Ga.) 1921-1964, 1922-05-25
Weevils Abundant
Can Be Killed
No Need To Get Unduly Alarmed
And Give Up
(By c. A. WHITLEY

(By c. A WHITLEY
Just as expected there has been a
heavy emergence OF boil weevils from
winter quarters. The young cotton
plants are now harboring and furnish
ing many weevils with food. But I'M
til the squares or fruit buds, begin to
form they will do no harm to the cot
ton plant
Many OF the wcevils now found in
and around the young vegetative bud
in the top OF the plant will never live
70 do any damage to the cotton crop.
he days of many of these weevi1s on
earth are near the end and they will
never see another cotton square.
Don't entertain the notion for a
moment that the boil weevils now in
the field are laying eggs and Matching
Out young; They are not. They can
not possibly lay eggs that will hatch
out until they lay them in squares or
bolls
The small weevils in the fields are
not young and newly Matched out.
Mature weevils differ in size Just like
men differ in size Any sign consid-
cred as evidence of the active breeding
OF weevils does not mean anything so
tar as actual reproduction is concern
ed and will not mean anything in that
sense, until squares are formed and
eggs are deposited in the squares.
Kill The Early Weevils
The time to kill the wintered over
Weevlls is just before the squares be-
gin to form. One thorough Job then
Will do great deal of good.
1t is not necessary to go over the
young. cotton time after time to kill
the Wintered over weevils. AS stated
previously many of them will die a
natural death because their life cycle
Will have ended before squares form.
1t does not pay, of course, to kill the
Weevils that will die anyway before
they can do any harm.
80 the proper thing to do is to sit
steady and Just before the squares be-
GIN TO form go for them
The best and cheapest method of
killing the old wintered over weevils
Is to dust calcium arsenate over the
young plants. This is a poison that
will get the weevil. No doubt about
it.
1t takes very little of dust poison
to treat an acre of small cotton plants. |
A busting machine is not even re-
CURED for this first application A
cheese-cloth bag or fertilizer hornwith |
cheese cloth over the opening, can be
used to make the early application be-
fore squares form. A light tap on the
bag or horn will create a little dust
that will settle in he top of the plant
where the weevil is at the time. Two
to three pounds of poison per acre will
do the work.
Calcium arsenate is a poison devised
by the government and recommended
by it as the best boil weevil DESTROYER.
Many methods for killing wintered-
over weevils on young cotton have
been tried by the Government experts
but none was found as effective as
calcium arsenate. The state board of
Entomology of Georgia has found that
Calcium Arsenate busted on young
plants before the squares form is eff
tectlve in controlling boil weevils as
well as later in the life of the cotton
plant.
Cotton farmers should not confuse
this early application of poison made
by hand with later applications which
can only be made effectively by using
special machines designed for the pur-
pose.
Meanwhile push your cotton along
to rapid growth and maturity with
frequent cultivation and if not ade-
quatcly fertilized, make side dressings
Immediately after the cotton is chop
ped out.
Cotton farmers who are prepared
70 get busting machines and who are
willing tc follow Government instruc-
tons lr"plicitly should get ready at
once to apply to the cotton plants after
the squares begin to form.
IT unable or unwilling to get ma
chimes and follow Government recon-
mendat'ons then gather the punctured
squares at least once a week.
CALCIUM APSENATF