The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1922-12-14

of weeyil control be devised. Some
form of the calcium arsenate ana
molasses method, | believe, offers
this remedy.
l have read the Florida bulletin
No. 165 referred to in your editorial
and think it recounts one Of the most
constructive pieces of experimental
work ever done. Mr.. Smith is care
full experimenter of repute and he
has gotten hold of and demonstrated
an idea which will almost certainly
be of great benefit to the cotton pro-
ducer. I do not think, however, that
Mr.. Smiths experiments Cor any one
else's for that matter) are the last
word in weevil control The finally ac-
cepted idea on control will proba bly,
embody some of the features of most
of the methods now employed.
Experiments which we have con-
Quoted here seem to show that Mr..
Smith could probably have gotten as
good results with the use Of far less
calcium arsenate per acre in the
single application which he made. l
hope that next year he will apply
after square picking mixture OF
calcium arsenate, molasses and
water. containing not more than one
half pound of calcium arsenate per
acre. Our results and those of many
other farmers in the state show that
the over wintered weevils can be
killed out on the young cotton by
such an application. Other expert
ments which we have carried on this
years seem to show that every minute
amounts of calcium arsenate-as lit
tie as one ounce or two ounces per
acre in a mixture of molasses and
water may effect a high degree of
weevil control. We must do further
experimenting however, before MAX
ing this assertion. Mr.. Smith would,
1 think, also have cotton better re-
suits if he had followed his first ap-
plication with other applications OF
calcium arsenate, molasses and water
after the cotton began to show weevil
damage.
Arsenate With Mo1asses.
You say that you have heard little
of the results of the calcium arsenate-
molasses treatment. This is quite
natural as there has been no organiz-
ed propaganda in it's favor while the
Southern Fertilizer association, the
Southern experiment station and the
bureau of entomology have all seen
to it that the successes with the dust
ing method have been widely and con-
stantly advertised.
There is a gentleman in Georgia
who has for years operated a small
but successful agricultural paper. His
success has been largely due to the
fact that he spends a great deal of
his time travelling, observing the
methods of good farmers and report
ing theri results. He is open minded
unprejudiced and has done much
good in disseminating sound agricul-
turaI practice as he has observed it
on the farm. He has recently been
studying the subject of boil weevil
control in South Carolina and Geor-
gia. Allow me to quote from his edi-
toral in the Southern Cultivator of
December l:
ION our recent trip through the
state of South Carolina, going from
Anderson county down through to
Orangeburg, the chief topic of inter
est among the farmers was the best
methods of boil weevil control by the
use of calcium arsenate. We were
given many instances of experiments
made with both the busting method
and the application of the LIQUID
form. We talked with several who
have given most of their time this
year to this subject. We did not find
one who tried the arsenate, syrup
and water mixture that was not we'll
pleased with the results obtained.
Mr.. Turner of Denmark put 40 wee
wills on stalks sprayed with this mix
ture and in four hours time every
weevil was dead. Naturally he will
adopt this method exclusively on his
farm for 1923. We were also told of
an experiment made by farmer in
Greenwood county. He took eight
acres of land and divided it into three
equal tracts. On the first he used no
poison; on No. he applied the dust
according to government instruct
ions; on No. he used the arsenate,
syrup and water On No. he gather
ed twice the yield of cotton as made
on No l. while on No. he gathered